The Missouri Valley League was an American minor league baseball league which operated from 1901 through 1905.
| Classification | Independent (1901) Class D (1902–1903) Class C (1904–1905) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1901 |
| Ceased | 1905 |
| Replaced by | South Central League |
| President | Dr. D.M. Shiveley (1902–1904) Richard Robertson, Jr. (1905) |
| No. of teams | 23 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 1 Nevada Lunatics (1902) Sedalia Gold Bugs (1903) Iola Gasbags (1904) Pittsburg Miners (1905) |
| Related competitions | Western Association |
History
editThe Missouri Valley league formed in 1901 as an Independent league. The league consisted of teams in Kansas and Missouri: Columbus, Kansas, Fort Scott Memphis Route, Galena, Kansas, Joplin Colts, Monett Railroadmen, Nevada Reds, Oswego, Kansas and Pittsburg Coal Barons. 1901 league records and standings are unknown.[1]
In 1902, The teams in Nevada, Missouri, Fort Scott, Kansas and Joplin, Missouri remained. Sedalia, Missouri; Coffeyville, Kansas; Jefferson City, Missouri; Iola, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri joined as the Missouri Valley League became designated as a Class D level league. On June 23, the Coffeyville Indians, with a 9-30 record, relocated to Chanute, Kansas, where they compiled a 32–51 record.[2]
In the 1903 season, the teams in Chanute and Jefferson City folded. New teams in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Pittsburg, Kansas, formed and joined the league. The Nevada team, with a record of 21–39, relocated to Webb City, Missouri, on July 13, where their record was 0–4. The teams from Leavenworth and Webb City folded mid–season on July 16.[2]
In 1904, new teams in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the league. After the 1904 season, the Missouri Valley League essentially reformed under a different name as five member teams formed under a new league. Joplin, Leavenworth, Sedalia, Springfield, and Topeka all joined the new 1905 Western Association. The Iola franchise folded. The Fort Scott and Pittsburg franchises remained in the 1905 Class C level Missouri Valley League. In 1905, South McAlester moved to Ft. Smith on July 6. Muskogee disbanded on August 31, causing the Missouri Valley League to end on September 5.[2][3]
Cities Represented
edit- Chanute, KS:Chanute Oilers 1902
- Columbus, KS: Columbus 1901
- Coffeyville, KS: Coffeyville Indians 1902
- Fort Scott, KS: Fort Scott Memphis Route (1901); Fort Scott Giants 1902–1905
- Fort Smith, AR: Fort Smith Giants 1905
- Galena, KS: Galena 1901
- Iola, KS: Iola Gasbags 1902; Iola Gaslighters 1903; Iola Gasbags 1904
- Jefferson City, MO: Jefferson City Convicts 1902
- Joplin, MO: Joplin Colts 1901; Joplin Miners 1902–1904
- Leavenworth, KS: Leavenworth White Sox 1903; Leavenworth Orioles 1904
- McAlester, OK: South McAlester Giants 1905
- Monett, MO: Monett Railroadmen 1901
- Muskogee, OK: Muskogee Reds 1905
- Nevada, MO: Nevada Reds 1901; Nevada Lunatics 1902–1903
- Oswego, KS: Oswego 1901
- Parsons, KS: Parsons Preachers 1905
- Pittsburg, KS: Pittsburg Coal Barons 1901; Pittsburg Coal Diggers 1903–1904; Pittsburg Miners 1905
- Sedalia, MO: Sedalia Gold Bugs 1902–1904
- Springfield, MO: Springfield Reds 1902; Springfield Midgets 1903–1904
- Topeka, KS: Topeka Saints 1904
- Tulsa, OK: Tulsa Oilers 1905
- Vinita, OK: Vinita Cherokees 1905
- Webb City, MO: Webb City Goldbugs 1903, 1905
Teams & statistics
edit1902 Missouri Valley League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Lunatics | 86 | 38 | .694 | -- | James Driscoll |
| Springfield Reds | 83 | 40 | .678 | 2.5 | Frank Hurlburt |
| Fort Scott Giants | 80 | 44 | .645 | 6.0 | Fred Hornaday |
| Sedalia Gold Bugs | 72 | 48 | .600 | 12.0 | Joseph Roe / Fultz |
| Joplin Miners | 56 | 66 | .459 | 29.0 | Claude Marcum / Wickhizer |
| Coffeyville Indians / Chanute Oilers |
41 | 81 | .336 | 44.0 | Fred Porter / Larry Powers / Galbreath / Jack Jamieson |
| Jefferson City Convicts | 40 | 85 | .320 | 46.5 | A.B. Carey / E.J. Miller |
| Iola Gasbags | 34 | 90 | .274 | 52.0 | Dan Jenkins |
Coffeyville (9–30) moved to Chanute June 23.
