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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox Minor League Baseball
| name             = Frederick Keys
| founded          = 1989
| city             = Frederick, Maryland
| misc             = 
| logo             = FrederickKeys.PNG
| uniformlogo      = Keys cap.PNG
| class level      = [[Collegiate summer baseball|Collegiate summer]] (2021–present)
| past class level = [[Class A-Advanced]] (1989–2020)
| current league   = [[MLB Draft League]] (2021–present)
| conference       = 
| division         =
| past league      = [[Carolina League]] (1989–2020)
| majorleague      = Unaffiliated (2021–present)
| pastmajorleague  = [[Baltimore Orioles]] (1989–2020)
| colors           = Black, orange, yellow<br>{{color box|#010101}} {{color box|#FC4C02}} {{color box|#FFD100}}
| nickname         = Frederick Keys (1989–present)
| pastnames        = 
| mascot           = Keyote
| ballpark         = [[Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium]] (1990–present)
| pastparks        = [[McCurdy Field]] (1989)
| leaguenum        = 4
| leaguechamps     = {{hlist|1990|2005|2007|2011}}
| divnum           = 5
| divisionchamps   = {{hlist|1990|2005|2006|2007|2011}}
| owner            = Attain Sports and Entertainment
| manager          = [[Preston Wilson]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baylow |first1=Gus |title=Keys Announce 2025 Coaching Staff |url=https://www.mlbdraftleague.com/frederick/news/keys-announce-2025-coaching-staff |website=Frederick Keys |publisher=MLB Draft League |access-date=April 15, 2025 |language=en |date=April 15, 2025}}</ref>
| gm               = Slater Fuchs<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/sports/level/amateur/frederick-keys-name-slater-fuchs-new-general-manager/article_a93f4392-f044-542c-b0e1-f6825e973998.html |title=Frederick Keys name Slater Fuchs new general manager |newspaper=[[Frederick News-Post]] |date=June 11, 2024 |access-date=June 21, 2024}}</ref>
| website          = {{URL|https://www.mlbdraftleague.com/frederick|mlbdraftleague.com/frederick}}
}}

The '''Frederick Keys''' are a [[collegiate summer baseball]] team of the [[MLB Draft League]]. The Keys are based in [[Frederick, Maryland]]. The franchise is named for the "[[The Star-Spangled Banner|Star-Spangled Banner]]" writer [[Francis Scott Key]], a native of Frederick County. A new team mascot "Frank Key", short for Francis Scott Key, joined the current mascot, a [[coyote]] named ''Keyote'', at the beginning of the 2011 baseball season.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Mascot Frank Key Joins Keys|url=http://frederickkeys.mlblogs.com/2011/03/30/new-mascot-frank-key-joins-keys/|website=Unlocking the Keys|access-date=18 January 2017|date=30 March 2011}}</ref> The Keys were purchased from Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC by Attain Sports and Entertainment in January 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-bowie-baysox-frederick-keys-change-ownership-20220113-o45mokkd7zfotmrliqhqlewkru-story.html |title=Orioles' Double-A team Bowie Baysox, former affiliate Frederick Keys change ownership |first=Nathan |last=Ruiz |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=January 13, 2022}}</ref> Home games are played at [[Harry Grove Stadium]].

Prior to [[Major League Baseball]]'s reorganization of the minor leagues following the 2020 season, the Keys were a [[Minor League Baseball]] team that served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the [[Baltimore Orioles]] from 1989 to 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=J. J. |title=Frederick Becomes Sixth Team To Join MLB Draft League |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/frederick-becomes-sixth-team-to-join-mlb-draft-league/ |publisher=Baseball America |date=December 9, 2020}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Early professional baseball in Frederick ===
Frederick was one of the founding members of the [[Blue Ridge League]], which existed from 1915 to 1930.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blue Ridge League|url=http://www.blueridgeleague.org|publisher=Boys of the Blue Ridge, 2014|access-date=2014-09-06}}</ref> The team, which went by the names of Hustlers, Champs and Warriors, won league championships in 1915 and 1921. Games were played at the Frederick Fairgrounds until 1924 when [[McCurdy Field]] was built. With the collapse of the Blue Ridge League in 1931, it would be several decades before professional baseball returned to Frederick.

