Texas League

The Texas League was a AA minor league. The first Texas League was founded in 1888 and ran through 1890. The 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 so 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. In 1971, the Texas League and the Southern League were both down to seven teams. They played an interlocking schedule with the SL known as the Dixie Association. The two league played separate playoffs. In 2004 the league opened the Texas League Hall of Fame.

The Texas League was disbanded before the 2021 season, after the 2020 season was cancelled. In its last incarnation, it comprised eight teams, divided into two divisions. Most of these teams moved over to the new Double-A Central. In a reversal, the Double-A Central was re-rebranded as the Texas League in 2022, reviving the league.

Current Teams, Managers, and Affiliations

North Division				South Division
Team	Manager	Affiliation		Team	Manager	Affiliation
Arkansas Travelers	Christian Colón	Seattle Mariners		Amarillo Sod Poodles	Tim Bogar	Arizona Diamondbacks
Northwest Arkansas Naturals	Tommy Shields	Kansas City Royals		Corpus Christi Hooks	Dickie Joe Thon	Houston Astros
Springfield Cardinals	Jose Leger	St. Louis Cardinals		Frisco Rough Riders	Carlos Cardoza	Texas Rangers
Tulsa Drillers	Scott Hennessey	Los Angeles Dodgers		Midland Rockhounds	Gregorio Petit	Oakland Athletics
Wichita Wind Surge	Ramon Borrego	Minnesota Twins		San Antonio Missions	Luke Montz	San Diego Padres

League Champions and Award Winners (1915 to present)

