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2 3 LEAGUE MEDIA GUIDE ADVERTISERS

AMI ...... 88 BairFind ...... 4 Frost Bank ...... 2 HBK CPA’s & Consultants ...... 3 HIBU ...... 89 Minor League ...... 9 Rawlings ...... 90

4 OFFICIALS, MANAGERS AND UMPIRES

THE TEXAS LEAGUE OF CLUBS

505 Main St #250. • Fort Worth, TX 76201 (682) 316-5400 Web Site: www.texasleague.com Email: [email protected]

PRESIDENT ...... VICE PRESIDENT ...... Monty Hoppel SECRETARY ...... Andy Milovich ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT...... Jessica McClasky LEAGUE STATISTICIAN ...... Advanced Media

UMPIRES Andrew Barrett, Isaias Barba, Michael Carroll, Darius Ghani, Jeffery Gorman, Luis Hernandez, Jose Matamoros, Tyler Olson, , Justin Robinson, Andrew Stukel, Kyle Wallace, Brian Walsh

LEAGUE DIRECTORS D.G. Elmore, Amarillo; Russ Meeks, ; , Corpus Christi; Chuck Greenberg, Frisco; E. Miles Prentice, Midland; Jon Dandes, ; Matt Gifford, Springfield; Mike Melega, Tulsa.

FIELD MANAGERS – NORTH DIVISION Arkansas...... Northwest Arkansas ...... Darryl Kennedy Springfield ...... Joe Kruzel Tulsa ...... Scott Hennessey

FIELD MANAGERS – SOUTH DIVISION Amarillo...... Phillip Wellman Corpus Christi...... Omar Lopez Frisco ...... Joe Mikulik Midland...... Scott Steinmann

5 Texas League Championships: 13; 821 South Johnson Street Amarillo, TX 79101 MLB Affiliate: (806) 803-7762 Padres (2007) www.sodpoodles.com [email protected] Visiting Team Hotel: Home 2 Suites by Hilton 8251 West Amarillo Blvd. Amarillo, Radio Station: TX 79124 KIXZ...... 940 AM Broadcaster ...... Sam Levitt (806) 803-7777

Years in Texas League: 1888; 1892; Contact: 1895-99; 1907-42; 1946-64; Natasha Giacomazzi 1968 - present [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Owner ...... Dave Elmore

President & General ...... Tony Ensor Director of Finance ...... Ben Knowles Executive Assistant ...... Shannon Cook Director of Public Relations ...... Shane Philipps Director of Marketing ...... Tess Bloom Director of Broadcasting ...... Sam Levitt Video Production Manager ...... Joe Corbisiero Communications Assistant ...... Adam Traylor Director of Partnership ...... Nick Hall Corporate Partnership Manager ...... Matt Hamilton Corporate Activation Specialist ...... Kelly Schuberg Promotions and Community Relations Manager ...... Sierra Todd Director of Merchandise ...... Katarina Burns Promotions and Community Relations Assistant ...... Bailee Barber Merchandise Assistant ...... Leah Roberson Director of Ticket Sales and Service ...... Jeff Turner Director of Group Sales ...... Dustin Ture Ticket Operations Manager ...... Nick Yardley Account Executive ...... Jacob Helmus Account Executive ...... Matt Sutherland Account Executive ...... Ryan Williams Director of Stadium Operations ...... Wayne Leoblein Head Groundskeeper ...... Ty;er Lenz General Manager of Food and Beverage ...... Mike Lindal Catering Manager ...... Nicole Lamontagne Zach McGuire ...... Zach McGuire Cody Anderson ...... Cody Anderson

6 Amarillo Sod Poodles HODGETOWN

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 325'; CF 400'; RF 325' Zone A ...... $18.00 Seating Capacity ...... 7,300 Zone B...... $16.00 Zone C...... $14.00 Directions: 715 South Buchanan Street, Zone D ...... $12.00 across from Embassy Suites Zone E...... $10.00 Amarillo Sod Poodles Manager Phillip Wellman Phillip Wellman returns for his fourth season in the Padres organization managing their -A affiliate. The 2019 season is his 31st as a and 20th as a minor league manager as he leads the inaugural Amarillo Sod Poodles squad.The 2017 Texas League Manager of the Year piloted the 2018 Missions to a 71-67 record (.514), clinching their second con- secutive playoff bout and leading the squad to their first Championship se- ries appearance since taking the league title in 2013. In 2017, while with San Antonio, he eclipsed his 1,000th win as a minor league manager in April, finishing the 2017 campaign with 1,073 career wins. In 19 total seasons as a manager, Wellman is 1144-1215.

Wellman’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 1992 Orioles Gulf Coast Baltimore 29-29 1993 Lethbridge Pioneer Independent 29-49 1994 Lethbridge Pioneer Independent 29-43 1995 River City Appalachian Co-Op 22-45 1996 Winston-Salem Carolina Cincinnati 74-65 1997 Burlington Midwest Cincinnati 72-68 1998 Burlington Midwest Cincinnati 63-77 1999 Chattanooga Southern Cincinnati 78-66 2001 Chattanooga Southern Cincinnati 72-67 2002 Chattanooga Southern Cincinnati 60-80 2003 Chattanooga Southern Cincinnati 66-74 2007 Southern Atlanta 67-72 2008 Mississippi Southern Atlanta 73-66 2009 Mississippi Southern Atlanta 65-73 2010 Mississippi Southern Atlanta 63-74 2014 Arkansas Texas LA Angels 75-65 2016 San Antonio Texas San Diego 58-82 2017 San Antonio Texas San Diego 78-62 2018 San Antonio Texas San Diego 71-67 Total 1144-1,215

7

Director of Player Development: San Diego Farm System: Sam Geaney AAA ...... San Diego Padres AA...... Amarillo Sod Poodles 100 Park Blvd. A...... San Diego, CA 92112 A...... Fort Wayne TinCaps (619) 795-5335 A...... Tri-City Dust Devils Rookie ...... Arizona Summer League Roving Instructors: Rookie .....Domincan Summer League . . Dir. Pitching Develop. Eric Junge . . . . . Pitching Coordinator Address: Ryley Westman . Coord of Instruction San Diego Padres Kevin Hooper . . . Infield Coordinator Tony Tarasco . . OF/Baserunning Coord. 8131 W. Paradise Lane Gorman Heimueller...... Pitching Peoria, AZ 85382 Oscar Bernard ...... Pitching (623) 486-7000 John Nestor ...... ML Hitting Ben Fritz ...... AZ/Rehab Dave Bingham Instructor/Player Dev. Ben Fraser ...... MiLB ATC Coord. JoJo Tarantino ...... Medical Coordinator Dan Byrne...... Strength & Conditioning Coord. Amarillo Sod Poodles Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Defensive Coach Raul Padron Freddy Flores

Strength and Conditioning Coach Athletic Trainer Drew Heithoff Drew Garner, Nick Coberly Did You Know?....that on September 27, 1963 the Colt 45's started an all rookie line up in the field against the ? The line up was: Brock Davis, LF; Jimmy Wynn, CF; Aaron Pointer, RF; Rusty Staub, 1B; , 2B; Glenn Vaughn, 3B; Sonny Jackson, SS; and Jerry Grote, C. None of the play- ers were older than 22 years of age, while five of the nine players were under 20. Joe Morgan had just turned 20 eight days prior to the historic game. The Colts starting was Jay Dahl, an 18-year old who would be making his only big league appearance in the 10-3 Houston loss. Everyone in the line up except Dahl and Staub played in San Antonio with the Bullets. Grote and Wynn played for San Antonio only in 1963. Jackson, Morgan, and Vaughn were on the 1964 Texas League Champion Bullets squad. Aaron Pointer was with both teams while Brock Davis spent 1963, 1964 and 1969 with San Antonio. While many of the players had fine seasons with San Antonio, Jimmy Wynn's stats for 1963 might be the most amazing. In only 78 Texas League games, the "Toy Cannon" had 15 doubles, 11 triples, and 16 home runs. 8 9 Dickey-Stephens Park Texas League Championships: 8; 400 W. Broadway 1966*, 1971, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1989, North Little Rock, AR 72114 2001, 2008 (501) 664-1555 *Texas League CO-Champions (501) 664-1834 FAX [email protected] MLB Affiliate: www.travs.com (2017)

