Oakland Ballers

Oakland Ballers
  • Founded in 2024
  • Oakland, California
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassIndependent
LeaguePioneer League
Minor league titles
League titles 1 (2025)
Team data
NameOakland B's
ColorsGreen, gold, gray
     
BallparkRaimondi Park (4,000)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Oakland Ballers Baseball Club, Inc.
(Paul Freedman & Bryan Carmel, founders)
ManagerAaron Miles
Websiteoaklandballers.com
A muddy field
Raimondi Park at the beginning of the remodeling effort for the Ballers to play, pictured in late March 2024
Baseball players on the diamond
The Ballers in their inaugural home game, June 4, 2024
Whitmore pitching toward the camera
Kelsie Whitmore pitching in the Ballers' first season.

The Oakland Ballers, nicknamed the Oakland B's, are an independent baseball team that started play in the Pioneer League in 2024.

History

The team was created following the approval of the Oakland Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas by MLB team owners. The non-profit Oakland 68s raised more than $2 million to establish the team[1] and was inspired by the success of Oakland Roots SC soccer team.[2] The press release for the team's announcement included a pledge for fan ownership based around a 2024 crowdfunding campaign.[2] Don Wakamatsu was appointed as the team's first-ever executive vice president of baseball operations.[3] The first player signed to the team was Dondrei Hubbard, announced on December 10, 2023.[4]

They are located in Oakland, California, and initially planned to play their home games at Laney College,[5] with an expansion of the park's facilities to hold upwards of 2,500 fans.[1][6] A proposed game at the Oakland Coliseum was blocked by the Oakland Athletics.[7] In February 2024 it was announced that they would instead play their home games at Raimondi Park in West Oakland, with a capacity of 4,000 fans.[8]

On April 10, 2024, Kelsie Whitmore signed with the Oakland Ballers.[9] She became the first woman to play for the Pioneer League when playing for the Ballers later that year. On June 6, 2024, playing for the Ballers, she became the first female player to start a Pioneer League game. In that game she struck out one batter.[10]

On July 21, 2024, the Ballers fired manager Micah Franklin and named Aaron Miles interim manager.[11]

On April 2, 2025, the Ballers played an exhibition game against the San Jose Giants. The game was referred to as Battle of the Bay 2.0, referring to the now-defunct regional rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. This was the first time in history an MLB affiliate team played against an Independent partner league team. The game was broadcast on KPIX+, and the Giants won the game 5–2.[12]

Roster

Oakland Ballers roster
Active (25-man) roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 26 Adam Bogosian
  • 17 Reed Butz
  • 32 James Colyer
  • 40 Brody Eglite
  • 10 Caleb Franzen
  • 16 Carson Lambert
  • 33 Dylan Matsuoka
  • 30 Noah Millikan
  • 35 Conner Richardson
  • 39 Luke Short
  • 14 Zach St. Pierre
  • 21 Connor Sullivan
  • 56 Gabe Tanner

Utility players

  • 11 Davis Drewek
  • 27 Pat Monteith

Catchers

  •  2 Tyler Lozano
  •  7 Dillon Tatum

Infielders

  • 29 Christian Almanza
  • 15 Cam Bufford
  •  3 Tremayne Cobb Jr.
  •  4 Daniel Harris IV
  • 23 Nick Leehey
  • 20 Ryan Pierce
  •  9 Esai Santos

Outfielders

  • 19 Darryl Buggs
  • 28 Lou Helmig
  •  8 Michael O'Hara

Manager

Coaches

  • Injury icon Disabled list
  • ‡ Inactive list
  • >§ Suspended list
  • [13] Roster updated 2025-06-29 Transactions

Season-by-season results

Oakland Ballers
Season League Division Overall Win % Finish Manager Playoffs
2024 Pioneer — 58–38 .604 2nd Micah Franklin (29–25)
Aaron Miles (29–13)		 Lost semifinals (Yolo) 1–2
2025 Pioneer — 73–23 .760 1st Aaron Miles Won semifinals (Ogden) 2–1
Won finals 3–2 (Idaho)
Totals 131–61 .682 — — 6–5 (.545)

References

  1. ^ a b Passan, Jeff (November 28, 2023). "Oakland-area fans start Ballers, an independent baseball team". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Oakland's New Baseball Team, The Oakland B's Launch". Oakland Ballers. November 28, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  3. ^ McCauley, Janie. "Oakland is getting a new minor league team – the Oakland B’s," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  4. ^ Burke, Jason (December 10, 2023). "Oakland B's Announce First Player Signing". Inside The Athletics on FanNation. MSN.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Oakland baseball will not die! City announces expansion team in Pioneer Baseball League". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Oakland is getting a new minor league team — the Oakland B's". CBS.
  7. ^ "Oakland A's blocked plans for B's to play game at Coliseum". Oakland. NBC. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "Ballers to play at West Oakland's historic Raimondi Field, make $1.6M in upgrades". SFGate. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Oakland Ballers sign team's first female player". April 10, 2024. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Lockard, Melissa. "Kelsie Whitmore first woman to start Pioneer League game" – via NYTimes.com.
  11. ^ "Oakland Ballers fire Micah Franklin, first manager in franchise history". mercurynews.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Babcock, Christian (April 3, 2025). "San Jose Giants, Oakland Ballers begin new Battle of the Bay as minor league baseball embraces major rivalry". The Mercury News.
  13. ^ "2025 Oakland Ballers Roster". Oakland Ballers.

Further reading

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