Louisville Bats 2024 Season In Review

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2024 REVIEW: The Louisville Bats ended the season with a 67-82 record, 22.5 games behind International League West Division winner and the eventual IL Champions, the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Bats had a much stronger first half, finishing second in the IL West and tied for fifth in the league with a 38-36 record, 11.5 games behind Omaha. The second half was a struggle for Louisville, as constant roster turnover and a 12-game losing streak in August ended any chance of a second straight winning season for the Bats. They were the sole IL team to record fewer than 30 wins in the second half, ultimately finishing at the bottom of the standings. The Bats posted a winning record at home for the second straight season, going 39-34 at Louisville Slugger Field to finish one shy of the 2023 win total at home of 40. The road was difficult for the Bats, as their 28 wins were the fewest posted by Louisville in a full season since 2019.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD SUPPORT: The Bats celebrated the 25th year of Louisville Slugger Field in 2024 and achieved another milestone in the ballpark's great history. During the homestand before the All-Star break, the Bats welcomed the 12 millionth fan to Louisville Slugger Field on Saturday, 7/15 vs. St. Paul. For the season, 361,825 fans came to Louisville Slugger Field for an average of 5,096 per game. Opening Night on 3/29 was the highest attended game, bringing in 9,299 fans. Following the 24th season of baseball in downtown Louisville (not including the cancelled 2020 season), the Bats have averaged over 8,200 fans per game since the ballpark opened in 2000.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE BATS: While the Bats didn't come close to the franchise record of 94 players in 2022 or 2023's total of 84 players, the Bats still made use of a variety of different players in 2024, with 74 taking the field for Louisville over the course of the season. The 74 players included 31 position players and 43 pitchers. Eight appeared with the Bats only on rehab assignments and only two-Erik Gonzalez and P.J. Higgins-remained on the roster for the entirety of the regular season. The 267 Louisville transactions are also well below the 288 from 2023. Overall, 21 different players hit at least one home run for the Bats and 23 different pitchers earned at least one win on the mound.

BATS TO REDS: Of the 74 players take the field for Louisville in 2024, 35 also appeared in the big leagues for the Cincinnati Reds, with 16 being position players and 19 being pitchers. The 35 players that appeared in a game for both the Bats and Reds falls well below the mark of 53 from 2023 and 52 from 2022, while equaling the total of 35 from 2021, the first year back from the pandemic. Of the 35 to play for both clubs this year, nine players made their Major League debut for the Reds in Jacob Hurtubise (5/13), Blake Dunn (6/4), Levi Jordan (6/24), Yosver Zulueta (6/25), Rece Hinds (7/8), Eric Yang (7/31), Julian Aguiar (8/9), Evan Kravetz (8/28), and Rhett Lowder (8/30).

PK2K: Bats Manager Pat Kelly etched his name into the history books during the 2024 season. With the 3-2 victory on 7/11 over St. Paul, Kelly became the seventh Minor League manager to win 2,000 games. He was later honored in a pre-game ceremony on 7/20 in which he was given a multitude of gifts including a custom team-signed jersey, personalized shoes featuring his likeness on the tongue, a commemorative bat, and additional gifts. He's the third active manager to reach the 2,000 win plateau after Buddy Bailey (Myrtle Beach) and Rick Sweet (Nashville). With the 67 wins this season, Kelly became the second skipper in franchise history to record 300 wins and he now sits second in Louisville history with 320 wins, behind only Rick Sweet's 539, a franchise record. Kelly began his managerial career in 1986 with the Single-A Charleston Rainbows and has since managed 17 different affiliates across every level of Minor League Baseball, as well as two stints coaching at the Major League level for the Reds. Kelly began his professional baseball career as a 17-year-old playing rookie ball in the Angels' organization in 1973 and went on to play in three MLB games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1980.