Year	Champion	Player of the Year	Pitcher of the Year
1915	Waco Navigators
1916	Waco Navigators
1917	Dallas Submarines
1918	Dallas Submarines
1919	Shreveport Gassers
1920	Fort Worth Panthers
1921	Fort Worth Panthers
1922	Fort Worth Panthers
1923	Fort Worth Panthers
1924	Fort Worth Panthers
1925	Fort Worth Panthers
1926	Dallas Steers
1927	Wichita Falls Spudders
1928	Houston Buffaloes
1929	Dallas Steers
1930	Fort Worth Panthers
1931	Houston Buffaloes	Dizzy Dean, Houston
1932	Beaumont Exporters	Hank Greenberg, Beaumont
1933	San Antonio Missions	Zeke Bonura, Dallas	George Darrow, Galveston
1934	Galveston Buccaneers	Charlie English, Galveston	Ash Hillin, San Antonio
1935	Oklahoma City Indians	Rudy York, Beaumont
1936	Tulsa Oilers	Les Mallon, Dallas
1937	Fort Worth Cats	Ash Hillin, Oklahoma City
1938	Beaumont Exporters	Dizzy Trout, Beaumont
1939	Fort Worth Cats	Nick Cullop, Houston
1940	Houston Buffaloes	Bob Muncrief, San Antonio
1941	Dallas Rebels	Rip Russell, Tulsa
1942	Shreveport Sports	Dick Wakefield, Beaumont
1946	Dallas Rebels	Hank Schenz, Tulsa	Prince Oana, Dallas
1947	Houston Buffaloes	Al Rosen, Oklahoma City	Clarence Beers, Houston
1948	Fort Worth Cats	Irv Noren, Ft. Worth	Harry Perkowski, Tulsa
1949	Tulsa Oilers	Herb Conyers, Oklahoma City	Joe Landrum, Fort Worth
1950	San Antonio Missions	Gil McDougald, Beaumont	Wayne McLeland, Dallas
1951	Houston Buffaloes	Jim Dyck, San Antonio	Bob Turley, San Antonio
1952	Shreveport Sports	Billy Hunter, Ft. Worth	Hal Erickson, Dallas
1953	Dallas Eagles	Joe Frazier, Oklahoma City	Don Fracchia, Beaumont
1954	Houston Buffaloes	Frank Kellert, San Antonio	John Andre, Shreveport
1955	Shreveport Sports	Ray Murray, Dallas	Red Murff, Dallas
1956	Houston Buffaloes	Ken Guettler, Shreveport	Bert Thiel, Dallas
1957	Houston Buffaloes	Jim Frey, Tulsa	Tommy Bowers, Dallas
1958	Corpus Christi Giants	Mike Lutz, Corpus Christi	Joe Kotrany, Dallas
1959	Austin Senators	Carl Warwick, Victoria	Carroll Beringer, Victoria
1960	Tulsa Oilers	Chuck Hiller, Rio Grande Valley	Jack Curtis, San Antonio
1961	San Antonio Missions	Phil Linz, Amarillo	Larry Maxie, Austin
1962	Tulsa Oilers	Cap Peterson, El Paso	Gordie Richardson, Tulsa
1963	Tulsa Oilers	Jim Beauchamp, Tulsa	Camilo Estevis, Albuquerque
1964	San Antonio Bullets	Joe Morgan, San Antonio	Chris Zachary, San Antonio
1965	Albuquerque Dodgers	Leo Posada, Amarillo	Ken Nixon, Austin
1966	Austin Braves	Tommy Hutton, Albuquerque	Fred Norman, Dallas/Ft Worth
1967	Albuquerque Dodgers	Nate Colbert, Amarillo	John Duffie, Albuquerque
1968	El Paso Sun Kings	Jim Spencer, El Paso & Bill Sudakis, Albuquerque	Santiago Guzman, Arkansas
1969	Memphis Blues	Larry Johnson, Dallas/Ft. Worth & Bobby Grich, Dallas/Ft. Worth	Bill Frost, Amarillo
1970	Albuquerque Dodgers	Mickey Rivers, El Paso	Jim Flynn, Albuquerque
1971	Arkansas Travelers	Enos Cabell, Dallas/Ft. Worth	Wayne Garland, Dallas/Ft Worth
1972	El Paso Dodgers	Randy Elliott, Alexandria	Dave Freisleben, Alexandria
1973	Memphis Blues	Hector Cruz, Arkansas	Frank Tanana, El Paso
1974	Victoria Toros	John Balaz, El Paso	Randy Wiles, Arkansas & Dennis Eckersley, San Antonio
1975	Midland Cubs / Lafayette Drillers (co-champs)	Gary Alexander, Lafayette
