Altoona Rail Kings

Defunct MiLB infobox
name = Altoona Rail Kings
firstseason = 1996
lastseason = 1997
allyears =
city = Altoona, Pennsylvania

cap
lastclasslevel = Independent (1996-1997)
pastclasslevel =
lastleague = Heartland League (1997)
conference =
division = Northern Division
pastleague = *North Atlantic Baseball League (1996)
lastmajorleague =
pastmajorleague =
lastnickname = Altoona Rail Kings (1996-1997)
pastnames =
lastballpark = Vets Field (1996-1997)
pastparks =
classchamps =
leaguechamps =
conferencechamps=
divisionchamps =

Altoona Rail Kings were a former Independent baseball team, playing their home games from Vets Field in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The stadium's full name is Veteran's Memorial Field. They played two seasons, 1996 in the North Atlantic Baseball League, and 1997 in the Heartland League. In 1996 the Rail Kings finished 36-42. In 1997, they finished 22-14 in the Northern Division's first half, and 14-22 in the second. They did make the playoffs, losing in two straight games to the Anderson Lawmen.

Players for the initial season included:

Jeff Andrews C Montgomery, AL R/R 5'11" 185 24 Eric Burroughs OF Thomasville, AL L/L 5'10" 165 25 Mike Cacciotti P Altoona, PA L/L 5'11" 190 23 Peter Dallas P Deerfield, IL R/R 6'3" 190 22 Howard Hill OF Saraland, AL L/L 6'4" 212 22 Mark Hilyard P Rahway, NJ R/R 5'11" 178 21 Anthony Iasparro P West Covina, CA R/R 6'3" 230 26 Karun Jackson SS Mobile, AL R/R 5'10" 185 24 Farley Love P Eight Mile, AL R/R 6'6" 215 22 Travis Maxwell 2B Trenton, NJ R/R 5'10" 160 22 Carlos Mirabal P Englewood, NJ R/R 6'1" 180 23 Tim Mitchell 1B Los Angeles, CA L/L 6'2" 230 25 Paul Neatrour OF Johnstown, PA R/R 6'1" 200 21 Manny Perez C North Bergen, NJ R/R 6'1" 210 22 Billy Reed SS Birmingham, AL R/R 5'9" 160 23 Stanley Scales P Talladega, AL R/R 6'1" 195 24 Ray Schmittle P Altoona, PA L/L 5'11" 195 21 Anthony Sharer P Tyrone, PA R/R 6'0" 185 21 John Smith 3B Auburn, NY R/R 6'2" 215 19 Doug Smyly P Miami, FL R/R 6'5" 200 23 Tony Webster 3B/SS/OF Birmingham, AL R/R 6'2" 200 23
Eric Yelding OF Daphne, AL R/R 6'0" 175 31. Former player with the Astros and Cubs. Management included:Owner/President: Eric Reichert General Manager: Mike Richmond Director of Media Relations: Dave Shannon Director of Sales and Marketing: Shawn McIntire Account Executive: Eddie Depp Manager: Tommy Hearn Coach: Michael Richmond

When the Pittsburgh Pirates-affliated AA franchise was awarded to Altoona, the Rail Kings relocated to Huntington, West Virginia for the 1998 season. They retained the Rail King name but redesigned their logo to feature a crowned H rather than an A. The Kings remained in the Heartland League. The Huntington Rail Kings did not finish the 1998 season, closing due to poor attendance. The Altoona Curve arrived in Altoona in 1999. Today, the Rail Kings name lives on at Blair County Ballpark, where the best seats are designated "Rail King." The Rail Kings mascot was R.K. Two other names considered for the team were used later by affiliated teams; Spikes by State College and Curves, used by the current AA team.