South Atlantic League (1987-1994)
Tombstone
Born: 1987 – South Atlantic League expansion franchise
Re-Branded: October 25, 1994 (Charleston Alley Cats)
First Game: April 10, 1987 (L 4-3 vs. Asheville Tourists)
Last Game: September 3, 1994 (L 4-1 @ Hagerstown Suns)
South Atlantic League Champions: 1990
Stadium
Watt Powell Park (7,000)11994 Asheville Tourists Program
Opened: 1949
Demolished: 2005
Marketing
Team Colors: Green & Blue
Mascot: Wind-Up (the Hot Dog)
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1987-1993: Dennis Bastien & Lisa Bastien
- 1994: Mike Paterno, et al.
Major League Affiliation:
- 1987: Co-op
- 1988-1989: Chicago Cubs
- 1990-1994: Cincinnati Reds
Attendance
Our Favorite Stuff
Charleston Wheelers
Logo T-Shirt
Charleston, West Virginia’s contemporary independent pro baseball franchise, the Dirty Birds, traces its origin back five decades to this green-and-black clad club that return pro baseball to the city in 1987. The Wheelers’ logo appeared to be heavily “inspired” (to put it charitably) by that of the St. Louis Steamers, a popular indoor soccer club during the 1980’s.
This Wheelers tee comes in sizes Small through 5XL and is also available as a Women’s V-neck or Tank Top today at Old School Shirts!
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Background
Charleston, West Virginia went without pro baseball for three summers after the Charleston Charlies pulled up stakes for Maine in late 1983. The Charlies were a triple-A club just one step removed from the Major Leagues. But by 1983, Charleston was the smallest Class AAA city in America by population. So it was little surprise that when pro ball returned with the formation of the Charleston Wheelers in the spring of 1987, local hardball fans had to accept a two-level demotion to the Class A South Atlantic League.
Co-Op Club
The Wheelers were a “co-op” club that first season – a dreaded (if not entirely uncommon) status in minor league baseball at the time. Without a true Major League parent club, the Wheelers cobbled a roster together with table scraps from six organizations. Nevertheless, the team finished with a respectable 66-72 record. The Wheelers’ summer attendance of 97,563 counted for third best in the South Atlantic League.
Sally League Champs & Trevor Hoffman
The Wheelers had a two-year run as a Chicago Cubs farm club in 1988 and 1989. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds replaced the Cubs and the Wheelers had their finest hour, sweeping the Savannah Cardinals to win the SAL championship. The biggest name on the team was 22-year Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman, of course, would go on to become one of the greatest closers in Major League history for the San Diego Padres. But with the Wheelers in the summer of 1990, he was a weak-hitting infielder struggling to hang on in the Reds system. Hoffman would begin his conversion to pitching the following summer.
Alley Cats, Power & Dirty Birds
Wheelers attendance peaked at 185,389 during the 1991 season. Box office declined sharply in the summers to follow, falling to 110,118 in 1993. Shortly after the 1993 season ended, original owner Dennis Bastien unloaded the Wheelers in a three-way swap. Bastien effectively traded the Wheelers to George Shinn (owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets) for the Class AA Nashville Xpress of the Southern League. Shinn then immediately sold the Wheelers back to a large consortium of Charleston businessmen, led by Wheelers accountant Mike Paterno.
The new owners ran the club as the Wheelers for one final summer in 1994 before re-branding the team as the Charleston Alley Cats in 1995. In 2005, the team changed its name again and became the West Virginia Power.
The former Wheelers/Alley Cats/Power franchise continues to play in Charleston to this day. The Power were expelled from affiliated Minor League Baseball during Major League Baseball’s radical re-organization of the minors during the winter of 2020-21. After missing the entire 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Power returned to the field as a members of the independent Atlantic League in 2021.
After yet another brand refresh in later 2021, the ball club will be known in 2022 as the Charleston Dirty Birds.
Downloads
August 1988 Wheelers vs. Augusta Pirates Game Notes
August 1988 Charleston Wheelers vs. Augusta Pirates Game Notes
Links
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One Response
“I have a ball bat signed by the entire 89′ Wheelers team. I’ve been wanting to reach out about it but wasn’t sure on who to contact. If you might know anyone who might be interested, they can contact me via email