Frederick players from this era who were major leaguers:
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Clyde Barnhart]]: 1915, 1916, 1917
* [[Tom Connolly (third baseman)|Tom Connolly]]: 1915
* [[Bill Lamar]]: 1915
* [[Leo Meyer (baseball)|Leo Meyer]]: 1916
* [[Tom Crooke]]: 1917
* [[Clarence Blethen]]: 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923
* [[Ray Gardner (baseball)|Ray Gardner]]: 1920, 1922, 1923, 1925
* [[Ray Hartranft]]: 1920
* [[Duke Sedgwick]]: 1922
* [[Jim Keesey]]: 1923
* [[Norm McNeil]]: 1923
* [[Bobby Schang]]: 1923
* [[Chick Fullis]]: 1924, 1925, 1926
* [[Karl Kolseth]]: 1924
* [[Bill Hohman]]: 1924
* [[Rollie Hemsley]]: 1925, 1926, 1927
* [[Larry Boerner]]:1926
* [[Jimmie DeShong]]:1928
* [[Joe Vosmik]]:  1929
* [[Milt Galatzer]]: 1930
* [[Bill Perrin]]: 1930
{{div col end}}

=== Minor League Baseball (1989–2020) ===
The team was founded in 1989 when the Baltimore Orioles decided to move their [[Single-A|Class A]] [[Carolina League]] affiliate from [[Hagerstown, Maryland]]. The city of Frederick convinced the owners of the then-[[Hagerstown Suns]] to move the team to Frederick and promised a 4,000-seat stadium to be built for the 1990 season. For the 1989 season, the Keys played at McCurdy Field, a [[Babe Ruth League]] stadium, while waiting for the construction of the new stadium to be completed.<ref name="Boys of Summer">{{cite news |title=The Boys of Summers Past; Cherished Memories Resurface as Baseball Returns to Frederick |last=Duggan |first=Paul |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=1989-01-12 |id={{ProQuest|140085073}} }}</ref> The Keys opened by losing both ends of a [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] (including a seven-inning [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] by [[Dennis Burlingame]]) against the [[Durham Bulls]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Perfect Game only Half of Keys' Troubles |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |pages=C7 |date=1989-04-10 |id={{ProQuest|140018712}} }}</ref> Their first win came on April 11, 1989, with a 3–1 victory over the [[Kinston Indians]] in the Keys' first-ever home game.<ref>{{cite news |title=Keys Find 1st Victory in Home Opener, 3–1 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |last=Eichelberger |first=Curtis |date=1989-04-12 |pages=D4 |id={{ProQuest|140024139}} }}</ref>

Only two players in Keys history have been transferred directly from Frederick to the Baltimore Orioles (excluding rehab related transfers). On September 3, 1996, [[Eugene Kingsale]]'s contract was purchased by the Orioles. On June 11, 2005, [[Jeff Fiorentino]]'s contract was purchased by the Orioles in order to replace the injured [[Luis Matos (baseball, born 1978)|Luis Matos]].

The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Keys did not receive an invitation to remain in affiliated baseball as part of the [[Minor League Baseball#Reorganization of 2021|2021 reorganization of Minor League Baseball]], and instead joined the newly-formed [[MLB Draft League]].

==Playoff history==

=== Carolina League ===
*1990: Defeated [[Kinston Indians|Kinston]] 3–2 to win championship.
*1993: Lost to [[Wilmington Blue Rocks|Wilmington]] 2–0 in semifinals.
*1997: Lost to [[Lynchburg Hillcats|Lynchburg]] 2–0 in semifinals.
*2000: Lost to [[Lynchburg Hillcats|Lynchburg]] 2–0 in semifinals.
*2001: Lost to [[Wilmington Blue Rocks|Wilmington]] 2–0 in semifinals.
*2005: Defeated [[Lynchburg Hillcats|Lynchburg]] 2–0 in semifinals; defeated [[Kinston Indians|Kinston]] 3–2 to win championship.
*2006: Defeated [[Wilmington Blue Rocks|Wilmington]] 2–1 in semifinals; lost to [[Kinston Indians|Kinston]] 3–0 in finals.
*2007: Defeated [[Wilmington Blue Rocks|Wilmington]] 2–0 in semifinals; defeated [[Salem Red Sox|Salem]] 3–1 to win championship.
*2010: Lost to [[Potomac Nationals|Potomac]] 3–1 in semifinals.
*2011: Defeated [[Potomac Nationals|Potomac]] 3–2 in semifinals; defeated [[Kinston Indians|Kinston]] 3–1 to win championship.
*2017: Lost to [[Lynchburg Hillcats|Lynchburg]] 2–1 in semifinals.

