The Frederick Keys are a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team of the

MLB Draft League The MLB Draft League is a collegiate summer baseball league that began play in 2021. Created by Major League Baseball (MLB) and ''Prep Baseball Report'', the league serves as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each summer' ...

. The Keys are based in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

, a native of Frederick County. A new team mascot "Frank Key", short for Francis Scott Key, joined the current mascot, a

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

named ''Keyote'', at the beginning of the 2011 baseball season. The Keys were purchased from Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC by Attain Sports and Entertainment in January 2022. Home games are played at

Harry Grove Stadium Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, located in Frederick, Maryland, is the home of the Frederick Keys, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. Opened in 1990, it seats 5,400 fans. History The stadium is named for Harry Grove, ...

. Prior to

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), ...

's reorganization of the minor leagues following the 2020 season, the Keys were a Minor League Baseball team that served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

from 1989 to 2020.

Early professional baseball in Frederick

Frederick was one of the founding members of the

Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. History The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 throu ...

, which existed from 1915 to 1930. The team, which went by the names of Hustlers, Champs and Warriors, won league championships in 1915 and 1921. Games were played at the Frederick Fairgrounds until 1924 when McCurdy Field was built. With the collapse of the Blue Ridge League in 1931, it would be several decades before professional baseball returned to Frederick. Frederick players from this era who were major leaguers: *

Clyde Barnhart Clyde Lee Barnhart (December 29, 1895 – January 21, 1980) was a right-handed outfielder and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He attended Cumberland Valley State Normal School (now Shippensburg Unive ...

: 1915, 1916, 1917 *

Tom Connolly Thomas Henry Connolly (December 31, 1870 – April 28, 1961) was an English-American umpire in Major League Baseball. He officiated in the National League from 1898 to 1900, followed by 31 years of service in the American League from 1901 to 1 ...

: 1915 * Bill Lamar: 1915 * Leo Meyer: 1916 *

Tom Crooke Thomas Aloysius Crooke (July 26, 1884 – April 4, 1929) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is ...

: 1917 *

Clarence Blethen Clarence Waldo Blethen (July 11, 1893 – April 11, 1973) was an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn Robins of Major League Baseball as well as 18 seasons in minor league baseball. Blethen batted left-h ...

: 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 * Ray Gardner: 1920, 1922, 1923, 1925 * Ray Hartranft: 1920 * Duke Sedgwick: 1922 * Jim Keesey: 1923 *

Norm McNeil Norman Francis McNeil (October 22, 1892 – April 11, 1942) was a professional baseball catcher and manager. He played five games with the 1919 Boston Red Sox season, 1919 Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at and , he batted a ...

: 1923 *

Bobby Schang Robert Martin Schang (December 7, 1886 – August 29, 1966), born in Wales Center, New York, was a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1914–15), New York Giants (1915) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927). He was the brother of former Major League ...

: 1923 *

Chick Fullis Charles Philip "Chick" Fullis (February 27, 1904 – March 28, 1946) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants (1928–32), Philadelphia Phillies (1933–34) and S ...

: 1924, 1925, 1926 * Karl Kolseth: 1924 *

Bill Hohman William Henry Hohman (November 27, 1903 – October 29, 1968) was an American professional baseball player who played in seven games for the Philadelphia Phillies during the season. He was born in Brooklyn, Maryland and died at the age of 64 i ...

: 1924 *

Rollie Hemsley Ralston Burdett Hemsley (June 24, 1907 – July 31, 1972) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 19 seasons from to . Born in Syracuse, Ohio, he was nicknamed "Rollicking Rollie". Hemsley ...

: 1925, 1926, 1927 * Larry Boerner:1926 *

Jimmie DeShong James Brooklyn DeShong (November 30, 1909 – October 16, 1993) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 175 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics (), New York Yankees (–) and Washington Senato ...

:1928 *

Joe Vosmik Joseph Franklin Vosmik (April 4, 1910 – January 27, 1962) was an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians (1930–36), St. Louis Browns (1937), Boston Red Sox (1938–39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940–41) and Washington Senators (1944). He helped the ...

: 1929 * Milt Galatzer: 1930 *

Bill Perrin William Joseph "Lefty" Perrin (June 23, 1910 – June 30, 1974) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He played for the Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cle ...