1903 Missouri Valley League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedalia Gold Bugs | 86 | 47 | .647 | -- | W.J. Ferguson / R.N. Harrison |
| Springfield Midgets | 82 | 48 | .631 | 2.5 | Frank Hurlburt |
| Iola Gaslighters | 79 | 52 | .603 | 6.0 | A.H.Harris |
| Joplin Miners | 69 | 62 | .527 | 16.0 | Dave Joseph |
| Fort Scott Giants | 71 | 64 | .526 | 16.0 | Fred Hornaday |
| Pittsburg Coal Diggers | 39 | 95 | .291 | 47.5 | Claude East |
| Nevada Lunatics / Webb City Goldbugs |
21 | 43 | .328 | NA | A.B. Cockerell |
| Leavenworth White Sox | 15 | 50 | .231 | NA | Clyde Hughes |
Nevada (21–39) moved to Webb City July 13, then disbanded July 16; Leavenworth disbanded July 16.
1904 Missouri Valley League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iola Gasbags | 83 | 41 | .669 | -- | Dad Risley |
| Springfield Midgets | 77 | 46 | .626 | 5.5 | F. Smith / John Perrine / Frank Hulburt |
| Joplin Miners | 77 | 49 | .611 | 7.0 | John Fillman |
| Sedalia Gold Bugs | 71 | 53 | .573 | 12.0 | E.E. Codding |
| Pittsburg Coal Diggers | 57 | 64 | .471 | 24.5 | O.H. Baldwin / John Kane |
| Leavenworth Orioles | 48 | 74 | .393 | 34.0 | Eli Cates / Elmer Smith |
| Topeka Saints | 45 | 78 | .366 | 37.5 | Gus Alberts / C. Cole / John Shrant / Spencer Abbott |
| Fort Scott Giants | 36 | 89 | .288 | 47.5 | Jack Bene / Louis Armstrong |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Bauer | Sedalia | BA | .346 | Amos Morgan | Iola | W | 32 | |
| Jacob Bauer | Sedalia | Hits | 178 | Ed Craig | Springfield | Pct | .826; 19–4 | |
| John Root | Iola | SO | 224[2] |
1905 Missouri Valley League
edit| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg Miners | 75 | 26 | .743 | -- | H.O. Baldwin |
| Parsons Preachers | 61 | 40 | .604 | 14.0 | John Hamilton |
| Muskogee Reds | 52 | 46 | .531 | 21.5 | G.A. Sabin / Mel Cooley / Dillard / Alex Sandheimer |
| Ft. Scott Giants | 49 | 52 | .485 | 26.0 | Harry Chapman |
| Webb City Gold Bugs | 47 | 54 | .465 | 28.0 | Elmer Meredith |
| Tulsa Oilers | 44 | 58 | .431 | 31.5 | Charlie Schafft |
| Vinita Cherokees | 41 | 63 | .394 | 35.5 | Ed Finney |
| South McAlester Giants / Ft. Smith Giants |
33 | 63 | .344 | 39.5 | Joe B. Roe |
Muskogee disbanded Aug 31, causing the season to be shortened to September 5.
South McAlester moved to Ft. Smith July 6.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cy Stinson | Pittsburg | W | 22 | Cy Stinson | Pittsburg | CG | 30 | |
| Cy Stinson | Pittsburg | IP | 279 | William Burns | Pittsburg | Pct | .875; 21–3 |
References
edit- ^ "1901 Missouri Valley League (MVL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "1905 Missouri Valley League (MVL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
Further reading
edit- Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings: All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0781-6