1976	Amarillo Gold Sox	Willie Aikens, El Paso
1977	Arkansas Travelers	Karl Pagel, Midland
1978	El Paso Diablos	Bobby Clark, El Paso
1979	Arkansas Travelers	Mark Brouhard, El Paso
1980	Arkansas Travelers	Tim Leary, Jackson
1981	Jackson Mets	Steve Sax, San Antonio	Alan Fowlkes, Shreveport
1982	Tulsa Drillers	Darryl Strawberry, Jackson	Jeff Bittiger, Jackson
1983	Beaumont Golden Gators	Mark Gillaspie, Beaumont	Sid Fernandez, San Antonio
1984	Jackson Mets	James Steels, Beaumont	Calvin Schiraldi, Jackson
1985	Jackson Mets	Billy Jo Robidoux, El Paso	Juan Nieves, El Paso
1986	El Paso Diablos	Steve Stanicek, El Paso	George Ferran, Shreveport
1987	Wichita Pilots	Gregg Jefferies, Jackson	Dennis Cook, Shreveport
1988	Tulsa Drillers	Jeff Manto, Midland	Blaine Beatty, Jackson
1989	Arkansas Travelers	Ray Lankford, Arkansas	Andy Benes, Wichita
1990	Shreveport Captains	Henry Rodriguez, San Antonio	Anthony Young, Jackson
1991	Shreveport Captains	John Jaha, El Paso	Paul McClellan, Shreveport
1992	Wichita Wranglers	Troy O'Leary, El Paso	Dan Smith, Tulsa
1993	Jackson Generals	Roberto Petagine, Jackson	Ben Van Ryn, San Antonio
1994	El Paso Diablos	Tim Unroe, El Paso	Sid Roberson, El Paso
1995	Shreveport Captains	Johnny Damon, Wichita	Steve Bourgeois, Shreveport
1996	Jackson Generals	Bubba Smith, Tulsa	Keith Foulke, Shreveport
1997	San Antonio Missions	Mike Kinkade, El Paso	Steve Woodard, El Paso
1998	Tulsa Drillers	Tyrone Horne, Arkansas	Jose Jimenez, Arkansas
1999	Wichita Wranglers	Adam Piatt, Midland	Eric Gagne, San Antonio
2000	Round Rock Express	Keith Ginter, Round Rock	Bud Smith, Arkansas
2001	Arkansas Travelers	Jason Lane, Round Rock	Tim Redding, Round Rock
2002	San Antonio Missions	Chad Tracy, El Paso	Kirk Saarloos, Round Rock
2003	San Antonio Missions	Justin Leone, San Antonio	Travis Blackley, San Antonio
2004	Frisco Rough Riders	Ryan Shealy, Tulsa	Jeff Francis, Tulsa
2005	Midland Rockhounds	Andre Ethier, Midland	Jason Hirsh, Corpus Christi
2006	Corpus Christi Hooks	Alex Gordon, Wichita	Matt Albers, Corpus Christi
2007	San Antonio Missions	Chase Headley, San Antonio	Josh Geer, San Antonio
2008	Arkansas Travelers	Kila Ka'aihue, Northwest Arkansas	Vin Mazzaro, Midland
2009	Midland Rockhounds	Chris Carter, Midland	Sam Deduno, Tulsa
2010	Northwest Arkansas Naturals	Mike Moustakas, Northwest Arkansas	Blake Beavan, Frisco
2011	San Antonio Missions	Matt Adams, Springfield	Matt Shoemaker, Arkansas
2012	Springfield Cardinals	Oscar Taveras, Springfield	Barret Loux, Frisco
2013	San Antonio Missions	George Springer, Corpus Christi	David Martinez, Corpus Christi
2014	Midland RockHounds	Alex Yarbrough, Arkansas	Tyler Anderson, Tulsa
2015	Midland RockHounds	Chad Pinder, Midland	Nate Smith, Arkansas
2016	Midland RockHounds	Matt Chapman, Midland	Chase De Jong, Tulsa
2017	Midland RockHounds	Matt Beaty, Tulsa	Dakota Hudson, Springfield
2018	Tulsa Drillers	Joey Curletta, Arkansas	Logan Allen, San Antonio
2019	Amarillo Sod Poodles	Dylan Carlson, Springfield	Darren McCaughan, Arkansas
2020	Season Cancelled
2021	see Double-A Central
2022	Frisco RoughRiders	Moises Gomez, Springfield	Taylor Dollard, Arkansas
2023

