Sophomore League

Last updated
Sophomore League
Formerly Southwestern League (1956–1957)
Classification Class D (1958–1961)
Sport Minor League Baseball
First season1958
Ceased1961
PresidentGrady Terry (1958–1960)
C.F. Montgomery (1960–1961)
No. of teams12
Country United States of America
Most titles2
Hobbs Pirates (1960–1961)

The Sophomore League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1958 through 1961. League franchises were located in New Mexico and Texas. The league evolved from the Southwestern League, which played in 1956 and 1957. The name change was part of a systemic change. The circuit went from being one with almost no ties to major league baseball to a league where every team was a minor league affiliate of a major league team.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

The Sophomore League formed in 1958 as a six–team league, evolving from the Southwestern League. The Class D level Sophomore League began play on April 28, 1958, with the Artesia Giants (San Francisco Giants affiliate), Carlsbad Potashers (Chicago Cubs), Hobbs Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals), Midland Braves (Milwaukee Braves), Plainview Athletics (Kansas City Athletics and San Angelo Pirates (Pittsburgh Pirates) as charter members. [1] [2]

The Midland Braves won the Sophomore League championship in 1958, managed in part by Baseball Hall of Fame member Travis Jackson. [3]

The Sophomore League expanded to eight teams in 1959, adding the Alpine Cowboys (Boston Red Sox affiliate) and Odessa Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers). [4] On June 9, 1959, the San Angelo Pirates moved to Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell Pirates finished the season in Roswell. The San Angelo/Roswell Pirates finished 48–77 overall and in last place. The franchise folded after the season. [5] The Alpine Cowboys won the 1959 Sophomore League championship. [6]

Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie Stargell played in the Sophomore League in 1959 for the San Angelo Pirates/Roswell Pirates, his first professional season. Stargell spoke of the difficulties he faced in playing in the league, with the region still having segregated restaurants and hotels. Stargell was threatened at gunpoint on one road trip. [7] At age 19, Stargell hit .275 with 7 home runs and 87 RBI. [5]

As reported in The Sporting News , Carlsbad Potashers player Gil Carter hit a home run in 1959 that was noteworthy due to its distance. "On a hot August night in 1959, former heavyweight boxer Gil Carter smashed a pitch through Carlsbad's high-elevated air and out of Montgomery Field. The ball carried over the left field wall, soared past two city streets and landed in a peach tree. A newspaper reporter later took an aerial photo from a plane and used the picture to estimate the ball traveled 733 feet. Carter's hometown paper, The Topeka Capital-Journal, said "the blast is considered the longest home run in baseball history." [8] [9] [10]

The official scorer estimated the home run to have traveled 650 feet. However, aerial photographs measurements put the distance at 700–733 feet, which would make it the longest home run ever hit in professional baseball. [11] [12] [13] The ball itself was signed by Carter and he notes the distance of 733 feet. [14]

The Hobbs Pirates won the last two Sophomore League championships in 1960 and 1961.[ citation needed ] [15]

The Sophomore League presidents were Grady Terry, from 1958 to 1960 and C.F. Montgomery in 1960 and 1961. [16]

Cities represented

Yearly standings

1958 Sophomore League
schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
East Standings
Midland Braves 7248.600 Travis Jackson /
Earl Halstead / Ernie White
San Angelo Pirates 6159.50811.0Al Kubski
Plainview Athletics 5070.41722.0Vincent Plumbo
West Standings
Artesia Giants 6357.525Jodie Phipps
Hobbs Cardinals 5961.4924.0Wayne Wallace
Carlsbad Potashers 5565.4588.0 Tony York

Playoff: Midland 3 games, Artesia 1 [ citation needed ]

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Jim SmithHobbsBA.372John AhrensHobbsW18
Duncan Campbell
Gary Krupsky
San Angelo
Artesia
Runs116Ervin MoorePlainviewSO175
James McClainArtesiaHits161Les BassMidlandERA3.47
Craig SorensonCarlsbadRBI114Les BassMidlandPct.889; 16–2
Kenneth ClarkHobbsHR27