Radio Station: Visiting Team Hotel: KARN ...... 920 AM Crowne Plaza Hotel Webcast: sportsanimal 920.com 201 S. Shackleford Rd. Broadcaster . . . . Steven Davis Little Rock, AR 72211 Contact: Kerry Thompson Years in Texas League: Office: (501) 975-6803 1966 - present Fax: (501) 537-2334 e-mail: [email protected]

Administrative Staff: President ...... Russ Meeks General Manager ...... Paul Allen Assistant General Manager ...... Rusty Meeks Director of Broadcasting ...... Steven Davis Director of Finance ...... Patti Clark Director of Food and Beverage ...... Ben Hornbrook Assistnant Director of Food and Beverage ...... Hunter Johnston Director of Tickets ...... Chris Fleischmann Director of In-Game Entertainment...... Tommy Adam Director of Marketing ...... Lance Restum Director of Stadium Operations ...... Andrew Heideman Controller ...... Brad Eagle Corporate Event Planner...... John Sjobeck Corporate Event Planner...... Sophie Ozier Corporate Event Planner...... Montag Genser Director of Luxury Suites ...... Emily Mastalski Park Superintendent ...... Greg Johnston Assistant Park Superintendent ...... Reggie Temple Receptionist ...... Jean Belken Ballpark Pup ...... Dizzy Johnson

10 Arkansas Travelers DICKEY-STEPHENS PARK

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 332'; CF 400'; RF 330' Box Seats...... $13.00 Seating Capacity ...... 5,842 Reserve Adult ...... $9.00 Year Opened ...... 2007 Reserve Child ...... $6.00 Directions: I-30 to Broadway exit. Proceed Adult GA...... $7.00 west to ballpark, which is at Broadway and Child GA (14 & under) ...... $5.00 Main Street. Arkansas Travelers Manager Mitch Canham Manager Mitch Canham, 34, a former Texas League player takes over as the Travs field boss after leading Class-A Modesto the past two summers. In 2017, Modesto won the Championship and Canham was named the league's Manager of the Year. Canham's first year as a manager in 2016, he led Class- A Clinton to 86 wins and into the Midwest League . Across three seasons as a skipper he has compiled a 222-198 record, good for a .529 with two playoff appearances and one league title.

Canham’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 2016 Clinton Lumber Kings Midwest Seattle 86-54 2017 California Seattle 74-66 2018 Modesto Nuts California Seattle 62-78 Total 222-198

11 Seattle Mariners

Director of Player Development: Seattle Mariners Farm System: Andy McKay AAA ...... Tacoma Rainers Seattle Mariners AA ...... Arkansas Travelers 1250 First Avenue South A ...... West Virgina Power Seattle, WA 98134 Rookie...... Everett Aquasox Rookie ...... Arizona Summer League Roving Instructors: Rookie .... Mike Micucci ...... Head of Minor League Operations Spring Training Address: . . . . . Field Coordinator Seattle Mariners ...... Special Assistant Peoria Sports Complex Pete Harnish...... Special Assistant 16101 N. 83rd Ave. Dan Wilson ...... Special Assistant Peoria, AZ 85382 Tony Arnerich. Asst. Hitting/Catching (623) 773-8700 Hugh Quattlebaum Hitting Coorinator Max Weiner. . . . . Pitching Coorinator ...... Pitching Strategist Jarret DeHart ...... Hitting Strategist Rob Fumagalli Performance Specialist David Franco . . . . . Peak Performance Jimmy Van Ostrand Peak Performance Arkansas Travelers Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Kyle Wilson

Coach Athletic Trainer Andy Bissell B. J. Downie Did You Know?....that according to past history, if you want to see a nine- no-hitter in the Texas League, you should reserve a ticket somewhere in the cir- cuit for Tuesday, August 11? Based on an analysis of the league's 111 nine in- ning-plus no-hitters, that date represents the next time all the star-crossed odds and chances align again. Tuesday is the most common day of the week (20 no- hitters), August the most common month (30), and the 11th is the most common date (9). In fact, August 11 represents the specific date on which five Texas League no-hitters have been tossed. Luis Arroyo of the Houston Buffs no- Dallas 3-0 on August 11, 1954, the last time a nine-inning no-hitter occurred on that date. The other four were Joe Berry, Tulsa (1-0 vs Oklahoma City, 1942); Buck Harris, San Antonio (6-0 vs. Dallas, 1907); Rudy Schmenck, Fort Worth (13-0 vs Dallas, 1904); and H. Conover, Dallas (8-0 vs Ft. Worth, 1903). The most recent Texas League no-hitter of nine or more was a perfect game thrown by a trio of Frisco hurlers, A. J. Murray, and Scott Feld- man, on July 28, 2005, when they beat Corpus Christi 3-0. Happily, in 2013 August 11 falls on a Sunday with a full schedule of games.

12 Arkansas Travelers 2018 Statistics

13 Years in Texas League: 734 E. Port Ave. 1958-59; 2005 – present Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Texas League Championships: 2; (361) 561-4665 1958, 2006 (361) 561-4666 FAX MLB Affiliate: www.cchooks.com (2005) [email protected] Visiting Team Hotel: Holiday Inn Marina Downtown Radio Station: 707 N. Shoreline Dr. KKTX ...... 1360 AM Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Broadcaster . . . . . Michael Coffin, Contact: Juanita Gallegos Gene Kasprzyk, Dominic Cotroneo Office: (361) 882-1700 e-mail: [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Houston Astros Owner and Chairman...... President of Houston Astros Business Operations ...... Senior Director of Houston Astros Business Operations...... Dan O’Neill Corpus Christi Hooks President ...... Ken Schrom General Manager ...... Wes Weigle Senior Director, Finance ...... Kim Harris Senior Director, Stadium Operations ...... Jeremy Sturgeon Director, Media Relations & Broadcasting...... Michael Coffin Director, Marketing...... JD Davis Manager, Accounting ...... Jessica Fearn Manager, Marketing...... Carly Boatwright Manager, Customer Service...... Brett Howley Manager, Ballpark Entertainment ...... Amy Johnson Manager, Business Development: ...... Diana Sleep Manager, Retail ...... Rudy Soliz Coordinator, Special Events & Operations ...... Jorden Klaevemann Coordinator, Sponsorship & Fulfillment ...... Kayley O’Brien Coordinator, Communications ...... Dan Reiner Coordinator, Community Outreach ...... Courtney Merritt Coordinator, Ticket Operations ...... Kristina Solis Head Groundskeeper ...... Andrew Batts Account Executive...... Amanda Boman Account Executive ...... Sean Phelan Account Executive...... Chanelle Oberly Stadium Operations ...... Michael Shedd Manager, Clubhouse ...... Marcus Tramp

14 Corpus Christi Hooks WHATABURGER FIELD

Tickets Stadium Info Mon-Wed Thu & Sun Fri-Sat Dimensions . . LF 325'; CF 400'; RF 315' Premium Reserverd . . $15.00 $16.00 $20.00 Seating Capacity ...... 5,362 Field Reserve...... $14.00 $15.00 $18.00 Year Opened ...... 2005 Reserved ...... $13.00 $14.00 $16.00 Directions: I-37 South to Corner Box ...... $11.00 $12.00 $14.00 Bayfront/Shoreline exit left on GA ...... $7.00 $8.00 $10.00 Chaparral to East Port Avenue. Turn $2.00 to $3.00 discount on most tickets when left at East Port. Stadium is on the purchased in advance. right.

