# Asheville Tourists

The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina.
Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different leagues and classifications for over a century, with the earliest dating to 1897. The current team has played continuously in what is now known as the South Atlantic League since 1976, though it was briefly known as the High-A East in 2021. Asheville has won three South Atlantic league championships, first in 1984 and most recently in 2014. Previous Tourists teams won a total of four additional championships.
The Tourists play home games at McCormick Field. The stadium opened in 1924, renovated in 1959, and renovated again for the 1992 season. It seats 4,000 fans.

## History
### Earlier teams

Professional baseball in Asheville, North Carolina, dates to 1897, when the Asheville Moonshiners took the field. It has been played continuously for nearly every year since 1909, with early teams such as the Redbirds (1909) and the Mountaineers (1910–1914). The "Tourists" name dates to 1915, when local sportswriters began referring to the Mountaineers team as the Tourists.
The original Tourists brought Asheville its first ever professional sports championship in 1915. It continued playing in the Class-D North Carolina State League until 1917, when the league suspended operations due to World War I. In 1924 the "Asheville Skylanders" started play in the South Atlantic League; however, it soon adopted the Tourists nickname. It played in the South Atlantic League until 1930, when it jumped to the Piedmont League, where it played for two seasons before folding. In 1934 the Columbia Sandlappers moved to Asheville, taking up the Tourists name. This incarnation won the 1939 Piedmont League championship; however the league suspended operations in 1942, due to the outset of World War II.
In 1946 a new Tourists franchise started up in the Tri-State League. During the 1940s the team shared McCormick Field with the Asheville Blues, an independent Negro leagues team. It folded along with its league in 1955. In 1959 a new South Atlantic League (later the Southern League) franchise came to town. McCormick Field was renovated. The team initially wanted a new name, and organized a fan vote to pick. However, fans voted overwhelmingly to keep the Tourists nickname. The team won two league titles, in 1961 and 1968. In 1968, the Tourists won the Southern League championship under manager Sparky Anderson, who went on to manage the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers during his 26 years in Major League Baseball.
In 1972 Asheville became affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles MLB team. As part of Baltimore's "Oriole Way" system, the Asheville team was rebranded the Asheville Orioles, adopting the logo and colors of its affiliate. The team had four successive winning seasons, but after the 1975 season the Orioles relocated its Double-A franchise to Charlotte, North Carolina, as the Charlotte Orioles.

### Current team

McCormick Field would not be unoccupied for the 1976 season, however. Shortly after the AA franchise moved to Charlotte, its place was taken by an expansion team in the Western Carolinas League (which in 1980 became the South Atlantic League). Like many teams before it, it assumed the Tourists nickname. The team has remained in Asheville continuously since, winning the 1984 league championship. It is currently a farm team of the Houston Astros (1982–93, 2021–), with whom it has been affiliated since 2021. It was previously affiliated with the Texas Rangers (1976–81) and the Colorado Rockies (1994–2020). The team has subsequently won two additional league titles in 2012 and 2014.
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Tourists were organized into the High-A East. In 2022, the High-A East became known as the South Atlantic League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

