Gades Greatness: Counting down top 12 moments of 2024, #12-10
As we have hit the final month of the 2024 calendar, the time has come for our annual review of the Top 12 moments from the previous Hudson Valley Renegades season. The 2024 season was one of the most-memorable seasons in the 30 years of Renegades baseball, so much so
As we have hit the final month of the 2024 calendar, the time has come for our annual review of the Top 12 moments from the previous Hudson Valley Renegades season. The 2024 season was one of the most-memorable seasons in the 30 years of Renegades baseball, so much so that moments like Jackson Castillo's seven-RBI game, D.J. LeMahieu's MLB rehab, and Rascal & Rosie's wedding didn't make the cut.
As with previous seasons, we will reveal the countdown with three moments a week throughout the month of December. We start part 1 by looking back at moments 12 through 10.
12. Single-Game Attendance Record Broken Twice
NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD! 🇺🇸
— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) July 5, 2024
On 4th of July in our 30th Anniversary Season, we have officially broken the all-time single game attendance record!
THANK YOU FANS! pic.twitter.com/6IzknDUqNw
The 2024 season saw the completion of the biggest transformation project in the history of Heritage Financial Park, with the new home clubhouse facility and expanded seating project finishing just before the start of the season. In doing so, the park saw its capacity increase and with it two new single-game attendance records. The first, set on Education Day presented by Heritage Financial Credit Union on May 15 against Jersey Shore saw 5,619 fans, mostly school children on field trips and their chaperones, brave the rain and watch the Renegades beat future big leaguer Sam Aldegheri and the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 9-3. A few weeks later on July 4, the record was smashed when 6,176 fans came to see a 6-0 win over the Brooklyn Cyclones on Independence Day.
Throughout the season, crowds at Heritage Financial Park were large and energetic, and the team noticed and commented on how much they fed off that energy. The Renegades went an unbelievable 47-19 (.712) at home in 2024, the best home record in Minor League Baseball on the year and tied for the second-best in MiLB since 2017.
11. Rafael Flores Becomes All-Time Hit King
🌟Player Spotlight🌟
— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) October 23, 2024
This week’s player spotlight is on our guy, Rafael Flores!He was with us until June 26th when he got the call up to Double-A! A standout all season long, Rafa earned himself Yankees MiLB Player of the Year! 🏆
We miss you, Rafa, but we’re your biggest… pic.twitter.com/FEBd7K0dSn
For the second straight season, the Hudson Valley Renegades saw a new record set for the team's all-time hits leader. After Eduardo Torrealba, Aldenis Sanchez, and Spencer Henson all passed former hit king Angel Perez in 2023, Rafael Flores passed the whole group in 2024 to establish himself as the Renegades' all-time hits leader by a mile. His 154 hits with the Gades are 20 more than Torrealba and Sanchez's mark of 134.
Flores collected his 135th hit on June 2 against the Aberdeen IronBirds with a single to right-center off Jackson Baumeister in the bottom of the first inning, his first of two hits on the day. That was part of an 11-game hitting streak for Flores, who hit .285/.403/.466 across 57 games before being promoted to Double-A Somerset in late June. This was part of a breakout season for the 23-year-old catcher, who was an unranked prospect before the season and was just ranked #10 in the Yankees system by Baseball America heading into 2025.
10. Moving On to the Championship Series Once Again
Dominant pitching? ✔️
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 14, 2024
Game-clinching homer? ✔️
Kelly Austin seals the deal for the @HVRenegades, sending them to their second consecutive South Atlantic League Finals.@Yankees | @NYYPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/cZbZtV48VS
For the second straight season, the Renegades were South Atlantic League North Division Champions, this year defeating the Greensboro Grasshoppers two games to one in the best-of-three North Division Series. On Sept. 13, the Renegades beat the Grasshoppers 4-1 in Game 3 at First National Bank Field in Greensboro to clinch the series and play for the league title. After Josh Moylan and Roc Riggio RBIs early in the game, Jackson Castillo cracked a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Gades some breathing room as Kyle Carr and four relief pitchers combined to limit the offensive juggernaut Grasshoppers to one run on four hits. In the four years that the Renegades have played in the High-A East/South Atlantic League, they have won the North Division three times (2021, 2023 and 2024).
Check back next week as we continue our countdown of the top moments of the year!