Corpus Christi Hooks Manager Omar Lopez Reigning Texas League Manager of the Year Omar Lopez will lead the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2019.Last year marked Lopez's first season at the helm of the Hooks. He guided Corpus Christi to a Double-A best 82-56 record as the club claimed both and second half titles in the Texas League South. The Hooks' .594 winning percentage ranked as the third-best mark in team history. Lopez, the seventh field chief in the 15-year his- tory of the Hooks, enters his 21st campaign in the Houston or- ganization, and his 12th as a minor-league skipper. Lopez’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 2007 VSL Astros Venezuelan Houston 48-22 2008 VSL Astros Venezuelan Houston 37-31 2009 GCL Astros Gulf Coast Houston 18-38 2010 GCL Astros Gulf Coast Houston 20-36 2011 Greeneville Appalachian Houston 25-43 2012 Greeneville Appalachian Houston 36-32 2013 Quad Cities Midwest Houston 81-57 2014 Quad Cities Midwest Houston 70-69 2015 Lancaster California Houston 75-65 2016 Quad Cities Midwest Houston 61-78 2017 Buies Creek Carolina Houston 74-65 2018 Corpus Christi Texas Houston 82-56 Totals 627-592

15 Houston Astros Director of Player Development: Houston Farm System: Pete Putila AAA...... Houston Astros AA ...... Corpus Christi Hooks P. O. Box 288. A ...... Houston, TX 77001 A ...... Quad City River Bandits (713) 259-8000 A ...... Tri-City Valley Cats Rookie ...... Gulf Coast Astros Roving Instructors: Rookie ....Dominican Summer League ...... Pitching Coordinator Jeremy Barnes...... Hitting Coordinator Spring Training Address: Mark Bailey ...... Catching Coordinator The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches Jason Bell...... Fundamentals 5444 Haverhill Rd. West Palm Beach, FL 33407 (844) 676-2017

Corpus Christi Hooks Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Athletic Trainer Graham Johnson Tim Lamonte Christian Bermudez

Strength and Conditioning Coach Performance Coach Terrence Kennell Ryan Engles

Did You Know?....that former Texas League pitcher Lloyd Brown was the only Major League pitcher to give up two of 's record 23 career grand slams? Brown, a native of Beeville, Texas, who pitched for Wichita Falls in 1924 and 1925, went on to 12 years in the major leagues, winning a total of 91 games for six different clubs. Nicknamed "Gimpy", Brown's best seasons came in 1930-32 when he won 16, 15, and 15 games for the Washington Sena- tors managed by the great .

16 Corpus Christi Hooks 2018 Statistics

17 Frisco RoughRiders Dr Pepper Ballpark Texas League Championships:1; 7300 RoughRiders Trail 2004 Frisco, TX 75034 (972) 731-9200 MLB Affiliate : (972) 731-5355 FAX (2003) www.ridersbaseball.com [email protected] Visiting Team Hotel: Comfort Inn and Suites Game Day Audio: 9700 Dallas Parkway www.RidersBaseball.com Frisco, Texas 75033 Broadcaster . . . .Ryan Rouillard Contact: Kelli McGaughey Office: (972) 668-9700 Years in Texas League: Fax: (972) 668-9701 2003 - present e-mail:[email protected]

Administrative Staff: General Partner & CEO ...... Chuck Greenberg Ticket Sales Coordinator ...... Rachel Bilke President & GM ...... Andy Milovich Ticket Sales Coordinator ...... Skylor Rodriguez Chief Operating Officer ...... Scott Burchett Ticket Sales Coordinator ...... Sydney Peterson Chief Sales Officer ...... John Alper Ticket Sales Coordinator ...... Amanda Standley Chief Financial Officer ...... Bernie Miller Director of Human Resources ...... Kenya Allen AVP, Partner & Events Services Kathryne Buckley Customer Service Agent ...... Claudia Kipp Director, Partner Services ...... David Kosydar Customer Service Agent ...... Vicki Sohn Partner Services Coordinator ...... Jenny Katlein Director, Ticket Operations ...... Stephen Christ Partner Services Coordinator . . . . .Alexis Summers Director of Marketing ...... Jennifer Johnson VP, Ticket Sales & Services ...... Ross Lansford Media & Marketing Coordinator . . . .Krystin King Senior Director, Ticket Sales & Services . . .David Dwyer Graphic Design Coordinator ...... Duncan Stanley Premium Corporate Sales Manager ...... Tyler Ellis Manager, Game Entertainment . . . . .Jordan Gracey Premium Group Sales Manager . . . . .Monica Man VP, Community Development & Executive Senior Corporate Sales Manager ...... Tom Baker Director of RoughRiders Foundation . .Breon Dennis Corporate Sales Executive ...... Andrew Dance Radio Broadcaster, Communications Assistant Corporate Sales Executive ...... Annie Millay ...... Ryan Rouillard Corporate Sales Executive ...... Crystal Vasquez Senior Director, Sports Turf ...... David Bicknell Corporate Sales Executive ...... Jamaal Wilkins VP, Ballpark Operations ...... Tim Arseneau Group Sales Executive ...... Nate Doederlein Operations Coordinator ...... Ryan Wojdula Group Sales Executive ...... Alex Sandborn Maintenance Director ...... Alfonso Bailon Group Sales Executive ...... Trevor Rolofson Merchandise Manager ...... Courtney Ward Group Sales Executive ...... Cameron Pipes Game Entertainment Production Coordinator ...... Briana Santiago

18 Frisco RoughRiders DR PEPPER BALLPARK

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 335'; CF 409'; RF 335' Homeplate ...... $19.00 Seating Capacity ...... 10,216 , 1st & 3rd base ...... $13.00 Year Opened ...... 2003 Bullpen, 1st base ...... $9.00 Directions: The ballpark is at the north- Grass Berm...... $7.00 east corner of Dallas North Tollway and State Hwy121. Frisco RoughRiders Manager Joe Mikulik

Mikulik is heading into his fifth season with the RoughRiders, making him the longest-tenured manager in team history. Through his first four seasons in Frisco, he holds a 243-315 record. 2019 marks Mikulik's 21st season as a Minor League manager and his sixth in the Rangers organization.

Mikulik’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 1997 Burlington Appalachian Cleveland 10-5 1998 Burlington Appalachian Cleveland 31-36 2000 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 66-69 2001 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 68-71 2002 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 64-74 2003 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 74-65 2004 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 64-75 2005 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 71-67 2006 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 74-63 2007 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 80-58 2008 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 83-56 2009 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 68-70 2010 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 69-70 2011 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 69-70 2012 Ashville South Atlantic Colorado 88-52 2014 Myrtle Beach Carolina Texas 82-56 2015 Frisco Texas Texas 60-79 2016 Frisco Texas Texas 63-76 2017 Frisco Texas Texas 60-80 2018 Frisco Texas Texas 60-80 Total 1304-1272 19 Texas Rangers

Director of Player Development: Texas Farm System: Matt Blood AAA ...... Texas Rangers AA ...... Frisco RoughRiders 1000 Ballpark Way A ...... Arlington, TX 76011 A...... (817) 273-5228 A...... Rookie ...... Arizona Summer Leauge Roving Instructors: Rookie ....Dominican Summer League Corey Ragsdale...... Field Coordinator Josue Perez...... Hitting Coordinator Spring Training Address: ...... Pitching Coordinator Texas Rangers Jeff Andrews ...... Asst. Pitching Coor. Surprise Recreation Campus Kenny Holmberg ..Infield Coordinator 15754 North Bullard Ave. ...... Asst. Hitting/OF Surprise, AZ 85374 Mark Connor ...Special Asst., Pitching (623) 266-8100 Keith Comstock ...... Pitching Rehab Jason Roberts...... Medical Napoleon Pichardo...... Strength

Frisco RoughRiders Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Greg Hibbard

Athletic Trainer Strength and Conditioning Coach Wade Lamont Did You Know?....that in 1912 Dallas Giants right-handed throwing 1B Cy Forsythe had been a left handed pitcher until his arm gave ? The story may never have come to light had "Chick" Edmiston not come to the Texas League to play for Beaumont. Forsythe and Edmiston had been teammates in Illinois some years earlier where it was reported that Forsythe was one of the best in the league. One day, an accident occurred and Forsythe threw his arm out of commission. He was so disabled that his left arm was useless for throw- ing again. Forsythe began throwing with his right arm, believing that he could return to the mound as a right-hander. It was a year before he built up his right arm well enough to return to baseball. He joined Dallas in 1911 hitting .317 in 147 games. He followed that with another solid season in 1912, hitting .320 and 47 extra-base hits in 142 games. The left-handed swinger hit over .300 his first six seasons as a (1909-'14) despite having to wear a brace on his injured left shoulder.

