Defunct Minor League Baseball Teams Pins and Buttons
Description: Minor league baseball teams were based in Leavenworth, Kansas in various seasons between 1886 and 1949. Leavenworth teams played as members of the Western League (1886–1888), Kansas State League (1895), Missouri Valley League (1903–1904) and Western Association (1905–1907, 1946–1949). Leavenworth played in the 1907 Western Association as the Leavenworth Convicts. The moniker corresponds to Leavenworth being home of the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, which opened in 1903. The 1907 Leavenworth Convicts finished 29–108, placing a distant eighth in the Western Association, 71.0 games out of first place. The team folded following the 1907 season.
Description: The Miami Beach Flamingos were a professional minor league baseball team based in Miami Beach, Florida periodically from 1940 until 1954. The team played its home games at Flamingo Field and was a member of the Class D Florida East Coast League as the Miami Beach Tigers in 1940. The following season they changed their nickname to the Flamingos and won the league's championship. The FECL the then folded in May 1942 due to World War II. After the War, the Flamingos joined the new Class C Florida International League in 1946. The league became Class-B in 1949. The Flamingos played the 1952 season, sat-out 1953, and rejoined in 1954 only to move across Biscayne Bay and relocate to Miami as the Miami Beach Flamingos/Greater Miami Flamingos.
Description: The Giants began as the second baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie. The Gothams, as the Giants were originally known, entered the National League seven years after its 1876 formation, in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans played in the rival American Association. Nearly half of the original Gothams players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans in upstate New York, whose place in the National League the Gothams inherited. While the Metropolitans were initially the more successful club, after they won the 1884 AA championship, Day and Mutrie began moving star players to the NL Gothams, whose fortunes improved while the Metropolitans' afterwards slumped.
Description: The Idaho Falls Spuds were the first minor league baseball team based in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Playing from 1926 to 1928, the Spuds played as members of the Class C level Utah-Idaho League, winning league championships in 1926 and 1927 and hosting home games at Highland Park. The Idaho Falls Spuds were followed by the Idaho Falls Russets, who joined the Pioneer League in 1940. Today, the Idaho Falls Chukars franchise continues play in the Pioneer League.
Description: The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987. Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played their home games at Honolulu Stadium, Aloha Stadium and Les Murakami Stadium. After being one of the most successful minor league teams, the Islanders faltered and ultimately moved to the mainland as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 1988.
Description: The Peoria Distillers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1917. They played in the Western Association from 1894 to 1896; the Central League in 1900, 1904 and 1917; the Western League from 1902 to 1903; and the Three-I League from 1905 to 1917. Under managers David Drohan and Charley Stis, they won their first League Championship in 1911. In 1916, they won their second and final League Championship under the guidance of William Jackson.
Description: The Cairo Egyptians were a minor league baseball team from Cairo, Illinois, that played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) on and off from 1903 to 1950 and in the Central League in 1897. On February 7, 1897, the Cairo Egyptians, based in Cairo, Illinois, were formed as a charter member of the Class C Central League. Joining the Egyptions in the six-team league were the Evansville Brewers, Nashville Centennials, Paducah Little Colonels, Terre Haute Hottentots, and Washington Browns.Cairo's uniforms were gray and black. Severe financial problems throughout the circuit forced the league to disband on July 20. As of July 19, the final day of play, the Egyptians were in sixth place with a 30–39 record.
Description: The Gary Sand Fleas were a minor league baseball team based in Gary, Indiana. In 1910, the Gary Sand Fleas were charter members of the Class D level Indiana-Michigan League and folded during the league's only season of play. Gary hosted home minor league games at Knerfs Park.
Gary Indiana Sand Fleas Baseball Pin
by MindsparkCreative
$2.75 $3.25
Description: The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in 1991 and 1993. They were affiliated with several Major League Baseball teams over the years, most notably with the Houston Astros.
Description: There have been three Minor League Baseball clubs named Alacranes de Durango (Durango Scorpions) in Mexican Baseball History. In all its incarnations, the Alacranes have represented the city of Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. Since classification of the minor leagues began, they have been labeled as classes C, A and AAA in a span of 12 seasons from 1956 to 1979. The name is traditional for all sports teams from Durango, as its association football club is also called the Alacranes. Besides, Durango is known nationally and even internationally as the Land of the Scorpions (Tierra de los Alacranes), due to abundant species of scorpions on its territory, especially in the colonial areas.
Description: The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current edition of the Barons was previously located in Montgomery, Alabama, and known as the Montgomery Rebels.
Description: The Oil City Cubs were a minor league baseball team based in Oil City, Pennsylvania. From 1906 1908, Oil City teams played as members of the Class D level Interstate League, winning the 1907 league championship. The 1906 team played as the "Oil City-Jamestown Oseejays." Oil City hosted home minor league games at the Sedwick Grounds. The 1898 and 1941 Oil City Oilers teams preceded and succeeded the Interstate League Oil City teams.
Description: The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players. By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern League, but they dropped out before the end of the season. The team rejoined the league the following year, finishing in second place. In 1887, a Jersey City Skeeters team was playing in the International League, but in 1888, they were in the Central League, a much lower league, competition-wise.
Description: A Red River Valley League played several seasons as a semi–pro league before the league evolved to become a full minor league in 1897. The Red River Valley League began minor league baseball play in the 1897 season as a Class F league. The Four charter teams were the Moorhead Barmaids, Grand Forks Senators/Black Stockings, Wahpeton–Breckenridge Methodists and Fargo Divorcees/Fargo Red Stockings. The league presidents were Chauncey Wheeler and Senator W.A. Gordon, who also served as manager of Grand Forks. Player salaries were capped at $40.00 per month by the league.
