Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

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|divnum = 12

|divisionchamps =

|wildcardnum = 4

|wildcardberths =

|firsthalfnum = 11

|firsthalfchamps =

|secondhalfnum = 10

|secondhalfchamps=

|nickname = Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (1995–present)

|pastnames =

|colors = Burgundy, tan, black, silver, white

|mascots = Fang and Whiffer

|ballpark = Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium (1995–present)

|pastparks = Goodland Field (1958–1994)

|owner = Diamond Baseball Holdings

|president = Rob Zerjav

|gm = Rob Zerjav The city was home to a new Papermakers team in the Wisconsin–Illinois League from 1909 to 1914. Their home ballpark was Goodland Field in Appleton. This team was owned and operated by Appleton Baseball Club, Inc., a non-stock and nonprofit organization. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, this entity continued to own and operate the franchise through 2020.

The Foxes played their inaugural game on the road against the Davenport DavSox on April 27, 1958, a 9–2 victory. Their first home game, a 6–0 win over the Cedar Rapids Braves, was played on May 3. The Senators affiliation ended after two seasons with the Foxes having a 115–140 record over that period. they won the Three–I League championship pennant with a league-best 82–56 record in their first season with the Orioles. Third baseman Pete Ward was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player, and first baseman Boog Powell won the Rookie of the Year Award. The team also included pitcher Pat Gillick, The Three–I League suspended operations after the 1961 season, hoping to resume in 1963.

As a result, Fox Cities joined the Class D Midwest League (MWL) for 1962. The MWL was reclassified as a Class A league in 1963. The Foxes won the game, giving them their first Midwest League championship. In 1967, then known as the Appleton Foxes, Two years later, Tom Saffell's Foxes won both halves of the 1969 season and were named league champions without any playoffs being held. Saffell was selected for the league's Manager of the Year Award. Fellow Hall of Famer Harold Baines began his career with the Foxes in 1977. The 1978 team, under the management of Gordon Lund, set a franchise record with their 97–40 season. Lund won the season's Manager of the Year Award,

From 1982 to 1984, the Foxes won three consecutive Midwest League championships. Clinching a wild card berth in 1982, Appleton won the semifinals against the Springfield Cardinals, 2–0, then claimed the league title over the Madison Muskies, 2–1, under manager Adrian Garrett. The 1983 Northern Division champions, then led by John Boles, won the semifinals versus Waterloo, 2–1, then won a second consecutive championship against Springfield, 3–1. Sal Rende's 1984 Foxes completed the back-to-back-to-back feat by winning the division, defeating Madison, 2–1, in the semifinals, and again taking the championship from Springfield in a full five-game series. The 1986 Foxes won another division title, but were kept from winning a fourth consecutive championship with elimination in the semifinals.

The White Sox affiliation ended after the 1986 season. Spanning 21 years, this was the longest affiliation in the minor league team's history. Tom Poquette, manager of the 1992 team, won the Manager of the Year Award. The 8–1 loss to the South Bend Silver Hawks was attended by a season-high 3,492 people. Also in 1995, after 37 seasons as the Foxes, the team rebranded as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. This change was made to increase their regional appeal outside the Fox Cities and to boost merchandise sales. "Timber Rattlers" was chosen by area school children who selected it from among three possible monikers along with several logos for each. The team's scheduled April 5, 1995, home opener at their new facility was postponed due to snow and rescheduled for the next afternoon as a doubleheader. The Timber Rattlers won both games, defeating the West Michigan Whitecaps, 3–1 and 8–6, before an audience of 1,937 people.

