Oakland Ballers
American minor-league professional baseball team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Oakland Ballers, nicknamed the Oakland B's, are an independent baseball team that started play in the Pioneer League in 2024.
| Oakland Ballers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Independent | ||||
| League | Pioneer League | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles | 1 (2025) | ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name | Oakland B's | ||||
| Colors | Green, gold, gray
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| Mascot | Scrappy the Rally Possum[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | Raimondi Park (4,000) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Oakland Ballers Baseball Club, Inc. (Paul Freedman & Bryan Carmel, founders) | ||||
| Manager | Aaron Miles | ||||
| Website | oaklandballers.com | ||||
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[2] and was inspired by the success of Oakland Roots SC soccer team.[3] The press release for the team's announcement included a pledge for fan ownership based around a 2024 crowdfunding campaign.[3] Don Wakamatsu was appointed as the team's first-ever executive vice president of baseball operations.[4] The first player signed to the team was Dondrei Hubbard, announced on December 10, 2023.[5]
They are located in Oakland, California, and initially planned to play their home games at Laney College,[6] with an expansion of the park's facilities to hold upwards of 2,500 fans.[2][7] A proposed game at the Oakland Coliseum was blocked by the Oakland Athletics.[8] 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.[9]
On April 10, 2024, Kelsie Whitmore signed with the Oakland Ballers.[10] 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.[11]
On July 21, 2024, the Ballers fired manager Micah Franklin and named Aaron Miles interim manager.[12] In August 2024, Oakland Ballers raised $8 million via DealMaker, an online capital raising platform.[13][14]
On April 2, 2025, the Ballers played an exhibition game against the single A 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.[15]
Roster
Source: [16]
| Active (25-man) roster | Coaching staff |
|---|---|
|
Pitchers
Utility players
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
|
Ballers in MLB
- Tyler Davis - Chicago White Sox (2024)[17]
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 Falls) |
| Totals | 131–61 | .682 | — | — | 6–5 (.545) | ||