: 1930

Debut

The team was founded in 1989 when the Baltimore Orioles decided to move their Class A affiliate from

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...

. The city of Frederick convinced the owners of the then-

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home g ...

to move the team to Frederick and promised a 4,000-seat stadium to be built for the 1990 season. For the 1989 season, the Keys played at McCurdy Field, a Babe Ruth League stadium, while waiting for the construction of the new stadium to be completed. The Keys opened by losing both ends of a doubleheader (including a seven-inning

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

Dennis Burlingame Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Saint Dionysius (disambiguation), Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Classical mythology, Greek god of ecstatic states, ...

) against the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

. Their first win came on April 11, 1989, with a 3–1 victory over the

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

in the Keys' first-ever home game. Only two players in Keys history have been transferred directly from Frederick to the Baltimore Orioles (excluding rehab related transfers). On September 3, 1996,

Eugene Kingsale Eugene Humphrey Kingsale (born August 20, 1976) is an Aruban former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from until . At six-foot-three, and his weight ranging from 170 t ...

's contract was purchased by the Orioles. On June 11, 2005,

Jeff Fiorentino Jeffrey Philip Fiorentino (born April 14, 1983) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics between 2005 and 2009. His nickname is '' Screech'' due to his resemblance to the D ...

's contract was purchased by the Orioles in order to replace the injured

Luis Matos Luis David Matos (born October 30, 1978) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles between 2000–06 and briefly for the Washington Nationals in late 2006. He most recently played f ...

. The Keys have played in the Carolina League Championship Series, the Mills Cup Series, five times. Four series were against the

, while the series in 2007 was against the

Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, par ...

. They won their first series in 1990, defeating the Indians three games to two. They won their second cup in the 2005 season, defeating Kinston three games to two at historic

Grainger Stadium Grainger Stadium is a sports venue located in Kinston, North Carolina. It is the home ballpark for the Down East Wood Ducks, which joined the Carolina League starting in the 2017 season, and was placed in the Low-A East for only the 2021 season. G ...

in the best of five series. They were swept by the Indians in 2006, 3 games to 0. They won the 2007 series against the Salem Avalanche three games to one. They defeated Kinston in the 2011 series three games to one.

Playoff history

*1990: Defeated Kinston 3–2 to win championship. *1993: Lost to Wilmington 2–0 in semifinals. *1997: Lost to Lynchburg 2–0 in semifinals. *2000: Lost to Lynchburg 2–0 in semifinals. *2001: Lost to Wilmington 2–0 in semifinals. *2005: Defeated Lynchburg 2–0 in semifinals; defeated Kinston 3–2 to win championship. *2006: Defeated Wilmington 2–1 in semifinals; lost to Kinston 3–0 in finals. *2007: Defeated Wilmington 2–0 in semifinals; defeated Salem 3–1 to win championship. *2010: Lost to Potomac 3–1 in semifinals. *2011: Defeated Potomac 3–2 in semifinals; defeated Kinston 3–1 to win championship. *2017: Lost to Lynchburg 2–1 in semifinals.

Notable former Keys

Several Keys alumni have gone on to play in the major leagues. In their inaugural season, the opening day roster featured several future major leaguers:

David Segui David Vincent Segui, (; born July 19, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman. Segui was born in Kansas City, Kansas, the son of former Major League baseball pitcher Diego Seguí. He played collegiate baseball for Louisia ...

, Francisco de la Rosa, Luis Mercedes,

Jack Voigt John David Voigt (born May 17, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and the current Coach (baseball), hitting coach for the Las Vegas 51s. He played all or part of seven seasons in the majors, from 1992 until 1998, for the ...

, and

Pete Rose Jr. Peter Edward "PJ" Rose Jr. (born November 16, 1969) is a former professional baseball player and manager. The son of Major League Baseball's all-time Hit (baseball), hits leader Pete Rose, Pete Rose Sr., Rose Jr. played in the Minor League Baseba ...

Other Keys alumni include: *

Andy Van Slyke Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. Career Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school in New Hartford, New York. ...

: 1995 *

Arthur Rhodes Arthur Lee Rhodes, Jr. (born October 24, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is the current pitching coach for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Professional Baseball. Career Rho ...

