The Pikeville Cubs was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Pikeville, Kentucky. From 1982 to 1984, Pikeville teams played as a member of the

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

level Appalachian League, hosting home games at the Pikeville Athletic Field. Pikeville was a minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 and Chicago Cubs in 1983 and 1984. Baseball Hall of Fame member Greg Maddux played for the 1984 Pikeville Cubs in his first professional season.

History

Minor league baseball began in Pikeville, Kentucky in 1982. The Pikeville Brewers joined the eight–team

level Appalachian League in 1982. In their first season of play, Pikeville finished with a 25–42 record in the 1982 Appalachian League, along with league members

Bluefield Orioles Bluefield may refer to: *Bluefield, Virginia, US *Bluefield, West Virginia, US *Nvidia BlueField, a line of computer hardware See also *Bluefields Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. It was also the ...

(47–22),

Bristol Tigers Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

(28–36), Elizabethton Twins (32–36),

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team wo ...

(32–35),

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ga ...

(28–40), Paintsville Yankees (43–27) and

Pulaski Braves Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in the ...

(36–33). The 1982 Pikeville Brewers were an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, finishing in 4th place (last) in the North Division of the Appalachian League. Playing under manager Tim Nordbrook, Pikeville drew 13,441 fans for the 1982 season, an average of 401 per home contest. The Pikeville Brewers finished 21.0 games behind the 1st place

in the North Division final standings. Remaining in the Appalachian League in 1983, Pikeville became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and adopted the Pikeville "Cubs" moniker. The 1983 Pikeville Cubs finished with a 33–37 record, placing 4th in the North Division under manager Jim Fairey. The season attendance was 4,998 an average of 143, last in the league. The Cubs finished 13.0 games behind the 1st place Paintsville Brewers in the overall league standings. The 1984 season was Pikeville's final season in the Appalachian League. The 1984 Pikeville Cubs finished with a 34–34 record, placing 3rd in the North Division and 5th overall under returning manager Jim Fairey. The Pikeville Cubs finished 2.5 games behind the

in the final North Division standings. Pikeville was again last in the league in attendance, with 5,511 total for the season attendance. At age 18, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Greg Maddux pitched for Pikeville in 1984, with 6–2 record and a 2.63 ERA in his first professional season. During an early season pitching staff meeting with player/pitching coach

Rick Kranitz Richard Alan Kranitz (born September 15, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Mar ...

, Maddux reportedly asked "What's the sign for a brushback pitch?" Maddux later approached Kranitz and said, "You need to teach me something." This led to Maddux being shown different grips to throw a change up, which he threw for the remainder of his career. The Pikeville franchise folded after the 1984 season, with the Cubs Rookie level franchise moving to

Wytheville, Virginia Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in southwestern Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville's populat ...

, to become the 1985

Wytheville Cubs The Wytheville Cubs was the final name of the minor league baseball teams located in Wytheville, Virginia between 1948 and 1989. An affiliate of the Chicago Cubs from 1985 to 1989, the Wytheville Cubs were a member of the Rookie level Appalachi ...

. Greg Maddux was inducted into the Appalachian League Hall of Fame in 2019, as part of the inaugural class of the league's hall of fame. Pikeville was without a minor league team until the 1993

Kentucky Rifles The Kentucky Rifles were a professional minor league baseball team located in southeastern Kentucky, United States, playing in the independent Frontier League from 1993 to 1994. The team split their home games between Central Park in Paintsville P ...

began play as members of the

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

The ballpark

Pikeville minor league teams were reported to have played home games at Pikeville Athletic Field. The ballpark was also known as "W. C. Hambley Field." The ballpark was located at Hambley Boulevard (US 460 & US 23), Pikeville, Kentucky. The site is still in use by Pikeville High School and

University of Pikeville The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Pikeville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1889 by the Presbyterian Church and is located on a campus on a hillside overlooking ...

athletic teams. Pikeville, Kentucky aerial

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

* Greg Maddux (1984) Inducted 2014

Notable alumni

Jay Aldrich Jay Robert Aldrich (born April 14, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles. Aldrich attended Montclair State University, and in 1981 he played collegiate summ ...

(1982) *

Stan Boroski Stanley Joseph Boroski (born July 14, 1963) is an American former professional baseball coach. He was the bullpen coach for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing career Boroski was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 20 ...

(1982) *

Jacob Brumfield Jacob Donnell Brumfield (born May 27, 1965) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles D ...

(1983) * Chris Bosio (1982) *

Chuck Crim Charles Robert Crim (born July 23, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, the California Angels and the Chicago Cubs from 1987 to 1994. Career A 1979 graduate of Thousand Oaks High School, Cr ...

(1982) * Edgar Diaz (1982) *

(1984) *

Dave Liddell David Alexander Liddell (born June 15, 1966 in Los Angeles) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He caught one game for the New York Mets in 1990. He hit a single (baseball), single in his only Major League at bat (baseball), at bat, on J ...

(1984) * Tim Nordbrook (1982, MGR) * Hipólito Peña (1982) *

Jeff Pico Jeffrey Mark Pico (born February 12, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs. Early life Pico was born in Antioch, California, and attended Antioch High School. His teamm ...

(1984) *

Billy Jo Robidoux William Joseph Robidoux (born January 13, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player, primarily at first base, but also occasionally played in the outfield and as a designated hitter. Career Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 6 ...

(1982) *

Jeff Schwarz Jeffrey William Schwarz (born May 20, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Early life and family Schwarz was born in Fort Pierce, Florida, and graduated from Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce. Schwarz has four ...

(1983) * Dwight Smith (1984) *

Dale Sveum Dale Curtis Sveum ( ; born November 23, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. He most recently served as the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals. As a player, Sveum saw action in 12 major league seasons bet ...

(1982)

References

{{reflist

External links

Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Defunct Appalachian League teams Professional baseball teams in Kentucky Defunct baseball teams in Kentucky Baseball teams disestablished in 1984 Baseball teams established in 1983 Cubs