The Vermont Lake Monsters 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 located in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

(NYPL). They play their home games at

Centennial Field Centennial Field is the name of the baseball stadium at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, and is the home of the Vermont Lake Monsters. Beyond the left-field fence is the former home of the University of Vermont's men's and wome ...

, one of the oldest minor league stadiums, on the campus of the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. The team was previously located in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

, (as the

Jamestown Expos The Jamestown Expos were a minor league baseball franchise located in Jamestown, New York. The team existed under various names from 1939 through 1993 and played in the New York–Penn League and its predecessor, the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New ...

) from 1977 to 1993. With

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 after the 2020 season, Vermont was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball. In 2021, the team joined the

Futures Collegiate Baseball League The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont. Format The Futures League is a wood-bat ...

History

Early teams

The Vermont Lake Monsters were preceded in Burlington by a Burlington team in the

Northeastern League The Northeastern League was a minor league baseball league that last played in the 1934 season as an eight–team Class B (baseball), Class B level league. The 1934 league franchises were based in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. An e ...

(1887), a Burlington team in the

Northern New York League The Northern New York League was a Minor League Baseball circuit that operated in a span of six seasons between 1900 and 1905. League franchises were located in New York and Vermont. For the majority of its existence it operated as an independen ...

(1903–1905), the Burlington Burlingtons of the Vermont State League/ New Hampshire State League (1907) and Burlington A's of the

Provincial League (baseball) The Provincial League, sometimes known as the Quebec Provincial League, was a minor league baseball league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. It went through a number of incarnations during the 20th century, spending time as both an indepen ...

(1955). After a gap in between hosting minor league teams, the

Vermont Reds The Vermont Reds are a defunct minor league baseball team. They played in the Eastern League at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont from 1984 to 1987. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. The team won the Eastern League Champions ...

and

Vermont Mariners The Vermont Mariners are a defunct minor league baseball team. They played in the Eastern League at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont in 1988. They were affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. History Prior to their four-year stint as the V ...

of the Eastern League (1984-1988) directly preceded the Vermont Expos.

Montreal Expos (1993–2004)

In 1993, Burlington businessman Ray Pecor, Jr., the owner of

Lake Champlain Transportation Company The Lake Champlain Transportation Company (LCTC or LCT) is a vehicle ferry operator that runs three routes across Lake Champlain between the US states of New York and Vermont. From 1976 to 2003, the company was owned by Burlington, Vermont, bus ...

in Burlington since 1976, purchased the

and moved the franchise to Burlington, retaining the Expos name. The Vermont Expos played their first game at

on June 16, 1994. More than 5,000 people attended the home opener—a 6-5 loss to the

Pittsfield Mets The Pittsfield Mets were a minor league baseball based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and played their home games Wahconah Park. The team previously played as the Little Falls Mets from Little Falls, New York before an investment group organized by ...

Washington Nationals (2005–2010)

The

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

announced on September 29, 2004, that they would move to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, after the 2004 season. They would rename themselves the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. Minor League Baseball gives clubs 60 days after the end of the season to change their names and logos. Vermont did not have enough time for an identity change and retained the Expos nickname for the 2005 season. During the 2005 season, the club announced its plan to change the nickname and solicited suggestions from its fans. The team received 30,000 fan suggestions for the new name via a name-the-team contest. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that the two leading contenders were "Green Mountain Boys" and "Lakemonsters". At the end of the contest, the winning name was "Champs", but as the team had not made the playoffs at that point since 1995, management did not think it was appropriate. They announced the new name, "Lake Monsters", and revealed the new team colors and uniforms on November 15, 2005. The Expos colors of red, white, and blue were replaced with the Lake Monster colors of navy blue, Columbia blue, and lime green. The name references Champ, the legendary

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

monster which had been the team's mascot since 1994. The club's last game as the Vermont Expos was on September 8, 2005. They opened the 2006 season as the Vermont Lake Monsters.

Expos legacy

The franchise was the last professional ball club to carry the Expos name. The team's home ballpark, Centennial Field, is from the Montreal Expos' last home ballpark

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

—closer than the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

. While baseball fans in Burlington tend to root for the Red Sox, New York Mets, or

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, Montreal was the closest

team until moving to Washington, D.C., 2005. Fans along the border towns rooted for the Expos until the move. On July 22, 2005, the Vermont Expos held their first "Tribute to the Expos" promotion and honored

Andre Dawson Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954), nicknamed "The Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson", is an American former professional baseball player and inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different te ...

at Centennial Field. While the club changed its name to the "Lake Monsters" in 2006, the organization held its second "tribute to the Expos". The club honored pitcher

Dennis Martínez José Dennis Martínez Ortiz (born May 14, 1955), nicknamed "El Presidente" (The President), is a Nicaraguan professional baseball pitcher. Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, Cleveland India ...

and wore powder-blue Expos uniforms with the Expos name on the front and a Lake Monsters patch on the left sleeve. On August 5, 2007, the Lake Monsters honored the Expos again and brought

Tim Wallach Timothy Charles Wallach (born September 14, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman, most notably for the Montreal Expos from to . A five- ...

to Burlington.

Oakland Athletics (2011–2020)

Following the 2010 season, the Lake Monsters ended their affiliation with the Nationals and entered into a new player development contract (a working relationship between Major and Minor League teams) with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. This marked the first new MLB affiliation in the Lake Monsters' 17-year history. Vermont began its first year as an affiliate of the Oakland A's in June 2011. Ahead of the 2021 season, the Oakland Athletics ended their affiliation with the Lake Monsters, ending the 10-season affiliation with the team.

