Defunct Major League Baseball Teams T-Shirts

The Holyoke Paperweights were a professional minor league baseball team based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, that played in the now defunct Connecticut League from 1903 to 1911. From 1907 to 1911, they were also known as the Papermakers. The team won the league pennant of the 1905 and 1907 seasons. The Paperweights and Papermakers were preceded by the 1884 Holyoke team of the Massachusetts State Association. In June 1911, the Connecticut League ejected the Northampton and Holyoke clubs for "failure to pay their debts."

The Montgomery Rebels was the name of several American minor league baseball franchises representing Montgomery, Alabama, playing in various leagues between 1912 and 1980. Rebels was the predominant nickname of the Montgomery teams, but it was not the original moniker, and it was one of several used by the city's 20th century professional baseball teams, which began play in organized baseball in 1903.[1] Others included the Billikens, Bombers, Capitals, Climbers, Grays, Lambs, Lions and Senators.

Portland first played minor league baseball in the 1897 Maine State League. Portland had two franchises when the Maine State League was formed for the 1907 season as an eight–team Class D minor league. The Maine State League began play in the 1907 season hosting franchises from Augusta, Maine (Augusta Senators), Bangor, Maine (Bangor Cubs), Biddeford, Maine (Biddeford Orphans), Lewiston, Maine (Lewiston), Manchester, New Hampshire (Manchester), Portland, Maine (Pine Tree Capers), a second team in Portland (Portland Blue Sox) and Waterville, Maine (Waterville).

Minor league baseball began in Bangor, Maine with the 1894 Bangor Millionaires, who became members of the eight–team New England League. In the 1894 season, the Millionaires finished with a 48–48 record and placed 4th in the league final standings. Bangor was managed by Louis Bacon and Jack Sharrott, finishing 13.5 games behind the 1st place Fall River Indians. Bangor continued play in the 1895 Class B level New England League, placing 3rd in the league standings. The Millionaires ended the season with a 55–49 record under managers Jack Sharrott and William Long, finishing 11.0 games behind the 1st place Falls River Indians.

The Canton Crocodiles were an independent minor league baseball team that took up residence in Canton, Ohio’s Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in 1997. The Crocs replaced the departing Canton-Akron Indians (1989-1996), the Class AA farm club of the Cleveland Indians, who were lured away by neighboring Akron’s development of $31 million Canal Park, which opened in 1997.

Minor league professional baseball began in Ardmore during the 1904 season. On August 5, 1904, the Texas League member franchise Paris Red Ravens relocated from Paris, Texas to Ardmore and became the Ardmore Territorians to finish the 1904 season. The team finished with a 26–75 overall record. Ardmore teams played as a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians from 1947 to 1948, St. Louis Cardinals from 1953 to 1957 and Baltimore Orioles in 1961. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Carl Hubbell played for the 1924 Ardmore Bearcats at age 21.

The Baton Rouge Blue Marlins were a the first and only champions of the doomed All-American Association during the summer of 2001. Both the ball club and the independent league itself folded at the end of one season. The All-American Association was a six-team loop with teams in Albany (GA), Montgomery (AL), Winchester (TN) and Fort Worth and Tyler (TX) besides the Baton Rouge club. The Blue Marlins defeated the Albany Alligators in the league championship series in August 2001.

The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playing their last game in 1960.

The Sanford Spinners are a minor league baseball team based in Sanford, North Carolina. The Spinners played as members of the Class D level Bi-State League in 1941 and 1942, Tobacco State League from 1946 to 1950, winning league championships in 1942 and 1946, and Old North State League from 2021 to Present. The Spinners hosted minor league home games at Temple Park.

The Vincennes Velvets was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Vincennes, Indiana between 1903 and 1952. From 1950 to 1952, the Velvets were members of the Class D level Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, which evolved to become today's Midwest League. Previous teams in Vincennes played as members of the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League (1903–1906, 1910–1911, 1913) and Eastern Illinois League (1908). The 1950 Vincennes Velvets were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns.

The Shawnee Hawks were a minor league baseball team that played in the Sooner State League. The team began as an unaffiliated team based in Duncan, Oklahoma in 1947. The original team was named the Duncan Cementers. After two seasons, the team name was changed to the Duncan Uttmen in 1949 and then in 1950 the team moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma and became the Hawks. They continued to operate until the Sooner State League folded after the 1957 season. The Hawks were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1953–1957.

