Texas League

The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the state of Texas; the five North Division teams are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as Double-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.

Texas League
Classification
  • Double-A (1946–present)
  • Class A1 (1936–1942)
  • Class A (1921–1935)
  • Class B (1911–1920)
  • Class C (1904–1905, 1907–1910)
  • Class D (1902–1903, 1906)
SportBaseball
Founded1902 (1902)
No. of teams10
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Amarillo Sod Poodles (2023)
Most titlesHouston Buffaloes (16)
Official websitewww.milb.com/texas

The Texas League was founded in 1902, although it traces its lineage back to a predecessor founded in 1888.

History

20th century

The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892. It was refounded in 1895 and ran through 1899 (under the name Texas Association in 1895 and Texas-Southern League in 1896).

The Texas League was revived as a Class D league in 1902, moved to Class C in 1904 where it played through 1910 (except for 1906 as Class D again), played at Class B until 1920, and finally moved up to Class A in 1921. The Texas League, like many others, shut down during World War II. From 1959 to 1961, the Texas League and the Mexican League formed the Pan American Association. The two leagues played a limited interlocking schedule and post-season championship. By 1971, the Texas League and the Southern League had both decreased to seven teams. They played an interlocking schedule with the Southern League known as the Dixie Association. The two leagues played separate playoffs. The Texas League has operated its own schedule since 1972.

The term "Texas Leaguer" to describe a bloop hit, a soft fly ball that falls for a hit beyond the infielders' reach but too short for the outfielders to catch, has been extant since at least 1903[1] and was common throughout American baseball in the 20th century and to some degree into the 21st. The source of the idiom is not known but among other theories has been attributed to Ollie Pickering's feat in a Texas League game of April 4, 1901, in which he made seven such hits in succession. Talk of this singular feat is supposed to have spread widely, bringing the term with it.[2]

21st century

Around the advent of the 21st century, the Texas League witnessed a great deal of change. Teams once known as the Jackson Mets, El Paso Diablos, Shreveport Captains, and Wichita Wranglers all relocated to new cities and bigger stadiums.

In 2019, the San Antonio Missions relocated to Amarillo, Texas, becoming the Amarillo Sod Poodles. At the same time, the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) moved to San Antonio to continue on as the Missions at the Triple-A level.[3]

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[4][5] As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Texas League was temporarily renamed to "Double-A Central" for the 2021 season.[6] Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the league switched back to its historical name beginning with the 2022 season.[7]

Current teams

Texas League timeline

League members Dixie Association PCL Other League

  • In 1971, the Southern League and Texas League were each down to seven teams, so they formed the Dixie Association for one season. They played interlocking schedules but held their own separate playoffs.
  • The Wichita Wind Surge were originally slated to begin play in 2020 in the Pacific Coast League as the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. However, the cancellation of the 2020 season and the 2021 realignment of the minor leagues resulted in Wichita dropping to Double-A without playing a Triple-A game.

Complete list of Texas League teams (1902–present)
Main article: List of Texas League teams

Note: • An "^" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of an active team in a different league

League champions and award winners
See also: Baseball awards § Texas League
Main articles: List of Texas League champions, Texas League Most Valuable Player Award, Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award, Texas League Manager of the Year Award, and Texas League Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year Award

Hall of fame
Main article: Texas League Hall of Fame

See also

References

Sources
  • Baseball in the Lone Star State: Texas League's Greatest Hits, Tom Kayser and David King, Trinity University Press 2005

Notes
  1. "Texas leaguer (definition)". Merriam=Webster Dictionary. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. David Courtney (March 2020). "The Texanist: Where Did the Phrase "Texas Leaguer" Come From?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  3. "San Antonio to join PCL beginning in 2019". Pacific Coast League. June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  4. "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  5. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  7. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. "Dickey-Stephens Park". Arkansas Diamonds: The Ballparks of Arkansas and Their History. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  9. Bergeron, Angela (2008). "Feature Story - August 2008". Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  10. Mock, Joe. "Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri". Baseball Parks. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  11. "ONEOK Field". Tulsa Sports Commission. 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  12. Reichard, Kevin (April 10, 2019). "Sod Poodles Launch Crowd-Pleasing Ballpark". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. Goldberg-Strassler, Jesse (November 19, 2012). "Whataburger Field / Corpus Christi Hooks". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  14. Goldberg-Strassler, Jesse (November 14, 2012). "Dr Pepper Ballpark / Frisco RoughRiders". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  15. "Security Bank Ballpark". Stadiums USA. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
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