Louisville Bats

The Louisville Bats are the Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A affiliate, playing in a city with one of the richest baseball traditions in America. Louisville has been home to professional baseball since the 1870s, and the Bats carry that legacy forward at Louisville Slugger Field, a downtown ballpark that opened in 2000 and sits just blocks from the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.

The franchise began play in 1982 as the Louisville Redbirds, serving as the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in the American Association. The Cardinals moved their affiliation to Memphis after the 1997 season, and Louisville briefly partnered with the Milwaukee Brewers before beginning its long-running relationship with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000 — the same year the team rebranded as the Bats and moved into Louisville Slugger Field.

Manager Pat Kelly returns for his seventh season at the helm in 2026, having become one of the most accomplished managers in all of minor league baseball. Kelly became just the seventh manager in MiLB history to win 2,000 games and was honored with the Mike Coolbaugh Award for his contributions to the sport. His steady presence has provided continuity for the Reds' development pipeline.

In December 2023, Diamond Baseball Holdings acquired the franchise, bringing corporate-scale resources while retaining the existing local leadership under team president Greg Galiette. The Bats continue to serve as the final proving ground for Cincinnati's top prospects in a city that lives and breathes baseball.