In 1994, shortstop Alex Rodriguez was selected as the league's Prospect of the Year after hitting for a .319 batting average with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in just 65 games. Wisconsin failed to reach the postseason in their first three seasons with Seattle. As first-half winners in 1996, they won the Central Division title versus the Peoria Chiefs, 2–1, and then beat the Quad Cities River Bandits, 2–1, to advance to the championship round, but they were defeated by West Michigan, 3–1. The 1997 and 1998 teams repeated as first half champions, but were each eliminated in the divisional rounds. In 1999, the Timber Rattlers qualified for the postseason with a second half title, won the Central Division over the Rockford Reds, 2–0, advanced through the semifinals over the Lansing Lugnuts, 2–0, but again lost the championship to Burlington, 3–2. The team won second half titles and the quarterfinals in the next two seasons but were unable to win in the divisional rounds, and the 2003 first-half winners did not make it past the quarterfinals. In 2005, Wisconsin won both halves, the quarterfinals over the Beloit Snappers, 2–1, and the Western Division title against the Clinton LumberKings, 2–0, but failed to win the league championship as they were defeated by South Bend, 3–2.

The Mariners affiliation ended after the 2008 season without any further postseason appearances. Over the 16-year relationship, Wisconsin had a 1,077–1,124 record. Wisconsin qualified for the postseason in 2012 after a six-year absence from the playoffs. Having won the first half, they won the quarterfinals over Burlington, 2–1, and the Western Division title versus Clinton, 2–0. They ended the postseason by winning their ninth Midwest League championship over Fort Wayne, 3–1. Their most recent postseason appearances came in 2014 and 2016 via second half titles, but the Timber Rattlers were eliminated in each quarterfinal round.

Following the 2020 season, Appleton Baseball Club, Inc, sold the team to Third Base Ventures, LLC, a group consisting of principal owner Craig Dickman and minority owners team president Rob Zerjav and Brad Raaths. Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball before the 2021 season in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. As a result, the Midwest League disbanded and the Timber Rattlers were elevated to the High-A classification and placed in the High-A Central, where they continued their affiliation with Milwaukee. Wisconsin began competition in the new league on May 4 with a 2–1 victory over the Beloit Snappers at Fox Cities Stadium. They ended the season in third place in the West Division with a 59–60 record. In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. Wisconsin placed second in both halves of the split-season, missing out on qualifying for the postseason. Their season record was 69–60. The Timber Rattlers won the first-half of the 2024 season with a record of 42–44, clinching a spot in the playoffs. They won the Western Division title over the Quad Cities River Bandits, 2–0, but were defeated in the championship series by the Lake County Captains, 2–1. Wisconsin posted a season record of 77–54. Victor Estevez won the Midwest League Manager of the Year Award.

In April 2025, Third Base Ventures, LLC, sold the Timber Rattlers and their ballpark to Diamond Baseball Holdings, an organization that owns and operates other affiliated minor league teams across the country.

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1959

| IIIL

| 59–67

| .468

| Washington Senators

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1960

| IIIL

| 82–56

| .594

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won IIIL championship

| Baltimore Orioles

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1962

| MWL

| 61–63

| .492

| Baltimore Orioles

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1963

| MWL

| 55–65

| .458

| Baltimore Orioles

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1964 ^

| MWL

| 81–43

| .653

| 1–0

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won second-half title Won MWL championship vs. Clinton C-Sox, 1–0

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1965

| MWL

| 55–63

| .466

| Baltimore Orioles

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1966 ^

| MWL

| 77–47

| .621

| 2–0

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won first-half title

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1967 ^

| MWL

| 71–46

| .607

| 2–0

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won second-half title

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1968

| MWL

| 57–61

| .483

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1969

| MWL

| 84–41

| .672

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won first and second-half titles Won MWL championship

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1970

| MWL

| 64–60

| .516

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1971 ^ *

| MWL

| 79–44

| .642

| 1–2

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won First and Second-Half Northern Division titles Won Northern Division title Lost MWL championship vs. Quad Cities Angels, 2–1

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1972 ^ *

| MWL

| 76–51

| .598

| 1–2

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won Second-Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs. Wisconsin Rapids Twins, 1–0 Lost MWL championship vs. Danville Warriors, 2–0