20 Frisco RoughRiders 2018 Statistics

21 Midland RockHounds Security Bank Ballpark Texas League Championships: 7; 5514 N. Champions Dr. 1975*, 2005, 2009, 2014, Midland, TX 79706 2015, 2016, 2017 (432) 520-2255 *Declared Co-Champions (432) 520-8326 FAX www.midlandrockhounds.org MLB Affiliate: [email protected] (1999)

Radio Station: Visiting Team Hotel: KCRS ...... 550 AM, 95.7 & 97.7 FM Springhill Suites by Marriott Broadcaster...... Bob Hards 5716 Deauville Blvd Midland, TX 78706 Years in Texas League: Contacts: Megan Sanchez 1972 - present Office: (432) 695-6870 Fax: (432) 695-6880 e-mail: [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Owner/President ...... E. Miles Prentice Owner/Vice President ...... Bob Richmond General Manager...... Monty Hoppel Assistant General Manager...... Jeff Von Holle Assistant General Manager/Operations...... Ray Fieldhouse Assistant General Manager/Marketing & Tickets ...... Jamie Richardson Director of Ticketing/Office Manager ...... Jordan Loya Director of Marketing ...... Matt Bari Director of Sales ...... Matthew Barnett Sales Executive...... Mike Castillo Director of Business Operations ...... Eloisa Galvan Director of Community Relations...... Rachael DiLeonardo Director of Client Services/Sports Complex Marketing ...... Shelly Haenggi Director of Broadcasting & Publications ...... Bob Hards Home Clubhouse Manager ...... Vernon Koslow Media Relations Coordinator ...... Nathan Hymel Assistant Office/Ticket Manager ...... Jordan Loya Assistant Concessions Manager...... Al Melville Visiting Clubhouse Manager ...... Seth Miller Head Groundskeeper ...... Eric Peckham Game Entertainment & Video Board Coordinator ...... Russ Pinkerton Director of Operations ...... Cannon Schrank Game and Entertainment Assistant ...... Jess Knaster Assistant Director of Operations...... Nathan Weissman

22 Midland RockHounds SECURITY BANK BALLPARK

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 330'; CF 410'; RF 322' Club ...... $16.00 Seating Capacity ...... 4,709 Box Seats ...... $12.00 Year Opened ...... 2002 Reserved Seats ...... $10.00 Directions: Corner of Loop 250 and Grass Berm...... $8.00 Highway 191. Children (3-12), seniors and members of the military can receive $1.00 off the listed price for reserved or berm seating.

Midland RockHounds Manager Scott Steinmann Scott Steinmann returns for his second season with the Rock- Hounds. He joined the A's organization after spending 17 sea- sons as a coach and manager in the Seattle Mariners' farm system. His tenure with Seattle included nine managerial sea- sons, from the Rookie level up to Double-A, where he led the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Jackson, Tennessee) to a first half division pennant in the Southern League in 2008. The 45-year-old Ohio native (he was born in Cincinnati) played college baseball at University (Oxford, OH) and was signed by the Seattle Mariners as a non-drafted free agent on August 3, 1995.

Steinmann’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 2003 AZL Mariners Arizona Seattle 30-23 2004 AZL Mariners Arizona Seattle 31-26 2005 Wisconsin Midwest Seattle 76-63 2007 High Desert California Seattle 54-86 2008 West Tennessee Southern Seattle 70-68 2009 Clinton Midwest Seattle 69-68 2011 Everett Northwest Seattle 37-39 2014 Clinton Midwest Seattle 61-77 2015 Clinton Midwest Seattle 46-93 2017 Beloit Midwest Oakland 65-73 2018 Midland Texas Oakland 68-71 Totals 607-687

23 Oakland Athletics

Director of Player Development: Oakland Farm System: Keith Lieppman AAA...... Aviators Oakland Athletics AA...... Midland RockHounds 160 East 6th Street A...... Mesa, AZ 85201 A...... (480) 949-5951 A...... Vermont Lake Monsters Rookie ...... Arizona Summer Leauge Roving Instructors: Rookie ...... DR Summer League I &II Gil Patterson...... Pitching Jim Eppard ...... Hitting Spring Training Address: Steve Scarsone...... Defense Lew Wolff Training Complex Craig Lefferts...... Pitching Rehab 160 East 6th Place Ed Sprague...... Instructor Mesa, AZ 85201 (480) 387-5800

Midland RockHounds Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Athletic Trainer Steve Connelly Tommy Everidge Justin Whitehouse

Strength and Conditioning Coach Coach Omar Aguilar

Did You Know?....that William S. "Alec" Alexander established the Texas League record of having the longest span of time between first and last TL appearances at 34 seasons (1895-1929)? In a somewhat related matter, pitcher Homer Price Rainey, who left after one TL season to follow a path that would lead him to be- come the President of the University of Texas and a candidate for governor, holds the loop record for most seasons between two Texas League appearances with twenty years. The former Austin College star formally hung up his spikes after the 1919 season, but was asked, as a publicity stunt, to pitch in a Texas League game again in 1939. Other lengthy absences between TL games include Jim Mur- ray with 17 years between (1899-1916), Ducky Medwick with 16 years (1932- 1948), and 15 years each for (1923-1938) and Harry Ables (1910-1925, also a publicity stunt).

24 Midland RockHounds 2018 Statistics

25 NW Arkansas Naturals MLB Affiliate: 3000 Gene George BlvdKansas City Royals (1995) Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 927-4900 Visiting Team Hotel: (479) 756-8088 FAX The Hampton Inn & www.nwanaturals.com Holiday Inn Springdale [email protected] 1500 S. 48th St. Springdale, AR 72762 Radio Station: Rickey Sinks & Mario Coleman KQSM 92.1 The Ticket Office: (479) 872-5920 Broadcaster .....Benjamin Kelly Fax: (479) 872-8300 e-mail: Years in Texas League: [email protected] 2008 - present [email protected]

Texas League Championships:1; 2010

Administrative Staff: Principal Owner...... Rich Products Corp. Chairman...... Robert Rich, Jr. President/Rich Entertainment...... Melinda Rich President/Rich Baseball ...... Mike Buczkowski Vice President/COO...... Joseph Segarra Vice President/General Manager ...... Justin Cole Director, Ballpark Operations ...... Jeff Windle Director, Business ...... Morgan Helmer Director , Marketing and Public Relations ...... Dustin Dethlefs Director, Sales ...... Mark Zaiger Ticket Office Manager...... Sam Ahern Senior Account Executive ...... Brad Ziegler Account Executive ...... Matt Fanning Account Executive ...... Trey Garner Account Executive...... Josh Hill Promotions Coordinator ...... Roxanne Grundmeier Account Executive/Event Coordinator…...... Spencer Lundquist Creative Services Coordinator…...... Adam Annaratone Head Groundskeeper ...... Brock White Ballpark Operations Assistant ...... Corey Lewis Business Department Assistant...... Sara Giesen Radio Broadcaster...... Benjamin Kelly Clubhouse Manager ...... Danny Helmer

26 NW Arkansas Naturals ARVEST BALLPARK

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 327; CF 400'; RF 325' Home Plate Super Premium . . . . $14.75 Seating Capacity ...... 6,500 Super Premium ...... $13.75 Year Opened ...... 2008 Dugout Premium...... $11.75 Directions: I-49 to U.S. 412 (Sunset 1B/3B Reserved ...... $9.75 Ave). Left on Gene George Blvd. Grass Berm ...... $8.75

NW Arkansas Naturals Manager Darryl Kennedy Kennedy, takes the reins of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals - be- coming just the fourth field manager in franchise history - after serving as the manager for the (Advanced- A) in 2018. He has been a mainstay in the Royals organization serv- ing in a managerial role within the farm system since the 2007 season. He previously managed with Surprise (2010-2013, 2015- 2017) along with stints in Wilmington (2008, 2014, and 2018), Burlington (2007) and Idaho Falls (2009). Kennedy’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 1998 GCL Rangers Gulf Coast Texas 34-26 1999 GCL Rangers Gulf Coast Texas 37-23 2000 GCL Rangers Gulf Coast Texas 38-18 2001 Charlotte Florida State Texas 67-70 2002 Charlotte Florida State Texas 84-56 2003 Spokane Northwest Texas 50-26 2004 Spokane Northwest Texas 41-35 2005 Frisco Texas Texas 58-82 2006 Frisco Texas Texas 72-68 2007 Burlington Appalachian Kansas City 38-30 2008 Wilmington Carolina Kansas City 69-71 2009 Idaho Falls Pioneer Kansas City 43-31 2010 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 31-25 2011 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 22-34 2012 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 23-32 2013 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 22-33 2014 Wilmington Carolina Kansas City 65-72 2015 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 40-16 2016 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 31-24 2017 AZL Royals Arizona Kansas City 26-30 2018 Wilmington Carolina Kansas City 68-72 27