Collegiate (2021–)

Following the 2020 season, the whole of Minor League baseball was re-organized and many teams were eliminated. The entire single-A short season New York–Penn League was eliminated. Three league teams moved to the new High A level. The Lake Monsters joined the

, a wooden bat college league. In their inaugural season, the Lake Monsters won the 2021 Futures Collegiate Baseball League championship, defeating the

Pittsfield Suns The Pittsfield Suns are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, that plays in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England. The team's home games are played at Wahconah Park Wahconah Park is a c ...

in the 3-game championship series 2-1.

Playoffs

*1995: Defeated

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

2–0 in semifinals; lost to

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

2–1 in finals. *1996: Defeated

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

2–0 in semifinals; defeated St. Catharines 2–1 to win championship. *2011: Lost to

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

2–0 in semifinals. *2017: Defeated

Mahoning Valley The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley (and historically the Steel Valley), is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania the United States, with t ...

2–0 in semifinals; lost to

2–0 in finals. *2021: Defeated

Worcester Bravehearts The Worcester Bravehearts are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, that plays in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England starting in 2014. The team's home games are played at Hanover Insur ...

2-0 in semifinals; defeated

2-1 to win

championship *2022: Defeated

Westfield Starfires The Westfield Starfires are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Westfield, Massachusetts. They play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with a 56-game regular season comprising eight teams from northern Ver ...

2-0 in Semifinals; lost to

Nashua Silver Knights The Nashua Silver Knights is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire. It is a charter member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with a 64-game regular season comprising eight teams rangin ...

2-1 in the finals.

Notable alumni

Geoff Blum Geoffrey Edward Blum (born April 26, 1973) is an American former professional baseball infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Dia ...

(1994) * Michael Barrett (1995) *

Orlando Cabrera Orlando Luis Cabrera Ramírez, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", (born November 2, 1974) is a Colombian-American former baseball infielder. He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Montreal Expos ...

(1995) *

Jamey Carroll Jamey Blake Carroll (born February 18, 1974) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mi ...

(1996) *

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

(1997) *

Jorge Julio Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia (born March 3, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball relief pitcher. He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2001 to 2005, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, and the Florida Marlins ...

(1998) *

Wilson Valdez Wilson Antonio Valdez (born May 20, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. Playing career Early career Valdez was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos on February 4, 1997 in baseball, 1997. He played on t ...

(1999) *

Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder. Bay played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Seattle Marine ...

(2000) *

Brandon Watson Brandon Eric Watson (born September 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Although he bats left-handed, Watson throws right-handed. Watson spent a portion of the and the with the Washington Nationals. In addition, ...

(2000) *

Jason Bergmann Jason Christopher Bergmann (born September 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was born in Neptune Township, New Jersey, and grew up in Manalapan Township, New Jersey where he played high school baseball at Manalapan ...

(2002) *

Darrell Rasner Darrell Wayne Rasner, Jr. (born January 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Toh ...

(2002) *

Ian Desmond Ian Morgan Desmond (born September 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Desmond is a ...

(2004) *

John Lannan John Edward Lannan (born September 27, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Washington Nationals in 2007 against the Philadelphia Phillies; he was ejected from his first ...

(2005) * Marco Estrada (2005) *

Michael Martínez Michael Gabriel Martínez Tiburcio (born September 16, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball utility player for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

(2006) *

Justin Maxwell Justin Adam Maxwell (born November 6, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and San Francisco Giants . Biography ...

(2006) * Cole Kimball (2007) *

Jordan Zimmermann Jordan M. Zimmermann (born May 23, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, and Milwaukee Brewers. Zimmermann was a two-time MLB All-Star, an ...

(2007) *

Danny Espinosa Daniel Richard Espinosa (born April 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays. Amateur ca ...

(2008) * Tom Milone (2008) * Tyler Moore (2008) *

Derek Norris Derek Russell Norris (born February 14, 1989) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to playing professionally, Norris a ...

(2008) *

Brad Peacock Bradley Joseph Peacock (born February 2, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , he th ...

(2008) *

Steven Souza Steven Jeffrey Souza Jr. (born April 24, 1989) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodg ...

(2008) * Sandy León (2009) * Aaron Barrett (2010) *

A. J. Cole Andrew Jordan Cole (born January 5, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue Jays, ...

(2010) *

Ryan Mattheus Ryan Arthur Mattheus (born November 10, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Cincinnati Reds. He is a sinkerballer. ...

(2010) *

Addison Russell Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Baseb ...

(2012) *

Matt Olson Matthew Kent Olson (born March 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. Olson was drafted by the Athletics i ...

(2012) *

Chad Pinder Chadwick Hudson Pinder (born March 29, 1992) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics from 2016 to 2022. Amateur career Pinder attended Poquoson High School ...

(2013) * Seth Brown (2015) *

Sean Murphy Sean Murphy may refer to: Sports * Seán Óg Murphy (1897–1956), Irish hurler * Seán Murphy (hurler) (born 1947), Irish hurler * Seán Murphy (Gaelic footballer) (born 1932), Irish Gaelic football player * Sean Murphy (footballer, born 1995), Sc ...

(2016)

Roster

References

External links

* {{Burlington, Vermont Baseball teams established in 1994 New York–Penn League teams Sports in Burlington, Vermont Professional baseball teams in Vermont Montreal Expos minor league affiliates Washington Nationals minor league affiliates Oakland Athletics minor league affiliates 1994 establishments in Vermont