SPORTS

Meet the Bluebirds: Nashville's ultimate all-star baseball team

David Ammenheuser
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Our ultimate fantasy baseball team: The Nashville Bluebirds

Introducing the Nashville Bluebirds, our very own major league baseball franchise.

Indeed, it's the ultimate Middle Tennessee fantasy baseball team: a 25-player roster that we think could compete for a title if placed in any of the major league's six divisions.

There are more than 30 active Major League Baseball players who can call Middle Tennessee their home: some were born and raised here; some played college baseball here; others chose to reside here after their professional careers began.

With the major league season under way, it's the perfect time to introduce our true fantasy team. The Bluebirds have a pitching ace (David Price), a World Series MVP (Ben Zobrist), solid veterans (R.A. Dickey, Chase Headley), young phenoms (Mookie Betts, Dansby Swanson) and good role players.

And why the Bluebirds? Why not? The nickname's a nod to the bird that visits our city as well as a nod to the iconic music venue.

Logo for the Nashville Bluebirds

THE ROSTER

David Price is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

DAVID PRICE

No. 14 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Blackman High School, Vanderbilt

Major league team: Red Sox

Why he’s on our team: Ace of our staff, owns career 121-65 record with a 3.21 ERA in 253 games. Has 1,600 strikeouts in 1,671 innings. Been an all-star five times. Won American League Cy Young Award in 2012

Twitter: @DAVIDprice24

Sonny Gray is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

SONNY GRAY

No. 54 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Smyrna High School, Vanderbilt

Major league team: A’s

Why he’s on our team: Owns 38-31 record with a 3.42 ERA in 98 games. Coming off injury-plagued 2016 season (5-11, 5.69 ERA). Member of 2015 All-Star team.

Twitter:@SonnyGray2

R.A. Dickey is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

R.A. DICKEY

No. 19 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Montgomery Bell Academy

Major league team: Braves

Why he’s on our team: Provides veteran leadership … Knuckleballer gives our rotation a change of pace. Owns a 110-108 record with a 4.01 ERA in 369 games. In 2012, he was an all-star and won the National League Cy Young Award.

Twitter:@RADickey43

Steven Wright is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

STEVEN WRIGHT

No. 65 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Williamson County

Major league team: Red Sox

Why he’s on our team: We’re the only major league team with two knuckleballers. With Dickey’s tutoring, Wright could excel. He was 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA in 2016 and has a career 20-11 record.

Twitter:@Knucklepuck23

Steven Matz is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

STEVEN MATZ

No. 32 … Starting Pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Williamson County

Major league team: Mets

Why he’s on our team:  Owns a 13-8 record and a 3.16 ERA in 28 major-league starts. Has struck out 163 in 168 innings.

Twitter:@Smatz88

Robbie Ray is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

ROBBIE RAY

No. 38 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Brentwood High School

Major league team: Diamondbacks

Why he’s on our team: Can start or pitch in middle relief. Has a 14-31 record with a 4.65 ERA  in 64 career games

Twitter:@RobbieRay

Carson Fulmer is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

CARSON FULMER

No. 51 … Starting pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Vanderbilt

Major league team: White Sox

Why he’s on our team: After appearing in eight games in 2016 (0-2, 8.49 ERA), Fulmer started the season at Triple-A. However, he could emerge and break into our starting rotation if one of our starters is injured or struggles.

Twitter:@Carson_Fulmer

Zac Curtis is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

ZAC CURTIS

No. 62 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: MTSU

Major league team: Mariners

Why he’s on our team: Entering his second major-league season, Curtis has a strong arm with high strikeout potential. Had 10 strikeouts in 13 innings in 2016 with Arizona.

Twitter:@Zac_Curtis16

Brad Brach is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

BRAD BRACH

No. 35 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Nashville

Major league team: Orioles

Why he’s on our team: One of the best relievers in baseball, Brach has a 25-14 record with a 2.96 ERA in 288 games. Posted a 10-4 record with a 2.05 ERA in 71 games in 2016, made All-Star team.