: 1989, 1990 * Joe Borowski: 1989, 1990 *

Sidney Ponson Sidney Alton Ponson (; born November 2, 1976) is an Aruban former Major League Baseball pitcher. As a player, Ponson stood at tall and weighed . He threw right-handed with a fastball that clocked out at 95 mph. When he made his major league ...

: 1996 * Brian Roberts: 2000 *

Larry Bigbie Larry Robert Bigbie (born November 4, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball from 2001 through 2006 for the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. ...

: 2000 *

Tim Raines Jr. Timothy Raines Jr. (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is the son of Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Tim Raines. Raines played for the Baltimore Orioles organization through , playing for the ...

: 2000 *

Eli Whiteside Dustin Eli Whiteside (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently a roving catching instructor for the San Francisco Giants. He stands tall, weighs . He batted and threw right-handed. He played in ...

: 2002 *

Nick Markakis Nicholas William Markakis ( ) (born November 17, 1983) is a Greek-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. Markakis was the Orioles ...

: 2005 *

Adam Loewen Adam Alexander Loewen (born April 9, 1984) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and outfielder. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006 to 2008, before converting to a position player and playin ...

: 2005 *

Nolan Reimold Nolan Gallagher Reimold (born October 12, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Early ...

: 2006 *

Matt Wieters Matthew Richard Wieters (; born May 21, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. Wieters played college basebal ...

: 2008 *

Brad Bergesen Bradley Steven Bergesen (born September 25, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the C ...

: 2009 * Manny Machado: 2011 *

Dylan Bundy Dylan Matthew Bundy (born November 15, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB)for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins. The Orioles selected Bu ...

: 2012 *

Nicky Delmonico Nicholas John Delmonico (born July 12, 1992) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current hitting coach of the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A Chicago White Sox affiliate. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Ch ...

: 2012 *

Ty Kelly Tyler Patrick Kelly (טיי קלי; born July 20, 1988) is an American-Israeli professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. He plays ...

: 2012 *

Jason Hammel Jason Aaron Hammel (born September 2, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, ...

: 2012 *

Kevin Gausman Kevin John Gausman (born January 6, 1991), nicknamed "Gaus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, a ...

: 2012 * Steve Pearce: 2013 * Josh Stinson: 2013 *

Ashur Tolliver Ashur Jordan Tolliver (born January 24, 1988) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros in 2016 and 2017. Career Amateur Tolliver attended Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwo ...

: 2013 *

Wilson Betemit Wilson Betemit (pronounced BAY-ta-mee) (born November 2, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He is 6'2" and weighs 220 pounds. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New ...

: 2013 *

Ryan Flaherty Ryan Edward Flaherty (born July 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is an advance scout and development coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore O ...

: 2013 *

Zach Davies Zachary Ryan Davies (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondba ...

: 2013 *

Mike Yastrzemski Michael Andrew Yastrzemski (; born August 23, 1990), nicknamed "Yaz", is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the grandson of Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Carl ...

: 2014 *

Jimmy Yacabonis James Allin Yacabonis (born March 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Mets organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay R ...

: 2014 *

Austin Wynns Robert Austin Wynns, nicknamed Winnie (born December 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball catcher in the San Francisco Giants organization. He played college baseball at Fresno State University. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles ...

: 2014 *

Trey Mancini Joseph Anthony "Trey" Mancini III (born March 18, 1992) is an American professional baseball designated hitter, first baseman and outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimo ...

: 2014 *

Parker Bridwell Parker Alan Bridwell (born August 2, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. The Baltimore Orioles selected Bridwell in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Orioles and the Lo ...

: 2014 * Steven Brault: 2014 *

Mychal Givens Mychal Antonio Givens (born May 13, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and New Yor ...

: 2014 * Chance Sisco: 2015 *

Jonathan Schoop Jonathan Rufino Jezus Schoop ( ; born October 16, 1991) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesot ...

: 2015 * John Means: 2015 * Stefan Crichton: 2015 *

Wei-Yin Chen Wei-Yin Chen (; born July 21, 1985) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins, and in the NPB for the Chunichi ...

: 2015 * David Lough: 2015 *

David Hess David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970s and 198 ...

: 2015

Roster

References

External links

*
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
{{Maryland Sports Carolina League teams Baseball teams established in 1989 1989 establishments in Maryland Sports in Frederick, Maryland MLB Draft League teams