SafekipediaJersey Shore BlueClaws
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team that plays in the South Atlantic League. They are connected to the big league team, the Philadelphia Phillies, acting as their High-A affiliate. The team is based in Lakewood, New Jersey, a town near the beautiful Jersey Shore.
The team’s name comes from the area’s location along the Jersey Shore and the blue crabs that are common in the nearby waters. Fans love the name because it connects the team to the local environment and culture.
When it’s time to play, the BlueClaws take the field at ShoreTown Ballpark. This stadium is their home and a fun place for families and fans to cheer for their favorite players and enjoy a day out watching baseball.
History
After the 2000 season, the Cape Fear Crocs moved from the South Atlantic League to Lakewood, New Jersey and became the Lakewood BlueClaws. They joined the Philadelphia Phillies as their Class A team, leaving the Piedmont Boll Weevils in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The team was owned by Joe Plumeri and Joe Finley, who also owned the Trenton Thunder.
Since coming to New Jersey, the BlueClaws have been popular with fans. In their first five years, they averaged over 6,500 fans each game. They often led the South Atlantic League in attendance and quickly reached two and three million fans. On August 26, 2002, a record 13,003 fans watched the BlueClaws win against the Hickory Crawdads. Even though they didn’t win many games early on, their fan support grew strongly. In 2004, Ryan Howard became the first former BlueClaw to play in Major League Baseball with the Phillies. Later, he won big awards, including Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. In 2017, the team was sold to a new group of owners. After the 2020 season, the team changed its name to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. With changes in Minor League Baseball in 2021, they joined the High-A East, which later returned to being called the South Atlantic League in 2022.
Season-by-season records
Postseason records
The BlueClaws won the South Atlantic League championship in 2006. They beat the Lexington Legends and then the Augusta GreenJackets to claim the title.
They won again in 2009, defeating the Kannapolis Intimidators and the Greenville Drive.
In 2010, the BlueClaws won both halves of the season and went on to win the championship by beating Hickory and then the Greenville Drive again.
In 2016, they fought back to win the second half of the season and beat the Hagerstown Suns, but lost the final to the Rome Braves.
In 2018, they won both halves of the season but lost the final to the Lexington Legends, though they did win the Northern Division championship against the Kannapolis Intimidators.
In 2023, they lost in the semifinals to the Hudson Valley Renegades.
| Season | Affiliation | Manager | First Half Record | Second Half Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Phillies | Greg Legg | 28–42, 7th place North | 32–37, 5th place North | |
| 2002 | Phillies | Jeff Manto | 33–36, 6th place North | 36–34, 5th place North | |
| 2003 | Phillies | Buddy Biancalana | 22–47, 8th place North | 35–34, 3rd place North | |
| 2004 | Phillies | P. J. Forbes | 31–36, 7th place North | 39–30, 3rd place North | |
| 2005 | Phillies | P. J. Forbes | 25–45, 6th place North | 31–38, 7th place North | |
| 2006 | Phillies | Dave Huppert | 37–32, 4th place North | 47–23, 1st place North | |
| 2007 | Phillies | Steve Roadcap | 33–32, 3rd place North | 36–33, 2nd place North | |
| 2008 | Phillies | Steve Roadcap | 38–32, 3rd place North | 42–28, 2nd place North | |
| 2009 | Phillies | Dusty Wathan | 42–26, 1st place North | 36–32, 4th place North | |
| 2010 | Phillies | Mark Parent | 42–28, 1st place North | 42–27, 1st place North | |
| 2011 | Phillies | Chris Truby | 33–35, 7th place North | 35–34, 5th place North | |
| 2012 | Phillies | Mickey Morandini | 26–43, 6th place North | 36–33, 4th place North | |
| 2013 | Phillies | Mickey Morandini | 26–41, 7th place North | 30–39, 6th place North | |
| 2014 | Phillies | Greg Legg | 27–42, 6th place North | 26–42, 7th place North | |
| 2015 | Phillies | Shawn Williams | 33–35, 6th place North | 40–30, 2nd place North | |
| 2016 | Phillies | Shawn Williams | 29–40, 6th place North | 45–25, 1st place North | |
| 2017 | Phillies | Marty Malloy | 40–30, 2nd place North | 33–36, 5th place North | |
| 2018 | Phillies | Marty Malloy | 41–28, 1st place North | 46–23, 1st place North | |
| 2019 | Phillies | Mike Micucci | 29–41, 6th place North | 29–39 | |
| 2020 | Phillies | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | |||
| 2021 | Phillies | Chris Adamson | 56–62, 3rd place North | ||
| 2022 | Phillies | Keith Werman | 25-41, 6th place North | 26-40 6th place North | |
| 2023 | Phillies | Greg Brodzinski | 35-30, 3rd place North | 38-28 1st place North | |
| 2024 | Phillies | Greg Brodzinski | 38-28 2nd place North | 36-30 3rd place North | |
| 2025 | Phillies | Greg Brodzinski | 25-38 5th place North | 37-27 3rd place North | |
Roster
The Jersey Shore BlueClaws are a Minor League Baseball team that play in the South Atlantic League. They are connected to the Philadelphia Phillies as their High-A affiliate. The team is based in Lakewood, New Jersey, and their games take place at ShoreTown Ballpark.
The BlueClaws got their name from the Jersey Shore location and the blue crabs that live in the area. They used to be called the Lakewood BlueClaws before changing their name.
Retired numbers
The Jersey Shore BlueClaws have retired two numbers. Number 19, worn by Cole Hamels, and number 29, worn by Ryan Howard, are no longer used by the team.
Notable alumni
See also: Category:Lakewood BlueClaws players
Many players who later had big successes in Major League Baseball started their careers with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Some of these players include Ezequiel Astacio, Rod Barajas, Danny Bautista, Michael Bourn, Milton Bradley, Eude Brito, Taylor Buchholz, Carlos Carrasco, Frank Catalanotto, Francisco Cordero, Kyle Drabek, Juan Encarnacion, Gavin Floyd, Travis Fryman, Greg Golson, Cole Hamels, J. A. Happ, Ryan Howard, Gabe Kapler, Kyle Kendrick, Scott Kingery, Cliff Lee, Scott Mathieson, Lou Marson, Guillermo Mota, Brandon Phillips, Chris Roberson, Carlos Ruiz, Alfredo Simon, Scott Strickland, Justin Thompson, Robinson Tejeda, Shane Victorino, Luke Williams, Randy Wolf, Tim Worrell, Mike Zagurski, and Josh Zeid.
Images
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