High-quality, competitive baseball is being played in the beautiful state of Utah.
This article takes a close look at all the baseball teams in Utah from professional levels down through the college ranks.
Read on to learn more!
Baseball Teams in Utah
Utah is a beautiful place with a long history of baseball in the state.
The first professional team in Utah began playing more than 100 years ago, before the US got involved in World War 1.
Through some ups and downs over the decades, professional baseball has remained in the state.
Yet it's not just the minor leagues that have a presence in Utah, but teams across the independent leagues and the college ranks (not to mention the many amateur leagues below that!).
In this article, we take a look at all the baseball teams that have a presence in Utah.
Specifically, we highlight the various teams that play across the state at the minor, independent league and NCAA division 1 (D1) levels.
How Many Baseball Teams in Utah Are There?
There are currently five (5) baseball teams in Utah at the minor league, independent league and D1 college levels, as of 2022.
There is one team in Utah that plays at the minor league level.
In the independent leagues, there is one Utah baseball team located in the state.
And there are three D1 college baseball teams which are based in the state.
List of Baseball Teams in Utah
Major League Baseball (MLB) Teams in Utah
No MLB teams are located in the state of Utah.
The Colorado Rockies are the closest big league team geographically to Utah.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Teams in Utah (as of 2022)
As touched on above, minor league baseball has a significant history in the state, particularly in Salt Lake City.
As of 2022, there is only one minor league team in Utah, as detailed below:
Pacific Coast League - Triple A (AAA)
One of the two leagues at the AAA level, there is one team located in the state of Utah which plays in the Pacific Coast League.
Salt Lake Bees
- MLB Affiliation: Los Angeles Angels
- City: Salt Lake City, UT
- Stadium Name: Smith's Ballpark
- Stadium Address: 77 West 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Stadium Capacity: 14,511
- Mascot Name: Bumble
No other Minor League Baseball teams play in Utah as of the 2022 season.
Prior to Minor League Baseball's reorganization, two other teams played in the state. Those former minor league teams were the Orem Owlz and the Ogden Raptors.
The Owlz now play as an independent league team in Windsor, CO.
The Raptors still play in Utah, and we showcase more about the team below.
Independent Professional Baseball Teams in Utah
Independent league baseball is considered professional baseball in the United States.
However, they are not affiliated with the MLB in the sense that independent teams are not part of the big leagues' farm club system.
Independent professional baseball has a number of different leagues under its umbrella, and one of those independent leagues has a presence in the state.
The Utah-based independent league team, including some key facts about the team, is shown below.
Pioneer League
Ogden Raptors
- City: Ogden, UT
- Stadium Name: Lindquist Field
- Stadium Address: 2330 Lincoln Ave, Ogden, UT 84401
- Stadium Capacity: 6,700
- Mascot: Oggie
Division 1 College Baseball Teams in Utah
A number of well-known college sports programs exist in Utah.
Several may quickly come to mind, especially if you think about NCAA football programs, as an example.
The state does have a few college baseball teams that play D1 - the highest and most competitive level of the NCAA.
Details about all of the D1 college baseball programs in Utah are listed below.
Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars
- Conference: West Coast Conference (WCC)
- Location: Provo, UT
- Stadium Name: Miller Park
- Stadium Address: 400 E University Pkwy, Provo, UT 84604
- Mascot: Cosmo The Cougar
- Notable MLB Alumni: Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Rick Aguilera, Wally Joyner, Jeremy Guthrie
The University of Utah Utes
- Conference: PAC-12
- Location: Salt Lake City, UT
- Stadium Name: Smith's Ballpark
- Stadium Address: 77 West 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Mascot: Swoop
- Notable MLB Alumni: Dick Hall, C. J. Cron, Billy Cowan
Utah Valley University Wolverines
- Conference: Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
- Location: Orem, UT
- Stadium Name: UCCU Ballpark
- Stadium Address: 800 W University Pkwy, Orem, UT 84058
- Mascot: Willy The Wolverine
- All MLB Alumni: Mitch Jones, Kam Mickolio
Baseball Teams in Salt Lake City
Of the five teams on our list, two baseball teams are located in Salt Lake City.
Those two teams are:
- Salt Lake Bees
- The University of Utah Utes
Though not located in Salt Lake City proper, the other three teams on our list are in the broader Salt Lake City metropolitan region.
Best Baseball Players From Utah
There have been 43 MLB players born in the state of Utah, as of May 2022.
The top five players born in the state, based on highest career Wins Above Replacement (or bWAR), are the following:
- Bruce Hurst, 34.12 career WAR
- Duke Sims, 12.80 career WAR
- Ed Heusser, 10.13 career WAR
- Brandon Lyon, 6.26 career WAR
- Gordon Rhodes, 5.26 career WAR
Former catcher Duke Sims has the most MLB hits (580) and big league home runs (100) of any Utah native, and pitcher Bruce Hurst leads all natives of the state in MLB wins (145) and strikeouts (1,689).
So far, there has only been one MLB Manager that was born in Utah.
That man is Herman Franks, who was born in Price, UT.
Franks managed Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants from 1965 - 1968 and the Chicago Cubs from 1977 - 1979.
His managerial record is 605 - 521, good for a .537 winning percentage.
That's a Wrap!
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