BEE-LIEVE IT :
A SEASON FULL OF HIGHLIGHTS FOR
THE SALT LAKE BEES
The Salt Lake Bees completed their 29th season with a 70-79 overall record , finishing 6th out of 10 in the 2023-year end standings . The Bees were a dominant squad when at the friendly confines of Smith ’ s Ballpark , finishing the year with a 45-30 record , just a single win behind the franchise record of 46 home wins in a season .
Manager Keith Johnson returned to the Bees dugout this season after serving as the Bees skipper from 2011-2014 and again from 2016- 2018 . In April , ‘ KJ ’ became the winningest manager in franchise history taking home his 472nd victory on April 6 and went on to become the first manager to eclipse the 500 win mark with the franchise on June 14 . early 1900s . Go Gold Night in 2023 raised over $ 87,000 for pediatric cancer research at Huntsman Cancer Institute . Salt Lake packed the house for an Independence Day game , with 14,354 fans marking the largest crowd in Minor League Baseball on that date . Lastly the team celebrated the 30th anniversary of the locally filmed baseball classic “ The Sandlot ” by welcoming a cast reunion to Smith ’ s Ballpark during the game .
The Bees had plenty of individual accolades to celebrate during the 2023 campaign . A Pacific Coast League best three players were named to the 2023 Postseason All- Star team in infielders Trey Cabbage and Michael Stefanic along with outfielder Jo Adell .
Stefanic won the PCL and Minor League crown batting posting a . 365 average and a franchise record . 463 on base percentage .
Adell was one of the most feared power hitters in the PCL in 2023 , racking up 24 home runs in 74 games with Salt Lake . He set a franchise record with a home run in six consecutive games . He also provided one of the highlights of the season when he hit a 514-foot home run , the longest homer ever tracked at any level of professional baseball during the Statcast era ( 2015-present ).
Other celebrations at the ballpark this season included the first Salt Lake Occidentals tribute game , celebrating the historical All-Black team that represented Salt Lake City in the
The team ’ s annual Go Gold Night raised $ 87,337 for Pediatric Cancer Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute .
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