1959 Sophomore League
schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
North Standings
Carlsbad Potashers 7254.571 Walt Dixon
Hobbs Cardinals 7054.5651.0 Thurman Tucker
Plainview Athletics 6065.48011.5Bobby Hofman
Artesia Giants 5075.40021.5Jodie Phipps
South Standings
Alpine Cowboys 8834.721Eddie Popowski
Midland Braves 5670.44434.0 Jimmy Brown
Odessa Dodgers 5469.43934.5 Roy Hartsfield
San Angelo Pirates /
Roswell Pirates
4877.38441.5Al Kubski /
Joe Bauman / Walter Millies

Playoffs: Alpine 2 games, Hobbs 0; Carlsbad 2 games, Midland 0.
Finals: Alpine 2 games, Carlsbad 0. [6] [17]

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Emiliano TelleriaSan Angelo/RoswellBA.358 Don Schwall AlpineW23
Bob StotskyAlpineRuns132Terry BarberOdessaSO214
Bob StotskyAlpineHits156 Jack Warner CarlsbadERA2.41
Bob CarruthersPlainviewRBI119 Jack Warner CarlsbadPct.812; 13–3
Gil CarterCarlsbadHR34

1960 Sophomore League
schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Alpine Cowboys 7652.594Dick Kinaman
Hobbs Pirates 7058.5476.0Al Kubski
Carlsbad Potashers 6664.50811.0 Verlon Walker
Artesia Giants 6268.47715.0 George Genovese
Albuquerque Dukes 5772.44219.5 Bert Thiel
Odessa Dodgers 5774.43520.5Edward Serrano

Alpine won the 1st half. Hobbs won the 2nd half.
Playoff: Hobbs 2 games, Alpine 1. [18] [19]

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Gil Garrido ArtesiaBA.362Ken WhitmoreHobbsW16
Roberto Pena HobbsRuns121 Jose Santiago AlbuquerqueSO217
Jesus Alou ArtesiaHits188 Jose Santiago AlbuquerqueERA3.30
Dick McLaughlinOdessaRBI109 Frank Bork HobbsPct.789; 15–4
Lewis BishopCarlsbadHR23

1961 Sophomore League
schedule

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Hobbs Pirates 7748.616Al Kubski
El Paso Sun Kings 7357.5626.5 George Genovese
Albuquerque Dukes 6463.50414.0 Grady Wilson
Alpine Cowboys 6263.49615.0 Mel Parnell
Carlsbad Potashers 5671.44122.0 Lou Klein / Walt Dixon
Artesia Dodgers 4878.38129.5 Spider Jorgensen

Hobbs won the 1st half. Albuquerque won the 2nd half.
Playoff: Hobbs 3 games, Albuquerque 0. [20] [21]

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Tommie MartzHobbsBA.387Jim LittleHobbsW17
Jose Cardenal El PasoRuns159Fred HatterAlpineSO201
Jose CaleroEl PasoHits180John DrysdaleArtesiaERA3.32
Mike MaloneyAlbuquerqueRBI109Jim LittleHobbsPct.850; 17–3
Jose Cardenal El PasoHR35

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

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References

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  2. "1958 Sophomore League (SL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. "1958 Midland Braves minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. "1959 Sophomore League (SL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. 1 2 "1959 San Angelo/Roswell Pirates Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. 1 2 "1959 Sophomore League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "Willie Stargell – Society for American Baseball Research" . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  8. "Where was baseball's longest home run? A five-city mystery". Sporting News. 11 January 2016.
  9. "This Day in History - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  10. "NBC Hall of Fame inductee Gil Carter had tales of the tape to tell". The Wichita Eagle. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  11. "The longest homerun in baseball history was measured at 733 ft". 5 January 2018.
  12. "Elysian Fields Quarterly - The Baseball Review". www.efqreview.com.
  13. "Gil Carter" . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  14. "Gil Carter home run baseball - Kansas Memory - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org.
  15. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN   978-1932391176.
  16. The Museum of Minor League Baseballs
  17. "1959 Sophomore League (SL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  18. "1960 Sophomore League (SL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  19. "1960 Sophomore League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  20. "1961 Sophomore League (SL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  21. "1961 Sophomore League". Baseball-Reference.com.