Director of Player Development: J.J. Picollo Kansas City Royals Kansas City Farm System: One Royal Way AAA ...... Kansas City, MO 64129 AA ...... Northwest Arkansas Naturals (816) 729-4115 A ...... Wilmington Blue Rocks A ...... Lexington Legends Roving Instructors: A...... Chino Cadahia .....Senior Coordinator Rookie...... Eddie Rodriguez...... Fielding Coord. Rookie...... Surprise Royals ...... Pitching Rookie ....Dominican Summer League ...... Pitching Andre David ...... Hitting Spring Training Address: J.C. Boscan...... Catching Kansas City Royals Dave Iannicca...... Medical Surprise Recreation Campus John Wagle ...... Strength 15850 N. Bullard Ave. Surprise, AZ 85374 (623) 222-2222

Northwest Arkansas Naturals Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Athletic Trainer Doug Henry Abraham Nunez Justin Kemp

Bench Coach Strength and Conditioning Coach Nelson Liriano Jarret Abell

Did You Know?....that future Texas League hurler Orville Armbrust's only major league victory, a 5-3 Washington win over New York, came on the day that played his final game in Yankee pinstripes? Armbrust, who would never appear in another major league game, drifted to the Texas League where he toiled in 1936-38, posting a 17-28 record for three league clubs. In three games for the Senators in 1934, Armbrust had a 2.13 ERA and pitched 12.2 innings is- suing only 10 hits and three walks.

28 NW Arkansas Naturals 2018 Statistics

29 Texas League Championships: 1; 955 E. Trafficway2012 Springfield, MO 65802 (417) 863-0395MLB Affiliate : (417) 863-0388 FAX St. Louis Cardinals (2005) www.springfieldcardinals.com [email protected] Visiting Team Hotel: The University Plaza Hotel Radio Station: 333 John Q Hammons Parkway KWTO...... Jock 98.7 FM Springfield, MO 65806 Broadcasters...... Andrew Buchbinder Contact: Leigh Anne Garren Office: (417) 864-7333 Years in Texas League: Fax: (417) 831-5893 FAX 2005 - present e-mail: [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Vice President/General Manager ...... Dan Reiter Vice President/Baseball & Business Operations ...... Scott Smulczenski Manager of Market Development ...... Brad Beattie Manager of Premium Sales & Marketing ...... Zack Pemberton Senior Premium Sles Account Executive...... Teresa Calhoun Manager of Ticket Sales ...... Eric Tomb Office Coordinator ...... Christy Berryman Office Coordinator ...... Sheila Driemeyer Senior Community Marketing Coordinator ...... Garrison Pendergrass Community Marketing Coordinator...... Jake Burch Community Marketing Coordinator...... Kaleb Follis Community Marketing Coordinator ...... Todd Wright Community Marketing Associate ...... Randall Owens Broadcaster & Public Relations Manager ...... Andrew Buchbinder Senior Marketing & Event Coordinator ...... Regina Norris Public Releations Coordinator ...... Matt Turer Manager of Production & Promotions ...... Kent Shelton Graphic Designer ...... T.J. Patton Director of Ticket Operations ...... Angela Deke Membership Coordinator...... Ross Fuller Director of Stadium Operations ...... Aaron Lowery Director of Field Operations...... Brock Phipps Assistant Groundskeeper ...... Derek Edwards

30 Springfield Cardinals HAMMONS FIELD

Stadium Info Tickets Sun-Wed Thu-Sat Dimensions . . . LF 315'; CF 400'; RF 330' SpringNet Champions Club . . $48.00 . . . $49.00 Seating Capacity ...... 6,750 Expedia Redbird Roost . . . $28.00 . . . $29.00 Year Opened ...... 2004 Big Mac Land ...... $28.00 . . . $29.00 Directions: Chestnut Expressway exit. Diamond Box ...... $16.00 . . . $17.00 Turn right on Chestnut Expressway, Dugout Box ...... $13.00 . . . $14.00 left on National, right on Trafficway to Field Box ...... $10.00 . . . $11.00 Hammons Field. Homers Landing ...... $10.00 . . . $11.00 Springifeld Cardinals Manager Joe Kruzel Kruzel enters his 12th season with the Cardinals and seventh year as a manager within the organization, most recently leading the State College Spikes (Short-A) to a 36-40 record in the New York-Penn League. Kruzel has led his teams to two postseason appearances as a manager within the Cardinals organization and holds a career managerial record of 369-340, including one season (2007) as a manager of the Billings Mustangs while with the organization.

Kruzel’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 2007 Billings Pioneer Cincinnati 37-38 2013 Johnson City Appalachian St. Louis Cardinals 36-31 2014 Peoria Midwest St. Louis Cardinals 72-67 2015 Peoria Midwest St. Louis Cardinals 75-63 2016 Peoria Midwest St. Louis Cardinals 73-66 2017 State College New York-Penn New York 40-35 2018 State College New York-Penn New York 36-40 Totals 369-340

31 St. Louis Cardinals

Director of Minor League Operations: St. Louis Farm System: Gary LaRocque AAA...... St. Louis Cardinals AA ...... Springfield Cardinals 700 Clark Street A ...... Palm Beach Cardinals St. Louis, MO 63102 A ...... Peoria Chiefs (314) 345-9600 A ...... State College Spikes R ...... Johnson City Cardinals Roving Instructors: R ...... Palm Beach Cardinals Mark DeJohn . . . . . Field Coordinator R ...... Dominican Summer League Chris Swauger...... R ...... Venezuelan Summer League ...... Asst. Field Coordinator Tim Leveque ...... Spring Training Address: ...... Senior Pitching Coordinator Cardinals Complex George Greer . . . Offensive Strategist 4795 University Blvd. Jupiter, FL 33458 (561) 775-1818

Springifeld Cardinals Coaching Staff

Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Assistant Coach/Scout Darwin Marrero Brandon Allen Nick Longmire

Athletic Trainer Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Whitman Dan Vega

Did You Know?....that in the modern history of the Texas League there have been eight men who have been 20-game winners in both the Texas League and the Major Leagues? The first was little Dickey Kerr who was 21-10 for Ft. Worth in 1915, then posting a 21-9 record for the White Sox in 1920. Kerr joined the ChiSox in 1919 and was a valuable contributor on the eventual championship club with a 13-7 record. The diminutive left-handed was one of the honest men playing in the tainted 1919 , winning both his starts, including a 3-0 shutout in game three. The next Texas Leaguer to turn the feat was who posted a fantastic 26-10 mark for Houston in 1931, then went on to win twenty or more games for the St. Louis Cardinals four times. of the Houston Buffs is the only one of the eight to have had two 20-win sea- sons in the TL and two or more 20-win seasons in the "big". After going 20-7 in 1940 and 20-3 in 1941, the Cardinal lefty led the in wins in 1946 with a 21-10 mark, then posted 20-9 mark for the Card's in 1949.