Hall of Fame Alumni

• Pete Alexander, 1930 Dallas Steers
• Roberto Alomar, 1987 Wichita Pilots
• Adrian Beltre, 1998 San Antonio Missions
• Jim Bottomley, 1921 Houston Buffalos
• Steve Carlton, 1964 Tulsa Oilers
• Dizzy Dean, 1930-1931 Houston Buffaloes; 1940 Tulsa Oilers
• Dennis Eckersley, 1974 San Antonio Brewers
• Hank Greenberg, 1931-1932 Beaumont Exporters
• Tony Gwynn, 1981 Amarillo Gold Sox
• Chick Hafey, 1924 Houston Buffaloes
• Rogers Hornsby, 1940 Oklahoma City Indians; 1942 Fort Worth Cats
• Carl Hubbell, 1927 Fort Worth Panthers; 1928 Beaumont Exporters
• Pedro Martinez, 1991 San Antonio Missions
• Willie McCovey, 1957 Dallas Eagles
• Joe Medwick, 1931-1932, 1948 Houston Buffaloes
• Joe Morgan, 1964 San Antonio Bullets
• Hal Newhouser, 1939 Beaumont Exporters
• Phil Niekro, 1961 Austin Senators
• Gaylord Perry, 1959 Corpus Christi Giants; 1960 Rio Grande Valley Giants
• Mike Piazza, 1992 San Antonio Missions
• Brooks Robinson, 1956-1957 San Antonio Missions
• Frank Robinson, 1954 Tulsa Oilers
• Ivan Rodriguez, 1991 Tulsa Drillers
• Ron Santo, 1959 San Antonio Missions
• Al Simmons, 1923 Shreveport Gassers
• George Sisler, 1932 Shreveport Sports/Tyler Sports
• Lee Smith, 1978-1979 Midland Cubs
• Duke Snider, 1946 Fort Worth Cats
• Tris Speaker, 1906 Cleburne Railroaders; 1907 Houston Buffaloes
• Bruce Sutter, 1974-1975 Midland Cubs
• Don Sutton, 1965 Albuquerque Dodgers
• Bill Terry, 1916-1917 Shreveport Gassers
• Zack Wheat, 1908 Shreveport Pirates
• Billy Williams, 1959 San Antonio Missions
• Dick Williams 1948-1950, 1955 Fort Worth Cats
• Ross Youngs, 1914 Austin Senators

Cities Represented

1888-1890

• Austin, TX: Austin Senators 1888; Austin Senators 1889-1890
• Dallas, TX: Dallas Hams 1888, 1890; Dallas Tigers 1889
• Ft. Worth, TX: Fort Worth Panthers 1888-1890
• Galveston, TX: Galveston Giants 1888; Galveston Sand Crabs 1889-1890
• Houston, TX: Houston Babies 1888-1889; Houston Mud Cats 1890
• New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Pelicans 1888
• San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Cowboys 1888; San Antonio Missionaries 1888
• Waco, TX: Waco Babies 1889-1890

In 1888, San Antonio disbanded May 24, Ft. Worth on July 4, Houston on August 7, and Galveston on August 27. Austin moved to San Antonio on July 4, and New Orleans entered from the disbanded Southern League in mid-July.

In 1890, Austin disbanded June 2, and when Ft. Worth decided to follow, the whole league disbanded June 10.

