There are several professional baseball teams within a two- to four-hour drive from Cherokee County.
All of the teams play in Minor League Baseball, ranging from Single-A to Triple-A, home of recent draft picks all the way up to those on the cusp of playing in “The Show.”
Tennessee Smokies
(MiLB Double-A)
If you head northwest for about 21/2 hours, you will reach the only other MiLB Double-A team on the list, the Knoxville-based Tennessee Smokies. The team actually plays in Kodak, Tenn., but next season they will be rebranding and moving to a new baseball stadium in downtown Knoxville.
The Smokies are two-time champions, winning the Double-A Southern League in 2004 and 2023. In 2004, they were declared co-champions with the Mobile BayBears due to Hurricane Ivan cutting the finals series short.
Prior to being the Tennessee Smokies, they played under the city name of Knoxville along with the team name. Before they were the Smokies, they were the Knoxville Indians, Reds and Appalachians before becoming the Smokies in 1925.
In 2000, they dropped Knoxville from their name and became the Tennessee Smokies. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and share teams colors with their Major League Baseball counterpart.
Greenville Drive
(MiLB High-A)
Coming in at about three hours from Cherokee County is the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the Greenville Drive. The Drive is the only team on the list based in South Carolina.
The team began in 1977 as the Shelby Reds, then relocated to Columbia, S.C., in 1983. While in Columbia, they were the Columbia Mets, then the Capital City Bombers.
In 2005 the team relocated to Greenville, S.C., where they became the Greenville Bombers for one season before taking on the name Greenville Drive. They are named the Drive because of Greenville’s automotive past and companies like BMW and Michelin in the area.
The Drive play at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville, which is not unlike their major league affiliates, the Boston Red Sox. The stadium has similar dimensions of Fenway Park and also has its own, slightly shorter, “Green Monster” and manual right field scoreboard.
Some of the notable alumni who have played for the Greenville Drive include two-time World Series champion Mookie Betts, Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, and five-time MLB All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.
Hickory Crawdads
(MiLB High-A)
The Crawdads are the High-A affiliate of the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers. They play a little over three hours from Cherokee County in Hickory.
The Crawdads were established in 1993 and were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox until they became the affiliate of the Pittsburg Pirate in 1999. They won their first two championships while affiliated with the Pirates.
In 2009, they became the farm team for the Texas Rangers. Hickory won its third championship in 2015.
Prior to coming to Hickory, the team was in Gastonia until they were purchased and relocated. The Gastonia team was affiliated with the Montreal Expos as well as the Rangers.
One of the notable Crawdads alumni is Dominican Republic native Jose Batista. After being drafted by the Pittsburg Pirates in 2000, he worked his way up the ladder and in 2002 played for the Crawdads. He made his MLB debut in 2004 and played 15 seasons in the big leagues.
During his career, he was a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and led the league in home runs for two consecutive seasons in 2010-11. He also won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games representing his home country in baseball.
The Crawdads have played at L.P. Frans Stadium since they came to Hickory in 1993.
Charlotte Knights
(MiLB Triple-A)
The only other Triple-A team on the list is the Charlotte Knights, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They play at Truist Field, not to be confused with Truist Park in Atlanta. The home stadium of the Knight is in downtown, about four hours from Cherokee County.
In 1976, the team was established as the MiLB Double-A Charlotte Orioles until they were rebranded the Knights in 1988. While they were the Orioles, they won two league championships in 1980 and 1984.
In 1993, they became a Triple-A team. Charlotte won two more championships since moving up in the farm system, including one in its first season in Triple-A and then again in 1999.
Their 1980 championship team included Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. In that season, Ripken had a batting average of .276 with 144 hits, 91 runs scored, 25 home runs and 78 RBI.
The Knights hosted the 2016 Triple-A All-Star Game at Truist Field. Before the 2023 season, they redesigned their logo and uniforms. They kept their main colors of gold, silver and black, but added blue, which is used among other teams in Charlotte.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
(MiLB Single-A)
Playing just outside Charlotte in Kannapolis are the Cannon Ballers. Like the Charlotte Knights, they are a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The team began in Spartanburg, S.C., as the Phillies from 1963-95. They moved to Kannapolis in 1995 and played one season as the Piedmont Phillies before becoming the Piedmont Boll Weevils from 1996 to 2000.
Kannapolis is a hub for NASCAR and, after the 2000 baseball season, legendary driver Dale Earnhardt bought a share in the team. The team changed its name to the Kannapolis Intimidators to honor Earnhardt’s nickname.
In February 2001 at the Daytona 500, Earnhardt tragically died in an accident during the race. In May 2002, the Intimidators retired the No. 3 for the team to honor their former co-owner.
They remained the Intimidators and even played in their ballpark, Intimidator Stadium, until 2019, when they became the Kannapolis Cannon Balls. Their new mascot, Boomer, is a baseball-headed stuntman with a mustache like the iconic one donned by Earnhardt.
Their notable alumni include two Baseball Hall of Famers in Scott Rolen and Ryne Sandberg.
The team plays at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis. The ballpark was scheduled to open for their 2020 season, but they could not play their as the MiLB season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stadium opened to fans in early May 2020 as a public park and they followed the COVID-19 protocols.