32 Springfield Cardinals 2018 Statistics

33 ONEOK Field Texas League Championships: 9; 201 N. Elgin 1936, 1949, 1960*, 1962*,1963* Tulsa, OK 74120 1982, 1988, 1998, 2018 (918) 744-5998 *Texas League Co-Champions (918) 747-3267 FAX (918) 744-5901 Tickets Years in Texas League: www.tulsadrillers.com 1933-42; 1946-65; 1977- present [email protected] MLB Affiliate: (2015)

Radio Station: Visiting Team Hotel KTBZ ...... 1430 AM Marriott Tulsa Southern Hills Broadcaster ...... Dennis Higgins 1902 E. 71st Street Tulsa, OK 74136 Contact: Dylan Kinkead Main Number: (918) 523-2549 Email: [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Co-Chairman...... Dale Hubbard Account Executive ...... Cameron Gordon Co-Chairman...... Jeff Hubbard Ticket Sales Assistant...... Justin Perkins President/GM ...... Mike Melega Ticket Sales Assistant...... Corey Wilson Executive VP/Assistant GM ..Jason George Ticket Sales Assistant...... Nick Hill V.P., Public Relations ...... Brian Carroll Ticket Sales Assistant ...... Jake Plotkin V.P., Sales & Analytics.....Eric Newendrop Ticket Sales Assistant ...... Dadani Carreno V.P., Stadium Operations ...... Mark Hilliard Social Media/Marketing Asst. ....Reo Radford Executive Assistant ...... Lynda Davis Public/Media Relations Asst. .Mark Verace Director of Marketing...... Justin Gorski Promotions Assistant...... Alex Kossakoski Director of Merchandise ...... Tom Jones Merchandise Assistant ...... Jordan Herzog Director, Video Production...... Jeromy Otter Video Production .....Alan Davidson Director, Food & Beverage..Robert Founds Mascot Coordinator ...... Nathan Sidey Asst. Dir., Food and Beverage.Nikki Evans Bookkeper ...... Jenna Savill Ticket Sales Manager ...... Joanna Hubbard Assistant Bookkeper...... Katie Martin Facilities Manager ...... Stevelan Hamilton Catering Manager ...... Amanda Coe Stadium Operations Manager ...... Executive Assistant ...... Jordan Saia ...... Marshall Schellhardt Group Sales Executive...... Robin Flores Head Groundskeeper ...... Gary Shepherd Account Executive ...... Katy Pace Graphic Design/Social Media Mgr Ticket Ops. Assistant...... Katie Revlett ...... Danielle Hepburn Ticket Ops. Assistant ...... Jack Long Community Relations Manager ...... Executive Chef...... Aloha Manahan ...... Taylor Levacy Account Executive ...... Phil Sodoti

34 Tulsa Drillers ONEOK FIELD

Stadium Info Tickets Dimensions . . . LF 330'; CF 400'; RF 307' Club Seats ...... $36.00 Seating Capacity ...... 7,833 Home Plate Premium ...... $16.00 Year Opened ...... 2010 Dugout Premium...... $13.00 Directions: Take I-244 to the Cincin- Dugout Reserved...... $12.00 nati/Detroit Exit (6A). Go south on Field Premium ...... $11.00 Cincinnati Ave to Brady St., Go east two Field Reserved ...... $10.00 blocks to Elgin Ave. Terrace ...... $8.00 Lawn/GA ...... $7.00 Add $1.00 per seat on Friday & Saturday

Tulsa Drillers Manager Scott Hennessey The 2019 season will be Hennessey's third in Tulsa. He made his managerial debut with the Drillers in July of 2017 and led the team to a second-half title and eventually to a spot in the Texas League Championship Series where they lost a hard- fought five-game series to Midland.Last year marked Hen- nessey's first full season with the club, and he led the Drillers to a 74-65 regular season record and another second-half title. The Drillers again advanced to the Texas League Champi- onship Series where they swept San Antonio in three straight games to claim the franchise's first league title in two decades. Hennessey’s Managerial Record YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORD 2017 Tulsa Texas Los Angeles Dodgers 27-13 2018 Tulsa Texas Los Angeles Dodgers 74-65

Totals 101-78

35 Los Angeles Dodgers

Director of Player Development: Los Angeles Dodgers Farm System: Will Rhymes AAA ...... Los Angeles Dodgers AA...... Tulsa Drillers A...... 1000 Elysian Park Avenue A...... Los Angeles, CA 90012 Rookie ...... Ogden Raptors (323) 224-1507 Rookie ...... Arizona Summer League Rookie ....Dominican Summer League Roving Instructors: Matt McGrath...... Director of Minor League Operations Spring Training Address: Clayton McCullough..Field Coordinator Camelback Ranch – Glendale Bill Haselman...... Hitting 10110 West Camelback Road Chris Fetter...... Pitching Phoenix, AZ 85037 Don Alexander ...... Pitching (623) 302-5000 Travis Barbary ...... Catching Ryan Sienko ...... Assistant Catching Tarrik Brock...... /Baserunning Shaun Larkin ...... Skill Development

Tulsa Drillers Coaching Staff Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Technology/Development Coach Dave Borkowski Adam Melhuse Garrett Lloyd

Athletic Trainer Performance Coach Coach Kalie Swain Shaun Alexander Petie Montero

Did You Know?....that although he returned to the Texas League for only a short period of time, Dizzy Dean of Tulsa was selected as the in the 1940 Texas League All-Star Game by North Manager ? Dean pitched only one inning, yielding one hit while collecting a . "Ol' Diz" became the first player to appear in both the Major League All-Star Game (1934-37 with the National League) and the Texas League All-Star Game. Beaumont was the first TL All-Star to "graduate" from TL All-Star to Major League All-Star, playing in the inaugural Texas League game in 1936, then the 1942 game with the American League squad. Rogers Hornsby coached the American League All-Star team of 1935 before managing the North All-Stars in the TL game of 1940, but his Southern counterpart in 1940, Eddie Dyer, became the first man to manage both the Texas League and the Major League All-Star teams when he piloted the 1947 National League stars.

36 Tulsa Drillers 2018 Statistics

37 Texas League Umpires

Umpire Crew 1 Tyler OlsonJeffery Gorman Michael Carroll (Crew Chief)

Umpire Crew 2 Jose MatamorosKyle Wallace Luis Hernandez (Crew Chief)

38 Texas League Umpires

Umpire Crew 3 Andrew Stukel Justin Robinson Isaias Barba (Crew Chief)

Umpire Crew 4 Andrew BarrettBrian Walsh Darius Ghani (Crew Chief)

39 TEXAS LEAGUE MEDIA DIRECTORY

Texas League: Corpus Christi Hooks: NW Arkansas Naturals: Tim Purpua, President Michael Coffin Dustin Dethlefs (682) 316-4100 (361) 561-4687 (479) 927-4068 [email protected] (361) 561-4666 FAX (479) 756-8088 FAX www.texasleague.com (316) 561-4796 Press [email protected] [email protected] www.nwanaturals.com www.cchooks.com Amarillo Sod Poodles: Shane Philipps Frisco RoughRiders: Springfield Cardinals: (806) 803-7762 Ryan RouillardAndrew Buchbinder www.sodpoodles.com (972) 334-1930 (417) 832-30434 [email protected] (972) 731-5355 FAX (417) 863-0388 FAX [email protected] [email protected] Arkansas Travelers: www.ridersbaseball.com www.springfieldcardinals.com Lance Restum (501) 664-4555 Midland Rockhounds: Tulsa Drillers: (501) 664-1834 FAX Nathan Hymel Brian Carroll [email protected] (432) 520-2255 (918) 574-8304 www.travs.com (432) 520-8326 FAX (918) 747-3267 FAX [email protected] [email protected] www.midlandrockhounds.org www.tulsadrillers.com

AFFILIATED CONTACTS Baseball Affiliated Media BJ Schecter, Publisher Chris Lentine Jeff Lantz (800) 845-2726 (212) 485-3743 Public Relations Director (919) 682-2880 FAX [email protected] (727) 456-1703 (727) 821-5819 FAX [email protected]

COMMONLY REFERRED TO

RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Texas League Roster Limits: Texas League with the rules of the Texas League and Minor clubs may carry 25 active players for the entire League Baseball prior to the start of the first game championship season and post-season playoffs. of post-season play. Roster limits in the post sea- son will be 25. Clubs may substitute injured or 2. Suspended Game Rule: The Texas League disabled players on a position by position basis uses the Major League suspended game rule 4.12, at any time during any series. as printed in the Major League Rule Book. 5. Playoff Format: Should one team win both 3. Curfew: The Texas League has no official half seasons, they will play the team in their di- curfew. Clubs must honor any local curfew or vision with the next best overall record over the special time limit regulations. whole season. In this case the two half winner will host game 1, 2, and if neccessary, game 5. 4. Playoff Rosters: Any player shall be eligible to participate in post-season play as long as he is assigned to a participating club in accordance