## Ownership

On January 5, 2010 it was reported by the Asheville Citizen-Times that Palace Sports and Entertainment have sold the Asheville Tourists for $7 million to former U.S. Senator and current Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine and his family. It was reported that Brian DeWine, son of Mike, would be the team president. The team is owned by DeWine Seeds-Silver Dollar Baseball. Governor DeWine has a 32% stake in the team but does not play a role in management. In 2020 the team received a $189,500 Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni
* Sparky Anderson (1968, Manager) Inducted, 2000
* Craig Biggio (1987) Inducted, 2015
* Eddie Murray (1974) Inducted, 2003
* Willie Stargell (1961) Inducted, 1988
* Billy Southworth (1935–1936, Player/Manager) Inducted, 2008
Notable alumni
* Larry Gardner (1925–1926, Player/Manager)
* Johnny Allen (1929) MLB All-Star
* Mort Cooper (1936) 4 x MLB All-Star; 1942 NL Most Valuable Player
* Walker Cooper (1939) 8 x MLB All-Star
* Clem Labine (1947) 2 x MLB All-Star
* Spook Jacobs (1948) Tri-State League MVP
* Gene Alley (1961–62) MLB All-Star
* Bob Lee (1961) MLB All-Star
* Steve Blass (1962) MLB All-Star
* Bob Lee (1965) MLB All-Star
* Dave Roberts (1964)
* Doc Ellis (1966) MLB All-Star
* Fred Patek (1966) MLB All-Star
* Dave Concepcion (1969) MLB All-Star
* Larry Sherry (1971) 1959 World Series MVP
* Al Bumbry (1972) MLB All-Star; 1973 AL Rookie of the Year
* Doug DeCinces (1973) MLB All-Star
* Mike Flanagan(1974) MLB All-Star; 1979 AL Cy Young winner
* Rich Dauer (1974–75)
* Tom Henke (1981) MLB All-Star
* Luis Gonzalez (1988) MLB All-Star
* Kenny Lofton (1989) MLB All-Star
* Shane Reynolds (1989) MLB All-Star
* Bobby Abreu (1992) MLB All-Star
* Melvin Mora (1993) MLB All-Star
* Todd Helton (1995) MLB All-Star
* Matt Holliday (1999) MLB All-Star
* Ubaldo Jiménez (2003) MLB All-Star
* Dexter Fowler (2006) MLB All-Star
* Brian Fuentes (2007) MLB All-Star
* Nolan Arenado (2010) MLB All-Star
* Russell Wilson (2011) NFL Super Bowl Champion
* Trevor Story (2012) MLB All-Star