LOUISVILLE'S 6,000TH GAME: On 9/12, the Bats suffered a 5-4 road loss to the Iowa Cubs, marking the 6,000th regular-season game in Louisville franchise history (dating back to 1982). In that span, the Louisville franchise has been known as the Redbirds (1982-98), and RiverBats (1999-2001) before ultimately becoming the Bats in 2002. At the end of the 2024 season, the All-Time Louisville record is 2,927-3,082 for a .487 winning percentage over 42 seasons including 2024. The Bats concluded the season with a 28-48 road record, marking their seventh consecutive losing season away from Louisville Slugger Field. The last time the Bats had a winning record on the road was in 2016 when they were 38-34 under manager Delino DeShields. However, Louisville clinched a second straight winning season at home with a 39-34 record in 2024 after going 40-35 at Louisville Slugger Field in 2023.

ONE-RUN BATTLES: The Bats were involved in an incredible number of tight games during the 2024 season. Of the Bats' 149 games, 51 (34 percent) were decided by exactly one run, with Louisville going 25-26 in those games. In the first half, that was a strength for the Bats, as they went 14-9 in one-run decisions. The second half was a struggle in those situations, as the Bats finished 11-17 in one-run games. In 2023, the Bats excelled in the close contests, going 22-13 in one-run affairs.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?: With Ivan Johnson's Triple-A debut on 7/26, he became the ninth player ever to play for the Louisville franchise with the last name Johnson and the first since Sherman Johnson took the field for the Bats in 11 games in 2019. Other Johnsons to take the field for Louisville include Tampa Bay Rays hero Dan Johnson (played for the Bats in 2015) and 1996 All-Star Lance Johnson (played for the Redbirds in 1987). Johnson is the second most popular last name in Louisville history, behind only Perez. That name leaped to the top of the Louisville leaderboard when Hernan Perez debuted for the Bats on Opening Night on 3/29 becoming the 10th different player with the last name Perez. Some of the nine previous players named Perez to take the field for Louisville include current Orioles reliever Cionel Perez (pitched for the Bats in 2021), and current Indianapolis Indians Manager Miguel Perez (played for the Bats in 2005).

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE, TWICE THE FUN: In 2024, the Bats defense relied on the double play to get out of many jams. Louisville ended the 2024 season with 146 double plays, most in the International League and 4th in all of Minor League Baseball behind Tacoma (157), Albuquerque (149), and Reno (148). The double play was clutch in big situations for the Bats, as the pitching staff induced 12 double plays with the bases loaded, tied for third in the IL and tied for sixth in MiLB. Additionally, the Bats led the IL and tied for 2nd in MiLB with 72 double plays turned at home. The Bats turned at least three double plays on nine separate occasions, with a season-high of four coming in a seven-inning game against Toledo on 5/24 in the second game of a twin bill. The Bats also twice recorded a streak of five straight games of multiple double plays on defense, first from 5/18-24 and then again from 8/22-27. These numbers continue a trend from 2023, when the Bats led the IL with 156 double plays.

WALK-OFF SHOTS: Edwin Rios' back-to-back walk-off home runs on 9/5 and 9/6 vs. Jacksonville were the fourth and fifth by the Bats in 2024, following two from catcher Michael Trautwein (3/30 vs. IND, 7/10 vs. STP) and one from fellow catcher Austin Wynns (5/24 vs. TOL). The five walk-off big flies tie the franchise record for most home runs in the Louisville Slugger Field/Reds affiliation era, which began in 2000. The record was originally set in 2002, when Louisville lifted five walk-off homers during the third season at Louisville Slugger Field. With his big homers against the Jumbo Shrimp in early September, Rios became the first Louisville player to hit a walk-off home run in back-to-back games.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: During the first half of the season, the Bats used the long ball to their advantage in a big way. From 5/4-6/1, the Bats set a new franchise record by hitting at least one home run in 24 consecutive games. During that streak, Louisville had a 16-8 record, hitting 37 home runs, with Peyton Burdick leading the team with five. The streak fell just shy of the IL record of 26 consecutive games with a home run, set by Charlotte in 2019.

