The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in
Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,337. The city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general. Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that pro ...
, that plays in the
American Association of Professional Baseball
The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...
, an official Partner League of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. The team, which began play in 2017, plays its home games at
The Depot at Cleburne Station
The Depot at Cleburne Station is a baseball park located in Cleburne, Texas, United States that opened on May 18, 2017. Seating at the ballpark consists of over 1,750 fixed seats, bleachers, grass berm seating, and several group seating areas. Th ...
.
History
A different team known as the Cleburne Railroaders played in the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
, where they won the 1906 championship. The team won the 1911
Texas-Oklahoma League championship. They played their home games at
Gorman's Park, now part of Hulen Park.
The modern Railroaders were announced as an expansion franchise in the American Association on October 6, 2016. The team plays in the Depot, a new US$25 million stadium that was recognized as the fan-favorite independent stadium by ''Ballpark Digest'' in 2017.
On June 12, 2020, it was announced that the Railroaders were one of six teams that would not be participating in the 2020 American Association season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
New ownership
The Cleburne Railroaders announced three new additions to their ownership group: Neil Leibman, Alan Miller, and
Jon Ryan
Jonathan Robert Ryan (born November 26, 1981) is a retired Canadian professional football punter. He played college football for the University of Regina Rams, and began his professional career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) after being ...
. Leibman is the
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. In 20 ...
Chief Operating Officer and President of Business Operations and owns multiple professional sports teams. Miller is the owner of COLLiDE Agency and Ryan is a former NFL player and are part owners of the
Portland Pickles
The Portland Pickles are a collegiate woodbat baseball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the South Division of the West Coast League, a premier collegiate summer baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The ...
independent baseball team located in Oregon. These additions to the ownership team came about in 2021 and these three will help in preparation for the upcoming season.
New colors
The Railroaders colors have changed from orange and blue to colors that are inspired by the flag of Texas. The new colors are: caboose red, steel rail blue and whistle post white.
New uniforms
The Railroaders will have three uniforms for this upcoming 2021 season. The home uniform is a white jersey with 'Railroaders' script across the chest. The pants are white with red and navy piping, the numbers are red, and on the sleeve there are Gandy and American Association patches. The away jerseys consist of a grey jersey and grey pants with the same patches as the home uniforms on the sleeves. Lastly, there is the Heritage uniform which features a navy blue top and grey pants with stirrups mimicking the ones worn by the original Railroaders team back in 1906.
Gandy
Railroaders also introduced a new mascot to their team, known as Gandy. Gandy will join Spike, the original mascot, in representing the Railroaders and what they stand for. Gandy's background is that he was a part of the Santa Fe railroad track maintenance gang. These maintenance gangs were known as Gandy Dancers because they would sing a variety of songs while they were working on the track.
Season-by-season records
Roster
Notable alumni
*
Mitch Glasser
Mitchell Emri Glasser (born October 15, 1989) is an American-Israeli baseball player who is a free agent. He also plays for the Israel National Baseball Team.
In high school, Glasser was Illinois Independent School League MVP as a senior. At ...
(2017)
*
Shawn Zarraga
Shawn Joubert Zarraga (born January 21, 1989) is an Aruban former professional baseball catcher. He played for the Netherlands national baseball team in the 2015 WBSC Premier12 and 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Career Milwaukee Brewers
Zarraga w ...
(2017)
*
Winston Abreu
Winston Leonardo Abreu Soler (born April 5, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. At age 16, he was signed by the Atlanta Braves as a minor league free agent on July 2, 1993. He bats and throws right-handed. He played in Majo ...
(2017)
*
Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. H ...
(2018)
*
Ryan Brett
Ryan Duane Brett (born October 9, 1991) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015.
Career Tampa Bay Rays
Brett attended Highline High School in Buri ...
(2019)
*
Nefi Ogando
Nefi Ismael Ogando (born June 3, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins.
Career Boston Red Sox
Ogando signed a ...
(2019)
*
Daniel Robertson (2019)
*
Bubby Rossman
Charles Irvin "Bubby" Rossman (born June 29, 1992) is an American-Israeli professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played college baseball for Cerritos College and California State University, Dominguez Hills. He was selected in the ...
(2019)
*
Ozzie Martínez (2021)
*
Nick Gardewine
Nick Gardewine (born August 15, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers.
Amateur ca ...
(2021)
*
Michael Mariot (2021)
*
Logan Verrett
Scott Logan Verrett (born June 19, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Texas Rangers in 2015 and has also played for the New York Mets and Baltimore Oriol ...
(2021)
Further reading
*''Cleburne Baseball: A Railroader History'' by Scott Cain
References
External links
*
{{Texas sports
American Association of Professional Baseball teams
Tourist attractions in Johnson County, Texas
Professional baseball teams in Texas
2016 establishments in Texas
Baseball teams established in 2016
Texas–Oklahoma League teams