1902-2019

• Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque Dukes 1962-1964; Albuquerque Dodgers 1965-1971
• Alexandria, LA: Alexandria Aces 1972-1975
• Amarillo, TX: Amarillo Gold Sox 1959-1963; Amarillo Sonics 1965-1967; Amarillo Giants 1968-1974; Amarillo Gold Sox 1976-1982 Amarillo Sod Poodles 2019
• Ardmore, OK: Ardmore Territorians 1904; Ardmore Rosebuds 1961
• Austin, TX: Austin Senators 1905; Austin Senators 1907-1908; Austin Senators 1911-1914; Austin Senators 1956-1964; Austin Braves 1965-1967
• Beaumont, TX: Beaumont Oilers 1912-1917; Beaumont Oilers 1919; Beaumont Exporters 1920-1942, 1946-1949; Beaumont Roughnecks 1950-1952; Beaumont Exporters 1953-1955; Beaumont Golden Gators 1983-1986
• Cleburne, TX: Cleburne Railroaders 1906
• Corpus Christi, TX: Corpus Christi Giants 1958-1959; Corpus Christi Hooks 2005-2019
• Corsicana, TX: Corsicana Oil Citys 1902-1904; Corsicana Oilers 1905
• Dallas, TX: Dallas Griffins 1902; Dallas Giants 1903-1918; Dallas Marines 1919; Dallas Submarines 1920-1921; Dallas Steers 1922-1938; Dallas Rebels 1939-1942, 1946-1947; Dallas Eagles 1948-1957; Dallas Rangers 1958
• Dallas, TX & Ft. Worth, TX: Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs 1965-1971
• El Paso, TX: El Paso Sun Kings 1962-1970; El Paso Dodgers 1972; El Paso Sun Kings 1973; El Paso Diablos 1974-2004
• Ft. Worth, TX: Fort Worth Panthers 1902-1931; Fort Worth Cats 1932-1942, 1946-1958; Fort Worth Cats 1964
• Frisco, TX: Frisco Rough Riders 2003-2019
• Galveston, TX: Galveston Sand Crabs 1907-1912; Galveston Pirates 1912; Galveston Pirates 1913-1917; Galveston Pirates 1919-1921; Galveston Sand Crabs 1922-1924; Galveston Buccaneers 1931-1937
• Greenville, TX: Greenville Hunters 1906
• Harlingen, TX: Rio Grande Valley Giants 1960-1961
• Houston, TX: Houston Buffaloes 1907-1942, 1946-1958
• Jackson, MS: Jackson Mets 1975-1990; Jackson Generals 1991-1999
• Lafayette, LA: Lafayette Drillers 1975-1976
• Little Rock, AR: Arkansas Travelers 1966-2019
• Longview, TX: Longview Cannibals 1932
• Memphis, TN: Memphis Blues 1968-1973
• Midland, TX: Midland Cubs 1972-1984; Midland Angels 1985-1998; Midland RockHounds 1999-2019
• Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City Indians 1909; Oklahoma City Mets 1910; Oklahoma City Indians 1911; Oklahoma City Indians 1933-1942, 1946-1957
• Paris, TX: Paris Eisenfelder's Homeseekers 1902; Paris Parasites 1903; Paris Parasites 1904
• Round Rock, TX: Round Rock Express 2000-2004
• San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Bronchos 1907-1919; San Antonio Bears 1920-1928; San Antonio Indians 1929-1932; San Antonio Missions 1933-1942, 1946-1962; San Antonio Bullets 1963-1964; San Antonio Missions 1968-1971; San Antonio Brewers 1972-1976; San Antonio Dodgers 1977-1987; San Antonio Missions 1988-2018
• Sherman, TX & Denison, TX: Sherman-Denison Students 1902
• Shreveport, LA: Shreveport Pirates 1908-1910; Shreveport Gassers 1915-1924; Shreveport Sports 1925-1932; Shreveport Sports 1938-1942, 1946-1957; Shreveport Braves 1968-1970; Shreveport Captains 1971-2000; Shreveport Swamp Dragons 2001-2002
• Springdale, AR: Northwest Arkansas Naturals 2008-2019
• Springfield, MO: Springfield Cardinals 2005-2019
• Temple, TX: Temple Boll Weevils 1905-1907
• Texarkana, TX: Texarkana Casketmakers 1902
• Tulsa, OK: Tulsa Oilers 1933-1942, 1946-1965; Tulsa Drillers 1977-2019
• Tyler, TX: Tyler Sports 1932
• Victoria, TX: Victoria Rosebuds 1958-1961; Victoria Giants 1961; Victoria Toros 1974
• Waco, TX: Waco Tigers 1902; Waco Steers 1903; Waco Tigers 1905; Waco Navigators 1906-1919; Waco Cubs 1925-1930
• Wichita, KS: Wichita Pilots 1987-1988; Wichita Wranglers 1989-2007
• Wichita Falls, TX: Wichita Falls Spudders 1920-1932

Further Reading

• David King and Tom Kayser: The Texas League Baseball Almanac, The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2014. ISBN 978-1626190658
• Kris Rutherford: Baseball on the Prairie: How Seven Small-Town Teams Shaped Texas League History, The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2014. ISBN 978-1609499358
• Kris Rutherford: The Galveston Buccaneers: Shearn Moody and the 1934 Texas League Championship, The History Press, Charleston, SC, 2015. ISBN 978-1-6261-9837-1
• Marshall D. Wright: The Texas League in Baseball: 1888-1958, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2004.

External Link

• Official Website