Pecos League
| |
Sport | Baseball |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
CEO | Andrew Dunn |
No. of teams | 12 |
Country | United States |
Continent | North America |
Most recent champion(s) | Bakersfield Train Robbers (2018) |
Most titles | Roswell Invaders (3) |
Official website |
pecosleague |
The Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs is an independent professional baseball league headquartered in Houston, which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout California, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorado, Kansas and West Texas. The league plays in cities that do not have Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either.
History
The Pecos League operated six teams in the 2011[1] and 2012 seasons and expanded to eight teams for 2013. Continued growth saw the league reach a high of 10 teams for 2014.
The season is a highly condensed one, where teams may play 64 games in 78 days, all for a weekly salary of $50 per player.
The Pecos League also operates a spring developmental league, which is a one-month showcase beginning in March for recent college graduates and free agents looking to catch on to a full season league.
In May 2014, Fox Sports 1 aired a six-part documentary about life in the Pecos League, mostly based on the Trinidad Triggers.
In August 2014, Jon Edwards made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers becoming the first player in Pecos League history to play in Major League Baseball.
In September 2016, Chris Smith was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays becoming the second player from the Pecos League to make a major league roster, though he did not appear in a game. Smith would eventually make his debut for the Blue Jays on June 27, 2017, against the Baltimore Orioles.
For 2016, the Las Vegas Train Robbers moved to Topeka, Kansas. Expansion teams were added in Great Bend, Kansas[2] and Tucson, Arizona.[3][4][5]
On February 25, 2016 it was announced that the Las Cruces Vaqueros would sit out the 2016 season due to severe damage to their home stadium.[6] Expansion team Salina Stockade[7] was added to the league and played a limited 11-game home schedule in 2016.
Following the 2016 season, a drastic shift in the Pecos League landscape occurred as two Kansas teams, the Salina Stockade and Great Bend Boom, both folded, while a third, the Topeka Train Robbers, moved to Bakersfield, California, taking the place of the former Bakersfield Blaze, who folded following the 2016 California League season.
Joining the Train Robbers in California for 2017 are three expansion teams: the High Desert Yardbirds (replacing the California League's High Desert Mavericks), the Monterey Amberjacks, and California City Whiptails. The league also announced a travel team, the Hollywood Stars, who played a handful of home games in Los Angeles.
Current teams
Pecos League | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Team | Founded | City | Stadium | Capacity |
Mountain | Alpine Cowboys | 2009 | Alpine, Texas | Kokernot Field | 1,400[8] |
Garden City Wind | 2015 | Garden City, Kansas | Clint Lightner Field | 1,000[9] | |
Santa Fe Fuego | 2012 | Santa Fe, New Mexico | Fort Marcy Ballfield | 1,100[10] | |
Trinidad Triggers | 2012 | Trinidad, Colorado | Central Park | 887[8] | |
Southern | Roswell Invaders | 2011 | Roswell, New Mexico | Joe Bauman Stadium | |
Ruidoso Osos | 2011 | Ruidoso, New Mexico | White Mountain Park | 200[11] | |
Tucson Saguaros | 2016 | Tucson, Arizona | Gene C. Reid Park Field #5 | 1,000[12] | |
White Sands Pupfish | 2009 | Alamogordo, New Mexico | Jim Griggs Park | 600[13] | |
Pacific | Bakersfield Train Robbers | 2013 | Bakersfield, California | Sam Lynn Ballpark | 2,700[8] |
California City Whiptails | 2017 | California City, California | Balsitis Park | ||
High Desert Yardbirds | 2017 | Adelanto, California | Adelanto Stadium | 3,808[8] | |
Monterey Amberjacks | 2017 | Monterey, California | Frank E. Sollecito, Jr. Ballpark |
Former teams
Team | Season(s) | Location | Homefield |
---|---|---|---|
Bisbee Blue | 2014 | Bisbee, Arizona | Warren Ballpark |
Carlsbad Bats | 2011 | Carlsbad, New Mexico | Travel team |
Douglas Diablos | 2014 | Douglas, Arizona | Copper King Park |
Great Bend Boom | 2016 | Great Bend, Kansas | Al Burns Memorial Field |
Hollywood Stars | 2017 | Los Angeles, California | Travel team |
Las Cruces Vaqueros | 2011–2012, 2015 | Las Cruces, New Mexico | Apodoca Park |
Las Vegas Train Robbers | 2013–2015 | Las Vegas, New Mexico | Rodriguez Park |
Raton Osos | 2013–2014 | Raton, New Mexico | Gabrielle Park |
Salina Stockade | 2016 | Salina, Kansas | Dean Evans Stadium |
Taos Blizzard | 2013–2014 | Taos, New Mexico | The Tundra |
Topeka Train Robbers | 2016 | Topeka, Kansas | Lake Shawnee Park |
League timeline
League members Former Team
Champions
Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Roswell Invaders | Ruidoso Osos | 2–1 (best-of 3) |
2012 | Alpine Cowboys | Las Cruces Vaqueros | 2–1 (best-of 3) |
2013 | Roswell Invaders | Las Vegas Train Robbers | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
2014 | Santa Fe Fuego | Alpine Cowboys | 2–1 (best-of 3) |
2015 | Roswell Invaders[14] | Santa Fe Fuego | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
2016 | Tucson Saguaros | Trinidad Triggers | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
2017 | High Desert Yardbirds | Roswell Invaders | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
2018 | Bakersfield Train Robbers[15] | Alpine Cowboys | 2-1 (best of 3) |
References
- ↑ "Independent Pecos League also will play in Las Cruces, Roswell and Artesia". Albuquerque Journal. August 25, 2010.
- ↑ "Great Bend independent baseball team gets schedule, new name". The Hutchinson News. February 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Martinez signs pro baseball contract with Tucson". Mesabi Daily News. January 4, 2016.
- ↑ "NJIT's Mike Rampone Signs Professional Contract with Tucson Saguaros". NJIT Athletics. February 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Ex-JCC player Ramos signs pro contract". Watertown Daily Times. February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Vaqueros will not return in 2016". Las Cruces Sun-News. February 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Introducing the Salina Stockade". Salina Journal. February 14, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Knight, Graham. "2017 Professional Baseball Ballparks". BaseballPilgrimages.com. Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ↑ "Clint Lightner". www.clintlightner.com. Pecos League. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ↑ O’Reilly, Charles. "Fort Marcy Park". www.charliesballparks.com. Charlie's Ballparks. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ↑ "White Mountain Sports Complex". www.ruidosoparksandrec.com. Ruidoso Parks & Recreation. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ↑ "Tucson Saguaros moving from Kino Stadium to Reid Park".
- ↑ O’Reilly, Charles. "The Aquarium". www.charliesballparks.com. Charlie's Ballparks. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ↑ "Invaders handily end Fuego's wild season, claim 3rd league title". Santa Fe New Mexican. August 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Bakersfield Train Robbers win Pecos League Championship". 23 ABC News. August 4, 2018.