Connecticut Defenders

The Connecticut Defenders are a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club. The Defenders play in Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium, located in Norwich; opened in 1995, it seats 6,275 fans. The Defenders were known as the Norwich Navigators from 1995 until October 2005. Prior to the 2003 season, the Navigators were an affiliate of the New York Yankees.

The Defenders are currently managed by Bien Figueroa, who was announced as the team's new skipper on January 11, 2008.[1] Figueroa was most recently the bench coach for one of the Defenders' rivals, the Bowie Baysox.

The Defenders were scheduled to host the Eastern League All-Star Game at Dodd Stadium on July 11, 2007, but the game was ultimately canceled due to fog. The fan activities and home run derby went on as scheduled, with over 6500 fans attending events throughout the day.