Asbury Park Sea Urchins

The Asbury Park Sea Urchins were a minor league baseball team based in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1914. The Asbury Park team previously played as members of the 1897 New Jersey State League before the Urchins played a partial season as members of the 1914 Atlantic League.

Asbury Park Sea Urchins
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1897, 1914)
LeagueNew Jersey State League (1897)
Atlantic League (1914)
Major league affiliations
TeamNone
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Team data
NameAsbury Park (1897)
Asbury Park Sea Urchins (1914)
BallparkUnknown (1897, 1914)

History

Minor league baseball play began in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1897, when the Asbury Park team played as members of the 1897 New Jersey State League. The league was a four–team Class D level league. The New Jersey State League was formed with teams in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Bridgeton, New Jersey and Millville, New Jersey joining Asbury Park as charter members.[1][2]

After beginning play on April 14, 1897, the New Jersey State League season ended on June 1, 1897. The player statistics and team standings from the 1897 league are unknown, Asbury Park included.[3] One source lists the teams in the order of: Bridgeton, Millville, Asbury Park and Atlantic City, but without records to align with the order.[1][4][5] The New Jersey State League permanently folded after the 1897 season.[6][2]

Minor league baseball returned in 1914, with Asbury Park gaining a team during the season. The Asbury Park "Sea Urchins" began play after joining the 1914 Atlantic League during the season. The 1914 Atlantic League was an eight–team Class D level minor league baseball league.[7] The league had been known as the New York–New Jersey League a season earlier.[7]: 1  The Atlantic League president was Rosslyn M. Cox,[8] who would later serve as the mayor of Middletown, New York. The league began play on May 20, 1914, and concluded the season with Asbury Park as a member on September 7, 1914.[9][10]

On July 2, 1914, Asbury Park reestablished a team when the Bloomfield–Long Branch Cubans of Bloomfield, New Jersey and Long Branch, New Jersey relocated and finished the season as the Asbury Park "Sea Urchins."[11] Bloomfield–Long Branch was 15–22 when they relocated to Asbury Park.[12] The team ended the season with an overall record of 30–59, finishing 31.0 games behind the first place Poughkeepsie Honey Bugs and in eighth place in the eight–team league. The managers were Andy Coakley and Sam Jaeger. Twin brothers Joe Shannon and Maurice Red Shannon made their professional debuts playing for the Asbury Park Sea Urchins under assumed names (Maurice and Joe O'Brien) in 1914, doing so to protect their college eligibility at Seton Hall College.[13][14] The Poughkeepsie Honey Bugs finished in 1st place with a record of 65–31 and there was no postseason. The Atlantic League had financial difficulties and folded before it could play the 1915 season.[7][15][2][16]

Asbury Park, New Jersey has not hosted another minor league team.[17]

The ballpark

The name and location of the Asbury Park home minor league ballpark in 1897 and 1914 is unknown.[18] The New York Yankees later held spring training in Asbury Park in 1943 en route to winning the 1943 World Series. The Yankees utilized the baseball facilities at Asbury Park High School (seating capacity was 7,500) and stayed at the Albion Hotel in Asbury Park.[19]

Asbury Park beach, early twentieth century

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeague
18971Asbury ParkClass DNew Jersey State League
19141Asbury Park Sea UrchinsAtlantic League

Year–by–year record
YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs/Notes
189700–003rd*NAleague records unknown
191430–598thAndy Coakley / Sam JaegerBloomfield–Long Branch moved to Asbury Park July 2
15–27 record in Asbury Park

Notable alumni

See also
  • Asbury Park Sea Urchins players

References
  1. "1897 New Jersey State League (NJSL) minor league baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  3. "1897 New Jersey State League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "1897 New Jersey State League (NJSL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "1897 New Jersey State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. "New Jersey State League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. Pawlush, George G. (2001). "The Rise and Fall of the 1914 Atlantic League" (PDF) – via SABR.
  8. "Name Changed to Atlantic League". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. March 16, 1914. p. 12. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  9. "Mayors of the City of Middletown Past to Present". City of Middletown. Retrieved July 14, 2019 – via middletown-ny.com.
  10. "1914 Atlantic League (AL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1914 Bloomfield-Long Branch Cubans/Asbury Park Sea Urch Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "1914 Bloomfield-Long Branch Cubans/Asbury Park Sea Urchins minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "Joe Shannon – Society for American Baseball Research".
  14. "Red Shannon – Society for American Baseball Research".
  15. "1914 Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  16. "Asbury Park Sea Urchins Professional Baseball Team History". www.luckyshow.org.
  17. "Asbury Park, New Jersey Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. "Unknown in Asbury Park, NJ minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  19. "Yankees Magazine: Greetings from Asbury Park". MLB.com.
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