Description: The Rochester Roosters were a Minnesota–Wisconsin League minor league baseball team that played during the 1910 season. They were the first professional team to be based in Rochester, Minnesota. They were managed by Frank O'Leary and were led by William Dunn offensively and Bernard McNeil on the mound.
Description: The original Buffalo Bisons baseball club played in the National League between 1879 and 1885. The Bisons played their games at Riverside Park (1879–1883) and Olympic Park (1884–1885) in Buffalo, New York. The NL Bisons are included in the history of the minor-league team of the same name that still plays today; it is thus the only NL team from the 19th century that both still exists and no longer plays in Major League Baseball.
Description: The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseball returned to Joplin and Joe Becker Stadium when the Joplin Blasters began play in 2015.
Description: The Iola Gasbags were a minor league baseball team based in Iola, Kansas. Between 1902 and 1906, Iola teams played as a member of the Missouri Valley League from 1902 to 1904 and the 1906 Kansas State League. The Iola Gasbags won the 1904 Missouri State League championship, before adopting the Iola "Grays" nickname for the 1906 Kansas State League season. The Iola teams hosted home minor league games at Riverside Park.
Description: The Des Moines Demons were a minor league baseball team that was located in Des Moines, Iowa from 1925 to 1937 and 1959 to 1961. The teams played at Holcomb Park. The first professional night baseball game was played at Holcomb Park when the Demons played at home on May 2, 1930.
Description: The Bath Bathers were a minor league baseball team based in Bath, New York, In 1890, the Bathers played as members of the short–lived four–team Independent level Western New York League. Minor league baseball began in Bath, New York in 1890. The Bath "Bathers" became charter members of the Independent level Western New York League, which formed late in the 1890 season. The teams from Canisteo, New York, Hornell and Wellsville, New York joined Bath as the four league charter franchises, beginning league play on September 9, 1890.
Description: The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (1924–1932), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1914–1923, 1937–1941) and Central Association (1947–1948), winning four league championships. The franchise played as the "Moline A's" in 1947–1948. Moline was an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers (1932), Chicago Cubs (1937–1940) and Philadelphia Athletics (1947–1948).
Description: The Shenandoah Huns were a minor league baseball club, based in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania in 1894 and 1895. The team was formed when the Scranton Miners jumped from the Pennsylvania State League to the Eastern League on July 26, 1894. A week later the Huns were formed to replace Scranton in the league on August 2. The team continued to play in the Pennsylvania State League the following year, but disbanded during the season on May 20, 1895.
Description: The Great Falls Electrics were a minor league baseball team that operated out of Great Falls, Montana. The team was formed in 1911 as part of the old Union Association league. They also played in the Northwestern League from 1916 to 1917. The team disbanded at that time and then was reformed as part of the Pioneer League in 1948. They became an affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952 and remained with the Dodgers through 1963. The team was briefly called the Great Falls Dodgers during the 1957 season and the Great Falls Selectrics in 1949–1950.
Description: The San Francisco Seals were a minor league baseball team in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 until 1957 before transferring to Phoenix, Arizona. The organization was named for the abundant California sea lion and harbor seal populations in the Bay Area. The 1909, 1922, 1925, and 1928 Seals were recognized as being among the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.
Description: The Columbus River Snipes/Brunswick, a minor league baseball team, played in the Georgia State League between 1906 and 1906.
Columbus River Snipes Baseball Pin
by MindsparkCreative
$2.75 $3.25
Description: The Phoenix Firebirds were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1958 to 1959, and from 1966 to 1997. Before 1986, the team was known as the Phoenix Giants. The franchise was a member of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), and were the top minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The Firebirds were forced to leave Phoenix following the 1997 season, as the new National League expansion team, the Arizona Diamondbacks would begin play in Phoenix the following year. In a complicated series of events, the owners of the Firebirds moved their team to Tucson, Arizona, and became the Tucson Sidewinders, dropping their affiliation with the Giants in favor of the expansion Diamondbacks.
Description: The Wheeling Stogies was a minor league baseball team based in Wheeling, West Virginia, that played under several different names at various times between 1877 and 1934. They played mostly in the Central League and the Middle Atlantic League, as well as in several various other area-based leagues. The Stogies can be traced back to 1877 and the city's first professional team known as Wheeling Standard, which featured Jack Glasscock and Chappy Lane. Then in 1887 the city once again fielded a new team known simply in the record books as Wheeling. However, the following season, Wheeling came to be called the "Nail City" for its nail industry, creating the Wheeling Nailers, a team name which even today is used for the city's professional ice hoc
Description: The Clovis Buzzers were a West Texas League baseball team based in Clovis, New Mexico, United States that played in 1922. They played their home games at League Park. They were the only non-Texas based team to ever play in the West Texas League. In addition, they were the first professional baseball team to ever come out of Clovis, New Mexico. The 1923 Clovis team was the Clovis Cubs who played one season, and it would be until 1938 when the Clovis Pioneers began play that minor league baseball returned to Clovis.
Description: The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, against the Chicago Cubs with Harry Craft as the Colt .45s' manager. Bob Aspromonte scored the first run for the Colt .45s on an Al Spangler triple in the first inning. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, Richard "Turk" Farrell, lost 20 games despite an ERA of 3.02. A starter for the Colt .45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962.