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1973

| MWL

| 44–76

| .367

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1974 ^ *

| MWL

| 73–50

| .593

| 3–2

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won Second-Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs. Wisconsin Rapids Twins, 2–0 Lost MWL championship vs. Danville Warriors, 2–1

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1975

| MWL

| 50–77

| .394

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1976

| MWL

| 56–74

| .431

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1977

| MWL

| 54–84

| .391

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1978 ^ *

| MWL

| 97–40

| .708

| 4–1

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won First-Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs. Waterloo Indians, 2–0 Won MWL championship vs. Burlington Bees, 2–1

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1979

| MWL

| 63–72

| .467

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1980

| MWL

| 76–63

| .547

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1981

| MWL

| 54–80

| .403

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1982 ^ *

| MWL

| 81–59

| .579

| 4–1

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won wild card berth Won semifinals vs. Springfield Cardinals, 2–0 Won MWL championship vs. Madison Muskies, 2–1

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1983 *

| MWL

| 87–50

| .635

| 5–2

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won Northern Division title Won semifinals vs. Waterloo Indians, 2–1

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|1984 *

| MWL

| 87–49

| .640

| 5–3

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won Northern Division title Won semifinals vs. Madison Muskies, 2–1 Won MWL championship vs. Springfield Cardinals, 3–2

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1985 *

| MWL

| 85–54

| .612

| 1–2

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won Northern Division title Lost semifinals vs. Kenosha Twins, 2–1

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1986

| MWL

| 56–83

| .403

| Chicago White Sox

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1987

| MWL

| 71–69

| .507

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1988

| MWL

| 58–82

| .414

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1989

| MWL

| 67–68

| .496

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1990

| MWL

| 62–71

| .466

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1991

| MWL

| 58–81

| .417

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|1992 ^

| MWL

| 70–62

| .530

| 1–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won First-Half Northern Division title Lost Northern Division title vs. Beloit Brewers, 2–1

| Kansas City Royals

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1993

| MWL

| 62–73

| .459

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1994

| MWL

| 75–64

| .540

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|1995

| MWL

| 63–75

| .457

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1996 ^ *

| MWL

| 77–58

| .570

| 5–5

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won First-Half Central Division title Won Central Division title vs. Peoria Chiefs, 2–1 Won semifinals vs. Quad Cities River Bandits, 2–1 Lost MWL championship vs. West Michigan Whitecaps, 3–1

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|1997 ^

| MWL

| 76–63

| .547

| 0–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won First-Half Central Division title Lost Central Division title vs. Kane County Cougars, 2–0

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|1998 ^

| MWL

| 72–65

| .526

| 1–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won First-Half Central Division title Lost Central Division title vs. Rockford Cubbies, 2–1

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|1999 ^ *

| MWL

| 72–66

| .522

| 6–3

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won Second-Half Central Division title Won Central Division title vs. Rockford Reds, 2–0 Won semifinals vs. Lansing Lugnuts, 2–0 Lost MWL championship vs. Burlington Bees, 3–2

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|2000 ^

| MWL

| 78–60

| .565

| 3–3

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won Second-Half Western Division title Won quarterfinals vs. Kane County Cougars, 2–1 Lost Western Division title vs. Beloit Snappers, 2–1

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|2001 ^

| MWL

| 84–52

| .618

| 2–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won Second-Half Western Division title Won quarterfinals vs. Quad Cities River Bandits, 2–0 Lost Western Division title vs. Kane County Cougars, 2–0

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2002

| MWL

| 53–86

| .381

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|2003 ^

| MWL

| 69–66

| .511

| 0–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won First-Half Western Division wild card berth Lost quarterfinals vs. Beloit Snappers, 2–0