Spring Breakout: Renegades place 17 alumni on Spring Breakout Rosters
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (March 6, 2025) – Rosters for the 2025 Spring Breakout games were announced by Major League Baseball this morning, and 17 former Hudson Valley Renegades players were named to Spring Breakout Rosters, including placing 14 alumni the New York Yankees Spring Breakout Roster. The Yankees prospect team
Hitting The Books: Renegades launch 'Rascal's Reading Challenge'
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (March 7, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are thrilled to announce during Read Across America Week the establishment of “Rascal’s Reading Challenge,” a new educational program aimed at encouraging students throughout the Hudson Valley to pick up a
Party On: Renegades Fest Returns to Heritage Financial Park on Saturday, March 29
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (March 4, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are thrilled to announce the return of Renegades Fest to Heritage Financial Park on Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This year’s event will be bigger than ever
Shining A Light: Mike Hill, Tyree Hayes and Greg Jones made their mark on the field and off
As part of MLB's The Nine initiative designed to honor and celebrating the historic impact of Black ballplayers, the Hudson Valley Renegades are taking a look back at three notable contributors from throughout the team's 30-year history. The three chosen players come from the first three decades of Renegades baseball,
Break A Leg!: Renegades announce 2025 theme nights and promo schedule featuring original musical
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Feb. 24, 2025) –The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, will make history in 2025 as they become the first team in baseball to stage an original musical which will be performed in between innings. The still to be named Renegades Musical
Fields Of Dreams: Youth Field Betterment Program Applications Now Open
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced today that applications for the Youth Field Betterment Program presented by Heritage Financial Credit Union are now open. Applications will be accepted by the Renegades from Feb. 1 through
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Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Feb. 3, 2025) – In honor of National Golden Retriever Day being celebrated today, the Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are excited to announce an all-new alternate identity for the team to begin play in the 2025 season, the Hudson Valley
Super Cooper: Yankees name James Cooper manager of the Renegades
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Jan. 24, 2025) – The New York Yankees announced their minor league field and support staffs for the 2025 season on Friday. James Cooper will take over as the manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Yankees’ High-A affiliate. Cooper becomes the 20th manager in team history,
Welcome!: Renegades announce Tom Denlinger as new General Manager
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Jan. 17, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, and their ownership group, Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), the club’s owner and operator, announced today that Tom Denlinger will become the eighth General Manager of the Renegades. Denlinger joins the Renegades
Ball Foxes: Heritage Financial Park to host several Marist University baseball games in 2025
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Jan. 10, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, and Marist University Athletics are proud to announce today an agreement for Heritage Financial Park to host eight games during the upcoming NCAA Division I baseball season. The first contest to
Top Of The Heap: Former Renegade Stephen Vogt named 2024 AL Manager of the Year
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Nov. 21, 2024) -- Former Hudson Valley Renegades player Stephen Vogt has been announced as the 2024 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In his first season as a Major League Manager, Vogt led the Cleveland Guardians to a 92-69
How 'Bout Them Apples?: Renegades announce Big Apples alternate identity
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Nov. 15, 2024) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, are pleased to announce the Hudson Valley Big Apples, an all-new alternate identity for the team to begin in the 2025 season. The Big Apples is an identity centered on celebrating
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As we have hit the final month of the 2024 calendar, the time has come for our annual review of the Top 12 moments from the previous Hudson Valley Renegades season. We have already gone through half of the top 12 list, which means we start to hit the home
Renegades hosting Seasonal Staff Job Fair at Heritage Financial Park on February 15
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2025) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, and Professional Sports Catering (PSC) have announced that they will be holding a seasonal job fair at Heritage Financial Park on Saturday, February 15 in anticipation of the 2025 season and
Gades Greatness: Counting down top 12 moments of 2024, #9-7
As we have hit the final month of the 2024 calendar, the time has come for our annual review of the Top 12 moments from the previous Hudson Valley Renegades season. The 2024 season was one of the most-memorable seasons in the 30 years of Renegades baseball, so much so
All Set: Renegades announce 2025 game times and fireworks shows
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Nov. 7, 2024) – The Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced their game start times and fireworks show dates for the 2025 South Atlantic League season today. Following the success of earlier, fan-friendly start times in 2024, the Renegades are
Fall Stars: Martin, Durbin leave their mark on Arizona Fall League
Throughout the fall, former Renegades players have continued playing baseball in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, with Garrett Martin, Antonio Gomez, Jackson Fristoe, Harrison Cohen, Ben Cowles and Caleb Durbin making their names known among some of the top prospects in the sport. The team they played for, the Salt
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Dirtbag. If you were to have 2024 Renegades infielder Roc Riggio describe himself in a word, that would be his choice. Outside of baseball, that might not sound like a compliment, but in baseball it is the ultimate compliment for a player like Riggio. It means you play hard, are
Fast Carr: Kyle Carr navigated ups and downs in first pro season
A version of this article originally ran in the August edition of Renegades Magazine, which can be read in its entirety here. It has been an up-and-down first professional season for Kyle Carr. The Yankees third-round pick in 2023 struggled early in the season to find the form he displayed
Renegades Magazine: Q&A with RHP Trent Sellers
A version of this article originally ran in the August edition of Renegades Magazine, which can be read in its entirety here. This version includes some extra questions not in the original piece. One of the biggest breakout players in the Yankees minor leagues this year was Trent Sellers. In
Reyz of Hope: Eric Reyzelman forged breakout campaign in 2024
A version of this story appeared in the July issue of Renegades Magazine, which can be read here. It has been updated to reflect the end of the season. The baseball journey of Eric Reyzelman has been far from easy. From Tommy John surgery as a teenager to missing nearly
Making Magic: 2024 Renegades season one for the history books
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Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Sept. 25, 2024) – The New York Yankees and the Arizona Fall League today announced that six former Hudson Valley Renegades players and one coach have been selected to participate in the 2024 Arizona Fall League. The six players include RHP Harrison Cohen (2023-24) INF Ben Cowles