40 CLUB MEDIA NUMBERS

Arkansas Travelers: Northwest Arkansas Naturals DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE ...... (501) 378-3411 Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Brooks Kubena)...... (281) 804-0363 (Chip Souza)...... (479) 872-5131 ...... Fax (501) 375-4521 E-Mail...... [email protected] E-Mail...... [email protected] (Paul Boyd)...... (479) 619-2565 RADIO – KARN - 920 AM ...... (501) 401-0200 E-Mail...... [email protected] TELEVISION Radio – KQSM 92.1 FM ...... (479) 521-5566 KARK (NBC) 4...... (501) 340-4525 TELEVISION KATV (ABC) 7 ...... (501) 324-7545 KFSM (CBS) 5 ...... (479) 783-3131 KTHV (CBS) 11...... (501) 244-4572 KHOG (ABC) 40/29...... (479) 631-4029 KLRT (FOX) 16...... (501) 217-4231 KNWA (NBC) 51...... (479) 571-5100 KFTA (FOX) 24 ...... (479) 571-5100

Corpus Christi Hooks: : CALLER-TIMES ...... (361) 886-3614 EXPRESS-NEWS ...... (210) 250-3370 ...... Fax (361) 885-0535 FAX (210) 250-3365 (Len Hayward)...... (361) 886-3747 E-Mail...... [email protected] (Quinton Martinez)...... (361) 886-3745 (Pat Turner)...... (214) 460-2599 RADIO – KKTX – 1360 AM...... (361) 289-0111 E-Mail ...... [email protected] KSIX Sports Radio 1220 AM...... (361) 882-5749 RADIO – KKYX 680 AM...... (210) 615-5400 KEYS 1440 AM ...... (361) 883-3516 TELEVISION TELEVISION WOAI (NBC) 4 ...... (210) 476-1025 KIII (ABC) 3 ...... (361) 986-8449 KSAT (ABC) 12...... (210) 351-1270 KRIS (NBC) 6 ...... (361) 884-6666 KENS (CBS) 5 ...... (210) 377-8653 KZTV (CBS) 10 ...... (361) 883-7070 KABB (FOX) 29...... (210) 442-6303 KORO (Univision) 28 ...... (361) 884-7847 KWEX (Univision) 41...... (210) 242-7462 KVDA (Telemundo) 60...... (210) 340-8860

Frisco RoughRiders Springfield Cardinals DALLAS MORNING NEWS SPORTS NEWS-LEADER...... (417) 836-1118 ...... (469) 330-5668 ...... FAX (417) 864-6677 TELEVISION RADIO – Jock 98.7 FM ...... (417) 862-5600 WFAA (ABC) 8 ...... (214) 977-6213 TELEVISION KTVT (CBS) 11 ...... (817) 496-7711 KYTV (NBC) 3 ...... (417) 268-3000 KXAS (NBC) 5 ...... (817) 654-6300 KSFX (FOX) 9 ...... (417) 862-2727 KDFW (Fox) 4 ...... (214) 720-3155 KOLR (CBS) 10...... (417) 862-1010

KDL (UPN) 15 ...... (417) 268-3000

KWBM (WB) 31 ...... (417) 336-0031

KSPR (ABC) 33 ...... (417) 268-3000

Midland RockHounds: Tulsa Drillers: REPORTER-TELEGRAM...... (432) 682-5311 WORLD...... (918) 581-8355 (Oscar LeRoy) ...... FAX (432) 570-7650 (Barry Lewis)...... Fax (918) 581-8352 E-Mail ...... [email protected] E-Mail...... [email protected] ODESSA AMERICAN ...... (432) 337-6262 RADIO – KTBZ 1430 AM...... (918) 388-5100 ...... Fax (432) 334-8641 TELEVISION (Lee Scheide)...... (432) 333-7787 KJRH (NBC) 2 ...... (918) 743-2222 E-Mail ...... [email protected] KOTV (CBS) 6...... (918) 732-6000 RADIO – KCRS 550 AM...... (432) 337-6262 KTUL (ABC) 8 ...... (918) 445-8888 TELEVISION KOKI (FOX) 23 ...... (918) 491-0023 KMID (ABC) 2 ...... (432) 563-4421 KOSA (CBS) 7...... (432) 580-6397 KWES (NBC) 9...... (432) 561-9991

41 2018 TEXAS LEAGUE STANDINGS

FIRST HALF WON LOST PCT. GB MANAGER NORTH DIVISION Arkansas ...... 35 35 .500 --- Northwest Arkansas ...... 35 35 .500 --- Mike Rojas Tulsa ...... 34 36 .486 1.0 Scott Hennessey Springfield...... 33 37 .471 2.0 Johnny Rodriguez

SOUTH DIVISION Corpus Christi ...... 43 26 .623 --- Omar Lopez San Antonio...... 42 28 .600 1.5 Phillip Wellman Midland ...... 33 36 .478 10.0 Scott Steinmann Frisco...... 24 46 .343 19.5 Joe Mikulik

SECOND HALF WON LOST PCT GB MANAGER NORTH DIVISION Tulsa...... 40 29 .580 --- Scott Hennessey Arkansas ...... 36 33 .522 4.0 Daren Brown Northwest Arkansas ...... 35 35 .500 5.5 Mike Rojas Springfield...... 27 42 .391 13.0 Johnny Rodriguez

SOUTH DIVISION Corpus Christi ...... 39 30 .565 --- Omar Lopez Frisco...... 36 34 .514 3.5 Joe Mikulik Midland ...... 35 35 .500 4.5 Scott Steinmann San Antonio...... 29 39 .426 9.5 Phillip Wellman

42 ALL TIME TEXAS LEAGUE WON-LOST RECORDS

This table shows the total games won and lost by each club which has ever been a member of the Texas League and includes all regular season games played to a decision. It also includes record for with the Mexican League, 1959-1961, and the Dixie Association, 1971.

Won Lost Pct Won Lost Pct Albuquerque 728 664 .523 Longview 53 64 .453 Alexandria 250 290 .463 Memphis 423 396 .516 Amarillo 1504 1528 .496 Midland 3126 3192 .495 Ardmore 42 66 .389 NW Arkansas 678 717 .486 Arkansas 3465 3668 .486 New Orleans 18 9 .667 Austin 1544 1722 .473 Oklahoma City 1822 2039 .472 Beaumont 3111 3453 .474 Paris 158 257 .381 Cleburne 77 49 .611 Rio Grande Valley 113 88 .562 Corpus Christi 1051 1063 .497 Round Rock 376 324 .537 Corsicana 199 160 .554 San Antonio 7689 7958 .491 Dallas 4476 4156 .519 Sherman 79 88 .473 Dallas-Fort Worth 481 489 .496 Sherman/Denison 18 29 .383 Denison 68 72 .486 Shreveport 5123 5388 .487 El Paso 2997 2756 .525 Springfield 919 891 .508 Fort Worth 4677 4085 .534 Temple 142 189 .429 Frisco 1089 1007 .520 Texarkana 20 36 .357 Galveston 1995 2258 .469 Tulsa 5139 5058 .504 Greenville 30 31 .492 Tyler 48 72 .400 Houston 4372 3820 .534 Victoria 369 338 .522 Inter-League* 313 490 .390 Waco 1577 1756 .473 Jackson 1728 1659 .510 Wichita 1476 1415 .511 Lafayette 130 133 .494 Wichita Falls 1061 833 .560

* Covers opponents records during 1959-61 and 1971 when the league had interlocking schedules with the Mexican League (1959-61) and the (1971).