==Notable former Keys==
Several Keys alumni have gone on to play in the major leagues. In their inaugural season, the opening day roster featured several future major leaguers: [[David Segui]], Francisco de la Rosa, Luis Mercedes, [[Jack Voigt]], and [[Pete Rose Jr.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Keys, Cannons Ready to Play |last=Goff |first=Steve |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |pages=D7 |date=1989-04-07 |id={{ProQuest|140059670}} }}</ref>

Other Keys alumni include:
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Andy Van Slyke]]: 1995
* [[Arthur Rhodes]]: 1989, 1990
* [[Joe Borowski (baseball)|Joe Borowski]]: 1989, 1990
* [[Rocky Coppinger]]: 1995
* [[Sidney Ponson]]: 1996
* [[Brian Roberts (baseball)|Brian Roberts]]: 2000
* [[Larry Bigbie]]: 2000
* [[Tim Raines Jr.]]: 2000
* [[Eli Whiteside]]: 2002
* [[Nick Markakis]]: 2005
* [[Adam Loewen]]: 2005
* [[Nolan Reimold]]: 2006
* [[Matt Wieters]]: 2008
* [[Brad Bergesen]]: 2009
* [[Manny Machado]]: 2011
* [[Dylan Bundy]]: 2012
* [[Nicky Delmonico]]: 2012
* [[Ty Kelly]]: 2012
* [[Jason Hammel]]: 2012
* [[Kevin Gausman]]: 2012
* [[Steve Pearce (baseball)|Steve Pearce]]: 2013
* [[Josh Stinson]]: 2013
* [[Ashur Tolliver]]: 2013
* [[Wilson Betemit]]: 2013
* [[Ryan Flaherty]]: 2013
* [[Zach Davies]]: 2013
* [[Mike Yastrzemski]]: 2014
* [[Jimmy Yacabonis]]: 2014
* [[Austin Wynns]]: 2014
* [[Trey Mancini]]: 2014
* [[Parker Bridwell]]: 2014
* [[Steven Brault]]: 2014
* [[Mychal Givens]]: 2014
* [[Chance Sisco]]: 2015
* [[Jonathan Schoop]]: 2015
* [[John Means (baseball)|John Means]]: 2015
* [[Stefan Crichton]]: 2015
* [[Wei-Yin Chen]]: 2015
* [[David Lough]]: 2015
* [[David Hess (baseball)|David Hess]]: 2015
* [[Ryan Mountcastle]]: 2017
{{div col end}}

==Roster==
{{MiLB roster
 | TeamName=Frederick Keys
 | Pitchers=
{{MLBplayer|39|Valek Cisneros}}
{{MLBplayer|25|Wyatt Evans}}
{{MLBplayer|26|Adam Falinski}}
{{MLBplayer|40|Cooper Foster}}
{{MLBplayer|50|Jacob Gomez}}
{{MLBplayer|43|Brayden Kurtz}}
{{MLBplayer|29|Trevor Long}}
{{MLBplayer|27|Kaden Moeller}}
{{MLBplayer|35|Justin Needles}}
{{MLBplayer|45|Dawson Netz}}
{{MLBplayer|37|Grant Richars}}
{{MLBplayer|44|Christian Rodriguez}}
{{MLBplayer|17|Sempa Shawali Sherican}}
{{MLBplayer|10|Tom Sun}}
{{MLBplayer|16|Evan Yates}}
{{MLBplayer|15|Bradon Zastrow}}
{{MLBplayer|21|Joe Zhu}}

| Catchers=
{{MLBplayer|36|Owen Carapellotti}}
{{MLBplayer|24|Irvin Escobar}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;6|Dennis Kasumba}}
{{MLBplayer|28|Brock Tibbitts}}

| Infielders=
{{MLBplayer|46|Cam Clayton}}
{{MLBplayer|32|Elijah Clayton}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;3|Brody Fahr}}
{{MLBplayer|48|Jadyn Fielder}}
{{MLBplayer|14|Allan Gil-Fernandez}}
{{MLBplayer|34|Daylan Pena}}

| Outfielders=
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;1|Royce Clayton Jr.}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;9|JoJo Jackson}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;7|Tervell Johnson}}
{{MLBplayer|13|Zech Samayoa}}
{{MLBplayer|19|Irvin Weems III}}

| Manager=
{{MLBplayer|3|[[Preston Wilson]]}}
 | Coaches=
{{MLBplayer|52|[[Jimmy Nelson (baseball)|Jimmy Nelson]]}} {{small|(pitching)}}
{{MLBplayer|43|[[Tony Diaz]]}} {{small|(hitting)}}

| 60DayIL=

| BC1=#010101
 | BC2=#FC4C02
 | FC1=#FFFFFF
 | FC2=#FFFFFF
 | Date=June 13, 2024
 | MLBAffiliation=
 | MiLBcomName=frederick
 | MiLBcomLeagueName=122
 | TransactionLink=
 | RotationLink=
 | League=<!-- Collegiate summer baseball -->
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball|Washington, D.C.}}
*[[Sports in Washington, D.C.]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.milb.com/frederick}}
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Frederick&state=MD&country=US Statistics from Baseball-Reference]

{{Frederick Keys managers}}
{{MLB Draft League}}
{{Washington, D.C. sports}}
{{Maryland Sports}}

[[Category:Carolina League teams]]
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1989]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Sports in Frederick, Maryland]]
[[Category:MLB Draft League teams]]