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Charleston Charlies

The Charleston Charlies were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Charleston, West Virginia from 1971 to 1983. They were a Class AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates for their entire existence. The team played their home games at Watt Powell Park, which had a seating capacity of around 3,500. Over the years, the Charlies fielded several talented players who went on to have successful careers in the Major Leagues, including Willie Stargell, Kent Tekulve, John Candelaria, and Tony Pena. The team was named after Charlie Manson, the notorious cult leader who was in the news at the time of the team's creation. After the Charlies ceased operations in 1983, Charleston was without professional baseball until the arrival of the West Virginia Power in 2005.