Central Kansas League
The Central Kansas League was a Class D level baseball league established in 1908, playing through 1912. Member teams were based exclusively in Kansas. The Central Kansas League evolved from and into the Kansas State League.[1]
| Formerly | Kansas State League |
|---|---|
| Classification | Class D (1908–1912) |
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Inaugural season | 1908 |
| Ceased | 1912 |
| Replaced by | Kansas State League |
| President | Ralph W. Hoffman (1909–1910) H. Cramer(1910) C.A. Case (1911) Roy C. Gafford (1911–1912) |
| No. of teams | 15 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 2 Ellsworth Blues (1909–1910) |
History
The original Kansas State League ceased independent operations in 1911, combined with the Central Kansas League. After five seasons of play, the Central Kansas League subsequently changed its name to back to the Kansas State League for the 1913 and 1914 seasons before disestablishing. The league champions in 1909 and 1910 were the Ellsworth Blues.[2][3]
There is an ongoing debate about whether former US President Dwight Eisenhower played professional baseball in 1911 for the Junction City Soldiers prior to attending West Point.
Cities represented
This is a complete list of the teams which played under the Central Kansas League.[4]
- Abilene, KS: Abilene Red Sox 1909; Abilene Reds 1910
- Beloit, KS: Beloit 1909–1910
- Chapman, KS: Chapman 1910
- Clay Center, KS: Clay Center Cubs 1909–1911
- Concordia, KS: Concordia Travelers 1910–1911
- Ellsworth, KS: Ellsworth Worthies 1908–1910
- Great Bend, KS: Great Bend Millers 1912
- Junction City, KS: Junction City Soldiers 1909–1912
- Little River, KS: Little River 1908
- Lyons, KS: Lyons Lions 1912
- Manhattan, KS: Manhattan Maroons 1909–1911; Manhattan Giants 1912
- McPherson, KS: McPherson Merry Macks 1908
- Minneapolis, KS: Minneapolis Minnies 1908–1909, 1912
- Newton, KS: Newton Browns 1908; Newton Railroaders 1912
- Salina, KS: Salina Trade Winners 1908–1910; Salina Insurgents 1912
Standings & statistics
1908 Central Kansas League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis Minnies | 31 | 19 | .620 | - | Ben Young |
| Newton Browns | 25 | 22 | .532 | 4.5 | Carl Becker |
| Ellsworth Blues | 25 | 22 | .532 | 4.5 | F.S. Foster |
| Salina Trade Winners | 24 | 23 | .511 | 5.5 | Frank Everhart |
| McPherson Merry Macks | 20 | 27 | .426 | 9.5 | Davis |
| Little River | 18 | 30 | .375 | 12.0 | G.W. Hamilton / I.C. Meyer |
1909 Central Kansas League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth Blues | 44 | 23 | .657 | - | George Seigle |
| Salina Trade Winners | 40 | 28 | .588 | 4.5 | Ernie Quigley |
| Abilene Red Sox | 37 | 30 | .552 | 7.0 | F.D. Parent / Affie Wilson |
| Minneapolis Minnies | 36 | 32 | .529 | 8.5 | Roy Gafford / Harry Short |
| Junction City Soldiers | 34 | 32 | .515 | 9.5 | Lewis Armstrong / Tom Campbell |
| Beloit | 33 | 36 | .478 | 12.0 | Hi Ebright |
| Clay Center Cubs | 32 | 37 | .464 | 13.0 | Lee Gramley |
| Manhattan Maroons | 16 | 54 | .229 | 29.5 | Earle Bryant / Murphy |
No Playoffs held
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Campbell | Junction City | BA | .335 | Ora Williams | Abilene | W | 19 | |
| James Whalen | Junction City | Runs | 49 | Ora Williams | Abilene | SO | 178 | |
| Claude Jennings | Minneapolis | Hits | 72 | Ora Williams | Abilene | Pct | .826; 19-4 |
1910 Central Kansas League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth Blues | 53 | 28 | .654 | - | Dick Ford |
| Clay Center Cubs | 48 | 33 | .593 | 5.0 | Lee Gramley |
| Abilene Reds | 44 | 33 | .571 | 7.0 | Affie Wilson |
| Salina Trade Winners | 44 | 34 | .564 | 7.5 | Elmer Meredith |
| Concordia Travelers | 43 | 38 | .531 | 10.0 | Harry Short |
| Manhattan Maroons | 35 | 43 | .449 | 16.5 | Jim Gardiner |
| Junction City Soldiers | 34 | 48 | .415 | 19.5 | Ernie Quigley / Thomas Dugan / Cecil Bankhead |
| Beloit / Chapman | 18 | 62 | .225 | 34.5 | Ben Dimond / Jim Green |
Beloit moved to Chapman July 20.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.B. Conley | Abilene | BA | .348 | Paul Stokesberry | Clay Center | W | 19 | |
| Walter Wentz | Clay Center | Runs | 53 | Otis Peebles | Ellsworth | Pct | .769; 10-3 | |
| Mugsy Monroe | Abiline | Hits | 110 |
1911 Central Kansas League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Travelers | 44 | 27 | .620 | - | Harry Short / Roy Gafford |
| Junction City Soldiers | 40 | 31 | .563 | 4.0 | Cecil Bankhead |
| Clay Center Cubs | 33 | 38 | .465 | 11.0 | Lee Gramley |
| Manhattan Maroons | 25 | 46 | .352 | 19.0 | Dee Poindexter |
The league disbanded July 21.
Playoff: Concordia 4 games, Junction City 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Britton | Clay Center | BA | .347 | G.H. Jepson | Junction City | W | 21 | |
| Claude Jennings | Clay Center | Runs | 53 | G.H. Jepson | Junction City | Pct | .724; 21-8 | |
| Gilbert Britton | Clay Center | Hits | 90 | |||||
| Claude Jennings | Clay Center | SB | 30 |
1912 Central Kansas League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bend Millers | 54 | 36 | .600 | - | Affie Wilson |
| Manhattan Giants | 52 | 38 | .578 | 2.0 | Robert Kahl / Fred Moore / Nick Kohl |
| Newton Railroaders/ Minneapolis Minnies | 50 | 40 | .555 | 4.0 | A. Stillwell |
| Junction City Soldiers | 47 | 43 | .522 | 7.0 | Cecil Bankhead |
| Lyons Lions | 36 | 54 | .400 | 18.0 | Fred Wilson |
| Salina Insurgents | 31 | 59 | .344 | 23.0 | Bert Lamb |
Newton moved to Minneapolis July 12.
No Playoffs held
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muggsy Monroe | Newt/Minn | BA | .352 | Fred Hagg | Manhattan | W | 18 | |
| Burnham Smith | Manhattan | Runs | 88 | Elmer Brown | Great Bend | W | 18 | |
| Muggsy Monroe | Newt/Minn | Hits | 118 | Fred Hagg | Manhattan | Pct | .750; 18-6 |
Notable players
- Fred Blanding (played under a pseudonym)[5]
- Harry Chapman[6]
- John Misse[7]
- Ross Reynolds[8]
- Harry Short[9]
- Chick Smith[10]
References
- Reichard, Kevin (November 4, 2008). "Central Kansas League / Kansas State League". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- "1911 Central Kansas League". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- Worth, Richard (February 27, 2013). Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869-2011. McFarland. p. 82. ISBN 9780786468447.
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- "Fred Blanding Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com.
- "Harry Chapman Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- "John Misse Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- "Ross Reynolds Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- staff (June 17, 1910). "Base Ball Notes". The Beloit Daily Caller. p. 4.
- "Chick Smith Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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