## Season-by-season records

| Season | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
| 1915 | 74–46 | 1st | Jack Corbett | League Champs |
| 1916 | 58–54 | 4th | Jack Corbett | none |
| 1917 | 12–16 | – | Ernest "Doc" Ferris | none |
| Team disbanded 1917–1923 |||||
| 1924 | 58–63 | 5th | Bob Higgins | none |
| 1925 | 66–63 | 5th | Bob Higgins / Larry Gardner | none |
| 1926 | 80–66 | 2nd | Larry Gardner | none |
| 1927 | 76–73 | 4th | Larry Gardner | none |
| 1928 | 97–49 | 1st | Ray Kennedy | none |
| 1929 | 84–62 | 2nd | Mike Kennedy | Lost League Finals |
| 1930 | 79–61 | 3rd | George Speirs | |
| 1931 | 66–67 | 4th | Ray Kennedy / Bobby Hipps | |
| 1932 | 35–33 | – | Joe Guyon | Team disbanded July 7 |
| Team disbanded 1933 |||||
| 1934 | 34–59 (55–78 overall) | 5th | Bill Laval / Possum Whitted | Columbia moved to Asheville June 7 |
| 1935 | 75–62 | 1st | Billy Southworth | Lost League Finals |
| 1936 | 40–103 | 6th | Billy Southworth | |
| 1937 | 89–50 | 1st | Hal Anderson | Lost in 1st round |
| 1938 | 63–75 | 7th | Hal Anderson | |
| 1939 | 89–55 | 1st | Hal Anderson | League Champs |
| 1940 | 75–60 | 2nd | Tommy West | Lost in 1st round |
| 1941 | 64–76 | 7th | Nick Cullop | |
| 1942 | 61–77 | 6th | Bill DeLancey | |
| Team disbanded 1943–1946 |||||
| 1946 | 83–57 | 2nd | Bill Sayles | Lost in 1st round |
| 1947 | 65–74 | 6th | Bill Sayles | |
| 1948 | 95–51 | 1st | Clay Bryant | Lost in 1st round |
| 1949 | 76–71 | 3rd | Ed Head | Lost in 1st round |
| 1950 | 83–62 | 2nd | Clay Bryant | Lost League Finals |
| 1951 | 85–55 | 2nd | Ray Hathaway | Lost League Finals |
| 1952 | 65–75 | 5th | Bill Hart / George Tesnow | |
| 1953 | 83–67 | 2nd | Ray Hathaway | Lost in 1st round |
| 1954 | 86–54 | 1st | Ray Hathaway | Lost League Finals |
| 1955 | 53–63 | 3rd | Earl Naylor | |
| Team disbanded 1956–1958 |||||
| 1959 | 70–70 | 5th | Clyde McCullough | |
| 1960 | 62–77 | 6th | Chuck Kress | |
| 1961 | 87–50 | 1st | Ray Hathaway | none League Champs |
| 1962 | 70–70 | 4th | Ray Hathaway | Lost in 1st round |
| 1963 | 79–61 | 2nd | Ray Hathaway | |
| 1964 | 52–86 | 8th | Ray Hathaway (28–53) / Bob Clear (24–33) | none |
| 1965 | 80–60 | 2nd | Pete Peterson | none |
| 1966 | 78–61 | 2nd | Pete Peterson | none |
| 1967 | 64–74 | 10th | Chuck Churn | |
| 1968 | 86–54 | 1st | Sparky Anderson | none League Champs |
| 1969 | 69–69 | 3rd | Alex Cosmidis | none |
| 1970 | 59–80 | 8th | Jim Snyder | none |
| 1971 | 90–51 | 2nd | Larry Sherry | Lost League Finals |
| Team known as Asheville Orioles 1972–1975 |||||
| 1976 | 76–62 | 1st | Wayne Terwilliger | Lost League Finals |
| 1977 | 81–58 | 2nd | Wayne Terwilliger | |
| 1978 | 73–67 | 4th | Wayne Terwilliger | none |
| 1979 | 75–63 | 2nd | Wayne Terwilliger | |
| 1980 | 69–71 | 5th | Tom Robson | |
| 1981 | 74–68 | 4th | Tom Robson | |
| 1982 | 65–76 | 8th | Dave Cripe | |
| 1983 | 64–80 | 9th (t) | Tom Spencer | |
| 1984 | 73–70 | 5th | Tom Spencer | League Champs |
| 1985 | 76–62 | 4th | Fred Hatfield | |
| 1986 | 90–50 | 2nd | Ken Bolek | Lost League Finals |
| 1987 | 91–48 | 1st | Keith Bodie | Lost League Finals |
| 1988 | 65–75 | 9th | Gary Tuck / Jim Coveney | |
| 1989 | 68–70 | 8th | Jim Coveney | |
| 1990 | 66–77 | 9th | Frank Cacciatore | |
| 1991 | 55–83 | 14th | Frank Cacciatore | |
| 1992 | 74–66 | 4th | Tim Tolman | |
| 1993 | 51–88 | 14th | Bobby Ramos | |
| 1994 | 60–73 | 11th | Tony Torchia | |
| 1995 | 76–63 | 5th | Bill McGuire | Lost in 1st round |
| 1996 | 84–52 | 1st | P. J. Carey | Lost in 2nd round |
| 1997 | 62–76 | 12th | Ron Gideon | |
| 1998 | 71–69 | 7th | Ron Gideon | |
| 1999 | 64–77 | 11th | Jim Eppard | |
| 2000 | 66–69 | 8th (t) | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2001 | 68–71 | 9th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2002 | 64–74 | 12th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2003 | 74–65 | 6th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2004 | 64–75 | 13th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2005 | 71–67 | 10th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2006 | 74–63 | 6th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2007 | 80–58 | 4th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2008 | 83–56 | 2nd | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2009 | 68–70 | 7th | Joe Mikulik | Lost in 1st round |
| 2010 | 69–70 | 7th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2011 | 69–70 | 9th | Joe Mikulik | |
| 2012 | 88–52 | 1st | Joe Mikulik | League Champs |
| 2013 | 63–73 | 9th | Fred Ocasio | |
| 2014 | 89–49 | 1st | Fred Ocasio | League Champs |
| 2015 | 72–67 | 2nd | Warren Schaeffer | Lost League Finals |
| 2016 | 66–72 | 5th | Warren Schaeffer | |
| 2017 | 68–70 | 5th | Warren Schaeffer | |