The Muskogee Navigators were a Western Association baseball team based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States that played from 1909 to 1910. Multiple major league baseball players played for them, including Pug Cavet, Dick Crutcher, Bert Graham and Paddy Mayes. They were managed by George Dalrymple in 1909 and Peck Harrington and Ed Nichols in 1910.

The Creston Cyclones were a minor league baseball team based in Creston, Iowa. In 1903, the Cyclones played as members of the short–lived Class D level Southwest Iowa League, joining the league in mid–season as an expansion team. The "Cyclones" moniker corresponds to a tornado that struck Creston, Iowa in May, 1903.

The Dayton Ducks were a minor league baseball team that played in the Central League in 1932 and then the Middle Atlantic League from 1933–1942. The team took its name from their owner and field manager, former St. Louis Cardinals player Ducky Holmes. They were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1934–35, 1938–1942 and the Chicago White Sox in 1937. The team was briefly known as the Dayton Wings from 1939–1940, when Holmes was not involved with the club.

The Olympic Club of Washington, D.C., or Washington Olympics in modern nomenclature, was an early professional baseball team. When the National Association of Base Ball Players permitted openly professional clubs for the 1869 season, the Olympics were one of twelve to go pro. Two years later they were a founding member of the first professional sports league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP or NA, for short). The Olympics played home games at Olympics Grounds in Washington. They were founded by Nicholas Young, an outfielder who continued as non-playing business and field manager after 1870.

The Brookhaven Truckers were a minor league baseball team based in Brookhaven, Mississippi. After the Brookhaven team played as a member of the 1904 Class D level Delta League, the Truckers were a member of the Class D level Cotton States League in 1924 and 1925, hosting home games at the High School Park.

The Pueblo Braves were a minor league baseball team that was located in Pueblo, Colorado and played in the Western League from 1928 to 1932. They were known as the Pueblo Steelworkers for their first two seasons.pueblo baseball,

The Coudersport Giants were a minor league baseball team based in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. In 1905, the Giants played as members of the Class D level Interstate League, winning the league championship in their final season of play. Previously hosting the 1904 Coudersport minor league team of the independent Southern Tier League, Coudersport played home minor league games at Morgan Park.

The Berkeley Clarions were a minor league baseball team based in Berkeley, California. In the 1910 and 1911 seasons, the Clarions played as members of the Class D level Central California League, with the team playing partial seasons in both years. Berkeley hosted home minor league games at the Dwight Way Grounds.

The Shawnee Hawks were a minor league baseball team that played in the Sooner State League. The team began as an unaffiliated team based in Duncan, Oklahoma in 1947. The original team was named the Duncan Cementers. After two seasons, the team name was changed to the Duncan Uttmen in 1949 and then in 1950 the team moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma and became the Hawks. They continued to operate until the Sooner State League folded after the 1957 season. The Hawks were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1953–1957.

The Fairmont Black Diamonds were an American minor league baseball team based in Fairmont, West Virginia. They played under several names between 1907 and 1931. They played in the Western Pennsylvania League in 1907, the Pennsylvania–West Virginia League in 1909 and 1914, the West Virginia League in 1910, the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1912 and the Middle Atlantic League from 1925–1931. They were known as the Fairmont Badies in 1908.[1] In 1914, a team known only as Fairmont played once again in the Pennsylvania–West Virginia League. The team posted a 3-2 record, before the league ceased operations on June 1, 1914.

The Wichita Aviators were a professional indoor football team that played in the American Professional Football League (APFL). The Aviators played their home games in Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum during the team's first season (2005). In 2006, the Aviators played their home games at the Wichita Ice Center in Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita Aviators and Kansas Koyotes were both owned by APFL founder Ralph Adams. Carl Caldwell was the head coach of the Aviators, and Mike McCoy was the General Manager.

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.

The Bassett Furnituremakers were a minor league baseball team based in Bassett, Virginia, USA that played from 1935 to 1940. They were one of only two baseball teams to ever play professionally in Bassett. They were followed in 1950 by the Bassett Statesman, who played a partial 1950 season in the Class D Blue Ridge League. The Wytheville Statesman moved to Bassett on July 27, 1950 due to the polio epidemic.

