Origin of Minor League team names: W

Too bad. This is the last contribution to this thread. After the W, there are no clubs with X, Y or Z available.

I hope you liked it. It was a fun job to gather all the information.

West Michigan White Caps:
West Michigan Baseball, Inc. (as the fledgling team was then called) ran a lengthy Name The Team Contest to allow the West Michigan public to cast their vote on a name for the team. The contest, in which 1,800 fans entered, concluded on September 26, 1993, when Chamberlin and Baxter selected the name Whitecaps. Twenty-two fans chose the name Whitecaps, and Brian Glass of Rockford was chosen the winner based on how well the name ties the team to the area, the originality of the name and the creativity of the explanation.
His winning entry read: “…Historically, there have been major league teams nicknamed after their attire (i.e. White Sox, Red Sox, Redlegs). So, the West Michigan Whitecaps has some connection with baseball tradition.
“The moniker is also relevant in geographic sense since Grand Rapids is situated next to the Grand River and east of Lake Michigan. ‘Whitecapping’ is a common occurrence on the river and lake due to turbulent or rough wind and water conditions…Besides, giving the team the moniker gives fans performing the ‘Wave’ more meaning.”

West Virginia Power:
Minor League baseball in Charleston (West Virginia) has some deep roots, going back to 1910.
Several teams have played in Charleston. The Statesmen, the Senators, the Indians, the Charlies (hey Vertigo O). The latter team left Charleston after the 1983 season leaving a void that would be filled in 1987 by the current franchise, then named the Charleston Wheelers. After a name change in 1995 into Alley Cats, the team adopted it’s current moniker in 2005. To quote the team’s announcement following their decision to change the team name:
“West Virginia is and will continue to be recognized as one of the leading energy providers for the country. The energy production from coal, natural gas, and hydro-electric sources, combined with the fact that Charleston serves as the center for the state’s political and economic powers led us to the name of the team. We felt it was extremely important that the name reflect the entire region and are excited about the tremendous marketing opportunities that will go along with the name.”

Williamsport Crosscutters:
The Geneva Cubs moved to Williamsport in 1994, becoming the Williamsport Cubs. After an affiliation change to the Pirates in 1999, the club was named Crosscutters. The name “Crosscutters” reflects the logging heritage of Williamsport, once known as the “Lumber Capital of the World.” The city, historically having the largest amount of millionaires per capita, is on the West Branch Susquehanna River, and logging barons once lived in mansions along Fourth Street, which became known as “Millionaires’ Row”. To this day, sports teams at Williamsport Area High School are known as the Millionaires.

Wilmington Blue Rocks:
In 1940, R.R.M. (Bob) Carpenter brought professional baseball back to the city with the original Wilmington Blue Rocks. The team was a Class B Interstate League affiliate of the Philadelphia A’s. Hall-of-Famer Connie Mack owned the Blue Rocks for their first four years of existence. Another Hall-of-Famer, Chief Bender, served as the Blue Rocks first manager.
In 1943, Carpenter, who was a partner with Mack since the Blue Rocks’ inception, took full ownership of the club. For their final nine years, the original Blue Rocks were a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate.
The nickname “Blue Rocks” came from 73-year-old Robert Miller in a name-the-team contest. Miller lived in the Henry Clay section of the city, famed for its blue granite found along the Brandywine River.
The Blue Rocks played in Wilmington Park, a $185,000 facility at 30th Street and Governor Printz Boulevard. At the time, it was considered one of the finest minor league parks in the country.
In Wilmington’s 13 years in the Interstate League, the Blue Rocks won four Governor’s Cup titles and missed the postseason only twice. Pitchers Robin Roberts and Curt Simmons and outfielder Elmer Valo were some of the notables who played for the Blue Rocks before going to the major leagues.
After setting many records for attendance, the Blue Rocks’ fan support dwindled and 1952 was their final season in the Interstate League.
In 1993, the Blue Rocks returned to professional baseball as the Class-A Carolina League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The franchise, formerly known as the Peninsula Pilots, was moved from Hampton, VA and adopted the name of the original Blue Rocks.

Winston-Salem Dash:
Organized baseball in Winston-Salem can be traced back to 1905.
The current franchise dates to 1945, and was originally known as the Cardinals. Previous baseball clubs in Winston-Salem had typically been called the “Twins”, in reference to the long-since-merged “Twin Cities” of Winston and Salem since 1905. Prior to the Carolina League years, the Twins played in the Virginia-North Carolina League in 1905, the Carolina Baseball Association from 1908 to 1917 and the Piedmont League from 1920 to 1933 and again from 1937 to 1942.
On December 4, 2008, the team publicly announced that they would be called the Winston-Salem Dash from 2009 onward. The Dash name is rumored to be attributed a nickname for the city of Winston-Salem, “The Dash,” a reference to the dash (-) symbol used in the middle of the city’s name, despite the fact that it is actually a hyphen.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers:
The team began play as the Appleton Foxes in the Three-I League in 1958, five years after Appleton’s previous minor league franchise, the Papermakers, folded along with the rest of the Wisconsin State League. The Foxes joined the Midwest League in 1962 after the Three-I League disbanded, and continue to play in the MWL to this day.
The Foxes played at Appleton’s Goodland Field until moving to their current home at Fox Cities Stadium, a larger, more modern ballpark in neighboring Grand Chute. During the construction, a local marketing firm was enlisted to help develop a new identity for the team. Several names were considered, and a survey was done of area school kids to determine popularity. The result, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, had a broader appeal and an updated image. The new logo shot to #1 overnight, and Rattlers caps are still among the most popular nationally. The franchise set its all-time attendance record of 253,240 in 2009, the first year of their affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers, a deal that runs through at least 2012.
The Timber Rattlers are a non-stock club governed by Appleton Baseball Club, Inc., which is community-owned. Appleton Baseball Club has a 12-person board of directors. It has 168 active shareholders and 347 shares as of September 2008.