Twitter:@BradBrach

Justin Grimm is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

JUSTIN GRIMM

No. 52 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Nashville

Major league team: Cubs

Why he’s on our team: Solid reliever, posted an 18-18 record with a 4.54 ERA in 235 career games. Member of the 2016 World Series champions.

Twitter:@GrimmReaper_52

Andrew Triggs is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

ANDREW TRIGGS

No. 60 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Montgomery Bell Academy

Major league team: A’s

Why he’s on our team:  Reliever who can also make spot starts when we need him. Posted a 1-1 record with a 4.31 ERA in 24 games in 2016, including six starts.

Twitter: None

Bryan Morris is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

BRYAN MORRIS

No. 57 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Tullahoma High School, Motlow State Community College

Major league team: Giants

Why he’s on our team: Relief pitcher who owns an 18-12 record with a 2.80 EA in 211 major-league games.Started season on disabled list.

Twitter:@Bryan19Morris

Josh Smith is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

JOSH SMITH

No. 75 … Relief pitcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Lipscomb University

Major league team: A’s

Why he’s on our team: In 41 major-league games over two seasons, has made nine starts and 32 relief appearances. Has a 3-7 record and a 5.46 ERA. Started the season at Triple-A Nashville.

Twitter:@J_A_Smitty

Pedro Alvarez is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

PEDRO ALVAREZ

No. 24 … First baseman

Middle Tennessee connection: Vanderbilt

Major league team: Orioles

Why he’s on our team: Slugging first baseman and designated hitter, Alvarez has hit 153 career home runs in seven seasons. Led the National League with 36 in 2013. Coming off a 22-homer season in 2016. Started the season at Triple-A Norfolk.

Twitter: None

Logan Forsythe is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

LOGAN FORSYTHE

No. 11 … Second baseman

Middle Tennessee connection:  Lives in Williamson County

Major league team: Dodgers

Why he’s on our team: Will start at second base but can also play shortstop and third base. Batted .255 in 618 games over six seasons. Coming off career-best 20-home run season.

Twitter: None

Chase Headley is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

CHASE HEADLEY

No. 12 … Third baseman

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Williamson County

Major league team: Yankees

Why he’s on our team: Supplies veteran influence to the infield. Entering his 11th major-league season, has a career .263 batting average with 118 home runs in 1,262 games.

Twitter: None

Dansby Swanson is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

DANSBY SWANSON

No. 7 … Shortstop

Middle Tennessee connection: Vanderbilt

Major league team: Braves

Why he’s on our team: One of the brightest young stars in the major leagues, Swanson appeared in 38 games in 2016 but will be considered a rookie in 2017. He hit .302 with 17 RBIs. Will be the cornerstone of our infield for years.

Twitter:@LieutenantDans7

Ben Zobrist is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team .

BEN ZOBRIST

No. 18 … Outfielder

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Williamson County

Major league team: Cubs

Why he’s on our team: Who wouldn’t want the reigning World Series MVP on your team? Batted .357 in World Series. Career .266 hitter over 11 seasons. Very versatile, he can play any infield and outfield position.

Twitter:@benzobrist18

Mookie Betts is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

MOOKIE BETTS

No. 50 … Outfielder

Middle Tennessee connection: Overton High School

Major league team: Red Sox

Why he’s on our team: One of the best young players in the major leagues. Betts was second in the American League MVP voting in 2016 after hitting .318 with 31 home runs, 113 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.

Twitter:@mookiebetts

Tony Kemp is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

TONY KEMP

No. 16 … Outfielder

Middle Tennessee connection: Centennial High School, Vanderbilt

Major league team: Astros

Why he’s on our team: Will start in our outfield, but can also play second base. Hit .217 in 59 games as a rookie in 2016. Started the season at Triple-A Fresno.