The Providence Chiefs were one of eight founding members of the New England League, a Class B minor league baseball circuit that sprang up in 1946 as Minor League Baseball enjoyed a nationwide post-WWII resurgence. The team actually played in nearby Cranston, Rhode Island and during the Chiefs’ first season, the press used the names ‘Providence Chiefs’ and ‘Cranston Chiefs’ inter-changeably. You can see the Chiefs’ charmingly illustrated game program from the 1946 season (above) used ‘Cranston’ also. But by the 1947 season, all references to the team as the Cranston Chiefs in the press disappeared.

The Murray Infants were a minor league baseball team based in Murray, Utah. In 1914, the Murray Infants played briefly as members of the Union Association before folding during the season. The Infants hosted home minor league games at Murray Park. Before beginning minor league play, Murray first hosted semi–pro baseball teams, who played as members of the integrated Utah State Baseball League. On March 30, 1910, the Murray team played an exhibition game at home against the Chicago White Sox.

The Americus Pallbearers became a founding member of the original Georgia State League in 1906. The Pallbearers finished dead-last in the six-team league, with a record of 13–32, a full 22 games behind the first place Waycross Machinists. The league folded at the end of the season, and Americus was without a professional team in 1907.

In 1894, the Jacksonville Jacks joined the reformed Western Association. The Des Moines Prohibitionists, Lincoln Treeplanters, Omaha Omahogs, Peoria Distillers, Quincy Ravens, Rock Island-Moline Islanders and St. Joseph Saints joined Jacksonville in league play. Jacksonville finished with a 67–57 record in 1894, placing fourth in the standings, finishing 6.0 games behind the first place Rock Island-Moline Islanders, playing the season under manager Con Strothers. Joe Strauss of Jacksonville led the league with 33 home runs. The Jacksonville Jacks continued play in 1895 and had a record of 33–36 on August 8, 1895, when the franchise moved to nearby Springfield, Illinois.

The Paterson Invaders were a minor league baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. From 1904 to 1907, Paterson teams played as members of the Class C level Hudson River League, winning the 1906 league championship. The team played as the "Intruders" in the 1904 and 1907 seasons, before the franchise folded during the 1907 season, leading to the demise of the league.

The Riverside Rubes/Dons were a minor league baseball team, based in Riverside, California that played in the Sunset League from 1947 to 1950.

The Cisco Scouts were a West Texas League baseball team based in Cisco, Texas, United States that played from 1920 to 1921. In 1921, they changed their name to the Cisco Orphans, but eventually disbanded. Major league players Joe Bratcher and Tim Griesenbeck played for them.

Defunct San Jose Missions Baseball 1977-1981

The Clear Lake Fish Eaters were a minor league baseball team based in Clear Lake, Iowa. Clear Lake teams played as members of the Independent level Iowa State League in 1912 and the Class D level Central Association in 1917, with the 1917 team playing a brief season as the "Rabbits.". Both teams hosted home minor league games at the Clear Lake City Ball Park.

The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders were a baseball team who played in the Players' League in 1890. The team's nickname derived from its superstar shortstop, hall of famer John Montgomery Ward. The team finished with a 76–56 record, finishing in second place. Other notable players for Brooklyn that year were Dave Orr, Lou Bierbauer, George Van Haltren, and Gus Weyhing. The team folded after the season along with the entire league. The team played its home games at Eastern Park.

The Ogdensburg Maples was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Ogdensburg, New York. Between 1900 and 1940, earlier Ogdensburg teams played as members of the Northern New York League in 1900 and 1901 and the Canadian–American League from 1936 to 1940. The Maples played as members of the Class C level Border League from 1946 to 1951. Overall, Ogdensburg teams won three league championships and one pennant. The Maples hosted home games at Winter Park.

The Steubenville Stubs was the predominant name of a minor league baseball team that sparsely played in Steubenville, Ohio between 1887 and 1913. The team was first formed in 1887 as a member of the Ohio State League, before disbanding on June 29 of that year. The third incarnation of the Stubs began in 1905 as the city fielded a team for the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, named the Steubenville Factory Men. A year later the club moved to the Pennsylvania–Ohio–Maryland League and took up the Stubs moniker.