BIG BOPPIN' BATS: In addition to the 24-game home run streak, the Bats have amazed with the distance of a few of their home runs. It began on 5/2, when Rece Hinds obliterated a 494-foot home run off the scoreboard at St. Paul's CHS Field, at the time the longest home run in the game. Less than three weeks later on 5/21, Peyton Burdick took the title from Hinds with a monstrous 500-foot home run off the scoreboard at Louisville Slugger Field, a feat rarely achieved at the Bats' home field. That home run is the longest in Louisville Slugger Field history and was the only 500-foot homer in baseball in 2024. This is only one of five 500-foot home runs recorded in the Statcast Era, which began in 2015. In the second game of a doubleheader on 5/24, Burdick added to his tally with a 482-foot home run off the batter's eye in dead center field at Louisville Slugger Field, the third longest home run in 2024 at the time. Now, Burdick's 482-foot blast is the fifth longest in baseball this season. As a team, the Bats boast three of the five longest home runs in baseball (MLB and Triple-A) in 2024. For comparison, the longest home run in all of Major League Baseball this year is from the Marlins' Jesus Sanchez, who hit a 480-foot homer against the Reds on 8/5 at Miami's LoanDepot Park.

GREAT GENETICS: A number of players on the 2024 Bats have fathers that excelled in professional sports. Starter Brandon Leibrandt is the son of former Major Leaguer Charlie Leibrandt, who pitched in 394 MLB games between the Reds, Royals, Braves, and Rangers from 1979-93 and won a World Series with Kansas City in 1985. Charlie and Brandon Leibrandt are now the seventh father/son duo to play for the Reds after Brandon's Cincinnati debut on 8/29 vs. Oakland. Michael Trautwein's father, John, pitched in nine Major League games for the Red Sox in 1988 while also spending parts of three seasons with Pawtucket in the International League from 1988-90. Conner Capel's father, Mike, pitched in 49 major League games for the Cubs, Astros, and Brewers from 1988-91. Carson Spiers' uncle, Bill, played 13 big league seasons from 1989-2001 between the Brewers, Mets, and Astros. Casey Legumina's father, Gary, pitched in four minor league seasons from 1982-86, reaching as high as Double-A San Antonio in the Dodgers' system. Of course, Casey Kelly's dad, Pat, is the Bats' manager and also played in the big leagues for the 1980 Blue Jays. Outside of baseball, Justin Bruihl's father, Gene, was a professional bowler with six PBA titles. Spencer Stockton's father, Dick, was an elite professional tennis player who was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world in 1977 and played in the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1974.

CASEY AT THE BAT(S): With the flurry of roster moves that overhauled the Bats roster in the second half, a family connection entered the Bats dugout. The Reds signed veteran pitcher Casey Kelly and assigned him to the Bats on 8/7, putting him alongside his father, Bats Manager Pat Kelly. This marks the first time Pat has managed one of his children in regular season play and the two are the first father-son duo in Louisville Bats history. Casey made two starts before another remarkable family moment. On 8/23, Pat had the pleasure of telling Casey he would be returning to the big leagues for the first time since 2018. Casey made his Reds debut on 8/24 at Pittsburgh, throwing three scoreless innings to finish a 10-2 win over the Pirates to earn his first MLB save. After a second appearance for the reds on 8/28, Casey was DFA on 8/29 and sent outright to the Bats on 8/31, finishing the season in Louisville. Casey spent the last six years pitching for the LG Twins of the KBO in Korea and previously pitched in 26 MLB games for the Padres, Braves, and Giants from 2012-18. Pat's oldest son, Chris, also played Minor League Baseball from 2004-11, and was managed by his father during a winter ball stint. The father-son, manager-player duo is rare in professional baseball, as there have been just seven instances of a father managing his son in American and National League history at the Major League level, most recently Bruce Bochy managing his son Brett on the Giants from 2014-15. While Triple-A records are less definitive, a few recent duos are Chris Cron managing his son Kevin on the 2019 Reno Aces and Ron Johnson managing his son Chris with the Norfolk Tides in 2017.

SLAMLESS SEASON: Incredibly, the Bats went the entire 2024 season without hitting a single grand slam. This marks just the second season in Louisville history the team did not hit a grand slam, and the first since 1993. Louisville was the only team in all of Triple-A and one of just eight teams out of the 120 full-season affiliates in Minor League Baseball to not hit a home run with the bases loaded in 2024. Conversely, Bats pitching gave up five grand slams in 2024.