Twitter:@tonykemp

Curt Casali is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

CURT CASALI

No. 59 … Catcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Vanderbilt

Major league team: Rays

Why he’s on our team: Will vie for our starting catching spot. Over three seasons, he has batted .195 in 453 games. Throws out 30 percent of attempted base stealers. Started the season at Triple-A Durham.

Twitter:@CurtCasali

Ryan Flaherty is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

RYAN FLAHERTY

No. 3 … Utility infielder

Middle Tennessee connection: Vanderbilt

Major league team: Orioles

Why he’s on our team: Versatile player who can play any infield or outfield position. Entering his sixth major league season, he has batted .216 in 429 games.

Twitter:@RFlaherty3

Zack Cozart is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

ZACK COZART

No. 2 … Infielder

Middle Tennessee connection: Lives in Nashville

Major league team: Reds

Why he’s on our team: Solid second baseman, would push Forsythe for starting job on our team. Entering his seventh major league season, he has batted .246 in 621 games.

Twitter: None

A.J. Ellis is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

A.J. ELLIS

No. 17 … Catcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Austin Peay

Major league team: Marlins

Why he’s on our team:  Will contend for starting catching spot. Career .239 hitter with 37 home runs in 555 games. Throws out 33 percent of attempted base stealers.

Twitter: @AJEllis17

Caleb Joseph is a member of the Nashville Bluebirds, the ultimate fantasy baseball team.

CALEB JOSEPH

No. 36 … Catcher

Middle Tennessee connection: Franklin High School, Lipscomb University

Major league team: Orioles

Why he’s on our team:  Good clubhouse guy who will keep the team loose. Will serve as third catcher and is coming off tough season when he batted .174 with no RBIs in 49 games. In 2015, hit .234 with 11 home runs.

Twitter: @EutawBackstop

NICKNAMES, NICKNAMES

Choosing our 25-man roster was not the only tough decision when putting together our franchise.

A panel of Tennessean staff members who love baseball brainstormed four finalists for our team's nickname.  All in some way represented what's going on in our city. The finalists were:

Nashville Cranes logo

Nashville Cranes: With a nod toward the city's recent construction growth.

Nashville Pickers logo

Nashville Pickers: With a nod toward the city's music heritage.

Nashville Strings logo

Nashville Strings: Another nod toward the city's music history.

Nashville Bluebirds: The last finalist won out. It's a nod to the bird that visits our city as well as a nod to the iconic music venue.

 

THE ARTIST

Merry Eccles, a Tennessean graphic artist, designed the logos for the four finalists and for the jerseys and caps.

 

 

OUR CITY'S BASEBALL HISTORY

In 1885, Nashville’s first professional baseball team was named the Americans. Subsequent clubs through 1895 were the Blues, Tigers, and Seraphs. In 1897, the Centennials played in the short-lived Central League.

Nashville’s Newt Fisher was one of the organizers of the Southern Association. He became team owner and managed the club to the first two league championships in 1901 and 1902.

Grantland Rice referred to the local ballpark as Sulphur Spring Dell in 1908, later shortened to Sulphur Dell. The next month Rice reported Volunteers was the choice in a contest to name the local club. Nashville won the pennant that year, and again in 1916.

Tom Wilson renamed his amateur Standard Giants to Elite Giants to play in the professional Negro Southern League in 1921, and later built Wilson Park to host the club. He moved his team to Cleveland in 1931, and the Black Vols team was organized in 1936. In 1946, a new Negro League club was formed, named the Cubs.

Larry Gilbert was hired as Nashville Vols manager to begin the 1939 season. His Nashville clubs captured Southern Association pennants in 1940, 1943 and 1948. The Southern Association folded after the 1961 season, but Nashville fielded a team again in 1963 as a member of the South Atlantic League. The club ceased operations at the end of the year.