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2004

| MWL

| 57–82

| .410

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|2005 ^ *

| MWL

| 76–63

| .547

| 6–4

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won First and Second-Half Western Division title Won quarterfinals vs. Beloit Snappers, 2–1 Won Western Division title vs. Clinton LumberKings, 2–0 Lost MWL championship vs. South Bend Silver Hawks, 3–2

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2006

| MWL

| 54–86

| .386

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2007

| MWL

| 53–85

| .384

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2008

| MWL

| 56–80

| .412

| Seattle Mariners

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2009

| MWL

| 58–81

| .417

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2010

| MWL

| 58–80

| .420

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2011

| MWL

| 67–72

| .482

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#FFE6BD"|2012 ^ *

| MWL

| 78–61

| .561

| 7–2

| bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Won First-Half Western Division title

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|2014 ^

| MWL

| 72–67

| .518

| 0–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won Second-Half Western Division wild card berth Lost quarterfinals vs. Kane County Cougars, 2–0

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2015

| MWL

| 50–89

| .360

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#D0E7FF"|2016 ^

| MWL

| 71–69

| .507

| 0–2

| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won Second-Half Western Division wild card berth Lost quarterfinals vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels, 2–0

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2017

| MWL

| 59–79

| .428

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2018

| MWL

| 68–71

| .489

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2019

| MWL

| 69–70

| .496

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 2020

| MWL

| colspan="8"|Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2021

| A+C

| 59–60

| .496

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|2023

| MWL

| 62–68

| .477

| Milwaukee Brewers

!scope="row" style="text-align:center; background:#DDFFDD"|2024 ^ *

| MWL

| 77–54

| .588

| 3–2

| bgcolor="#DDFFDD"|Won First-Half Western Division title

|- class="sortbottom"

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Totals

! —

! 4,482–4,442

! —

! 63–48

! —

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"

|+ Franchise totals by affiliation

! rowspan="2" scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Affiliation

! colspan="2" scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Regular season

! colspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Postseason

! colspan="2" scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Composite

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Record

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Win %

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Record

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Win %

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Record

! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Win %

!scope="row"| Washington Senators (1958–1959)

| 115–140 || .451 || 0 || || || 115–140 || .451

!scope="row"| Baltimore Orioles (1960–1965)

| 401–352 || .533 || 1 || || || 402–352 || .533

!scope="row"| Chicago White Sox (1966–1986)

| 1,471–1,261 || .538 || 11 || || || 1,499–1,276 || .540

!scope="row"| Kansas City Royals (1987–1992)

| 386–433 || .471 || 1 || || || 387–435 || .471

!scope="row"| Seattle Mariners (1993–2008)

| 1,077–1,124 || .489 || 8 || || || 1,100–1,147 || .490

!scope="row"| Milwaukee Brewers (2009–present)

| 1,032–1,131 || || 4 || || || 1,042–1,139 ||

!scope="row"| All-time

! 4,482–4,442 !! !! 25 !! 63–48 !! !! 4,545–4,490 !!

Radio and television

All home and road games are broadcast on WNAM 1280 AM. Live audio broadcasts are also available online through the team's website and the MiLB First Pitch app. Select home games are televised on WCWF CW 14 in Green Bay/Appleton, and on WVTV-DT2 My 24 in Milwaukee. Fang is joined by Whiffer, a secondary mascot whose appearance resembles that of the Phillie Phanatic with teal fur and green face and hands.

Prior to Fang and the 1995 rebrand, Appleton's mascot was Freddy Fox, an anthropomorphic fox who wore the team's jersey and cap. Circa 1980, the mascot was Homer Run, who was human in appearance and wore the same style uniform as the Foxes.

Roster

Achievements

Awards

Four players and seven managers have won league awards in recognition for their performance with the Foxes/Timber Rattlers.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Three–I League awards

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20" width="130px"|Award

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20" width="90px"|Recipient

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|Season

!class="unsortable" scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#860038 5px solid; border-bottom:#c49d6f 5px solid; color:#231f20"|

|Most Valuable Player