Larry Schmittou founded the Nashville Sounds to play in the Southern League in 1978, and Herschel Greer Stadium was built with a seating capacity of 10,700. The club drew 380,000 fans in the first season, winning league titles in 1979 and 1982. An all-time attendance mark of 605,122 was set in 1990 when the team was in the American Association. In 1993, the famous guitar-shaped scoreboard was added, and so was a second team: Nashville Xpress games were scheduled around Sounds road games for two years.

In 1998, Nashville became a member of the Pacific Coast League, capturing the championship in 2005. MFP Real Estate purchased the Sounds in 2009 with Frank Ward taking the lead role. In 2015, First Tennessee Park became a reality, built in the vicinity of Sulphur Dell.

— Skip Nipper, Nashville baseball historian

 

 

OUR CITY'S PRO SPORTS NICKNAMES

The remains of a prehistoric creature found during a downtown excavation. A nod to Nashville’s title “Athens of the South.” An homage to the city’s music legacy.

Nashville’s professional sports franchises chose their nicknames with substantial public input, honoring Music City’s history and culture.

The Nashville Predators chose their name after a public vote, but actually unveiled their logo of a saber-toothed tiger’s head first. Based on the logo, fans were able to vote on which of several nicknames they liked the best, and the Predators won by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

In 1971, on the land that became the site of the Predators’ home arena downtown, excavators discovered partial remains of a saber-toothed tiger, which inspired the initial logo and then nickname.

Relocating to Tennessee in 1997, the Houston Oilers changed their name to the Tennessee Titans in 1999. inspired by Nashville’s nickname of “Athens of the South.” The Titans also held a public vote to solicit input.

The Nashville Sounds picked their name with public input as well. The team’s ownership group in the late '70s, led by Vanderbilt baseball coach Larry Schmittou, included Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed and Larry Gatlin. Sounds connects the baseball franchise to the city’s deep ties to the music industry.

A fan shows his excitement after receiving Predators defenseman P.K. Subban's jersey after their last home game of the season at Bridgestone Arena Tuesday, April 4, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.

Predators executive Gerry Helper recalled the great interest that went into choosing the team’s nickname, primary colors and logo. He said that when the Predators have unveiled a new logo or jersey over the years, fans have reacted with great passion. Helper said fans have largely been supportive of the gold and blue color scheme over the years.

“Predators was a unique identity for the team and the city, so I think it has served well,” Helper said.

“Fans are passionate about their teams and very passionate about their uniforms. In many cases, fans are going to go out and buy those jerseys, so they absolutely are very passionate.”

Jason Klein co-founded Brandiose, the California based company that helps professional teams choose nicknames and rebranding efforts. Brandiose is the go-to firm for new minor league teams, or existing franchises looking to change names.

Klein said the company begins its efforts to choose a nickname by immersing itself in the community and studying its history and culture. He said public input, often in the form of a vote, is always part of the process.

Klein said choosing a nickname and color scheme is a delicate business because fans in each community identify passionately with the nickname. When the Sounds moved to their new First Tennessee Park, Brandiose offered up an orange color scheme that received pushback from fans. The Sounds ultimately went back to their red, black and silver color scheme but kept the “N” behind a guitar pick as their primary logo.

“The first step is immersive research. We pack our bags, get on a plane and spend several days, weeks immersing ourselves in that community,” Klein said. “We meet with community leaders, fans, sponsors, staff and try to uncover what that hometown story is.

“The second part is storytelling. We believe in the power of storytelling to create magical experiences that transport fans away from everyday lives into the entertainment universe. The goal is to figure out what that story is and how to tell that story through all the different touchpoints a fan would come in contact with.”

 — Nate Rau, USA TODAY Network — Tennessee

THE SOUNDS

Our fantasy team is no knock on our own professional team, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, who are the top minor-league affiliate of the Oakland A's. The Sounds began their 40th season last week. The Sounds are currently playing their first homestand of the season.