43 TEXAS LEAGUERS IN THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME Grover C. Alexander ...... P ...... Dallas, 1930 ...... 2B ...... Wichita, 1987 Walt Alston ...... MGR ...... Houston, 1937 ...... MGR ...... Fort Worth, 1955 # ...... 1B ...... Jackson 1994, Corpus Christi 2005 ...... P ...... Midland, 1992 ...... 1B ...... Houston, 1921 ...... OF ...... Dallas 1953-54 ...... Houston 1954-55 ...... Austin, San Antonio, Tulsa, 1956 ...... P ...... Tulsa, 1964 Dizzy Dean ...... P ...... Houston, 1930-31* # ...... Tulsa, 1940 ...... P ...... San Antonio, 1974** # ...... 1B ...... Beaumont, 1931-32* # ...... P ...... Galveston, 1937 ...... OF ...... Amarillo,1981 ...... OF ...... Houston, 1924 ...... MGR ...... Beaumont, 1953 Rogers Hornsby...... 2B ...... Oklahoma City, 1940-41(Mgr) ...... Fort Worth, 1942 (Mgr) ...... Beaumont, 1950 (Mgr) ...... P ...... Fort Worth, 1927 ...... Beaumont, 1928 ...... P ...... El Paso, 2003 Pedro Martinez ...... P ...... San Antonio, 1991 Willie McCovey ...... 1B ...... Dallas, 1957 # ...... OF...... Houston, 1931-32 ##, 1948 Joe Morgan ...... 2B...... San Antonio, 1964 * # ...... P ...... Beaumont, 1939 ...... P ...... Austin, 1961 ...... P...... Corpus Christi, 1959 ...... Rio Grande Valley, 1960 ...... C...... San Antonio, 1992 ...... Executive...... Dallas, 1904-05 ...... 3B ...... San Antonio, 1956-57 ...... OF ...... Tulsa, 1954 Ivan Rodriguez ...... C ...... Tulsa, 1991 ...... P ...... Owner, Round Rock, 2000-04; ...... Corpus Christi, 2005- ...... 3B ...... San Antonio, 1959 ...... OF ...... Shreveport, 1923 ...... 1B ...... Shreveport/Tyler, 1932 (Mgr) ...... OF...... Fort Worth, 1946 ...... Albuquerque, 1967 (Mgr) ...... Alexandria, 1972 (Mgr) + ...... OF ...... Cleburne, 1906 ...... Houston, 1907 ...... P ...... Midland, 1974-75 ...... P ...... Albuquerque, 1965 ...... 1B ...... Shreveport, 1916-17 ...... MGR ...... Houston, 1951-52 ...... OF ...... Shreveport, 1908 ...... OF...... San Antonio, 1959 ...... MGR ...... Fort Worth, 1948-50, 1955 # ...... OF ...... San Antonio, 1913 ...... Austin, 1914 Note: Positions those for which person was selected to the Hall of Fame. * Player of the Year + Manager of the Year # Texas League All Star ** Pitcher of the Year

44 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS Elected Harry Ables ...... Pitcher/Executive ...... 2012 Roy Acuff ...... Broadcaster ...... 2011 Roberto Alomar ...... Player ...... 2011 Jake Atz ...... Manager ...... 2004 Lee Ballanfant ...... Umpire ...... 2009 Clyde “Sis” Bateman ...... Player/Pitcher ...... 2008 Carroll Beringer ...... Player ...... 2008 John Bischoff ...... Player ...... 2014 George Blackerby ...... Player ...... 2017 Keith Bodie ...... Manager ...... 2016 Joe Bonowitz ...... Player ...... 2007 Henry “Zeke” Bonura ...... Player ...... 2007 ...... Player ...... 2004 ...... Player/Manager/Executive ...... 2004 Mark Brouhard ...... Player ...... 2016 Willard Brown ...... Player ...... 2006 Dick Burnett ...... Executive ...... 2004 Russ Burns ...... Player ...... 2004 Dick Butler ...... Executive ...... 2006 Earl Caldwell ...... Pitcher ...... 2007 Jose Cardenal ...... Player ...... 2008 Jay J. Clarke ...... Player ...... 2015 James “Snipe” Conley ...... Pitcher/Manager ...... 2010 Dode Criss ...... Player/Pitcher ...... 2004 Dizzy Dean ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 ...... Player ...... 2015 Jerry Doggett ...... Broadcaster ...... 2009 Eddie Donalds ...... Pitcher ...... 2006 Dick Dunavan ...... Groundskeeper ...... 2010 Grant Dunlap ...... Player ...... 2012 Alex Dupree ...... Pitcher ...... 2013 Eddie Dyer ...... Manager ...... 2008 Paul Easterling ...... Player ...... 2004 Dennis Eckersley ...... Pitcher ...... 2005 Oscar “Ox” Eckhardt ...... Player ...... 2013 Jim Elder ...... Broadcaster ...... 2014 Dave Elmore ...... Executive ...... 2016 Hal Epps ...... Player ...... 2009 Sid Fernandez ...... Pitcher ...... 2005 George Ferran ...... Pitcher ...... 2008 Howie Fitzgerald ...... Player ...... 2005 Chet Fowler ...... Player/Umpire ...... 2015 LaVel Freeman ...... Player ...... 2006 Jim Galloway ...... Player ...... 2005 J. Alvin Gardner ...... Executive ...... 2004 ...... Player ...... 2017 Hank Greenberg ...... Player ...... 2004 Ken Guettler ...... Player ...... 2004 Chick Hafey ...... Player ...... 2004 Bob Hards ...... Broadcaster ...... 2016 Ellis Hardy ...... Manager ...... 2005 Ash Hillin ...... Pitcher ...... 2016 Monty Hoppel ...... Executive ...... 2016 Tyrone Horne ...... Player ...... 2007 Dave Hoskins ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 Mark Howie ...... Player ...... 2014 Grayle Howlett ...... Executive ...... 2010 Went Hubbard ...... Executive ...... 2006 Tim Ireland ...... Manager ...... 2005 ...... Player ...... 2010 ...... Player ...... 2011 Tom Jenkins ...... Player ...... 2009

45 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS Elected Gus Johns ...... Pitcher ...... 2006 Tom Kayser ...... Executive ...... 2016 Ed Knoblauch ...... Player ...... 2004 Eddie Konetchy ...... Player ...... 2008 Clarence “Big Boy” Kraft ...... Player ...... 2004 Paul LaGrave ...... Executive ...... 2004 Chuck Lamson ...... Executive ...... 2012 Joe Macko ...... Player/Manager/Executive ...... 2008 Con Maloney ...... Executive ...... 2014 James “Curley” Maloney ...... Player/Pitcher/Manager ...... 2011 Joe Martina ...... Pitcher ...... 2005 Wilson Matthews ...... Umpire ...... 2004 John J. McCloskey ...... Founder ...... 2004 Willie McCovey ...... Player ...... 2004 Monte McFarland ...... Pitcher ...... 2010 Joe Medwick ...... Player ...... 2004 Eddie Moore ...... Player ...... 2017 Taylor Moore ...... Executive ...... 2014 Joe Morgan ...... Player ...... 2004 J. Walter Morris ...... Player/Manager/Executive ...... 2013 John “Red” Murff ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 Pat Newnam ...... Player/Manager ...... 2004 Mike O’Connor ...... Player/Manager ...... 2004 Eddie Palmer ...... Player/Umpire ...... 2010 Al Papai ...... Pitcher ...... 2014 Bert Parke ...... Executive ...... 2015 Joe Pate ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 Joe Patterson ...... Player ...... 2012 Jim Paul ...... Executive ...... 2004 George Payne ...... Pitcher ...... 2006 Albie Pearson ...... Player ...... 2014 Homer Peel ...... Player ...... 2004 ...... Player ...... 2012 ...... Player ...... 2006 Howie Pollet ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 ...... Player ...... 2006 Miles Prentice ...... Executive ...... 2016 Randy Ready ...... Player/Manager ...... 2009 ...... Player ...... 2017 Bob Richmond ...... Executive ...... 2016 J. Doak Roberts ...... Executive ...... 2004 Claud “Ug” Robertson ...... Player/Manager ...... 2011 Billy Jo Robideaux ...... Player ...... 2012 Brooks Robinson ...... Player ...... 2004 Hank “Rube” Robinson ...... Pitcher ...... 2011 Chuck Rose ...... Pitcher ...... 2009 ...... Player ...... 2005 William Ruggles ...... Executive ...... 2004 Ron Santo ...... Player ...... 2012 ...... Executive ...... 2015 Ken Schrom ...... Executive ...... 2016 John “Ziggy” Sears ...... Player/Umpire ...... 2005 Carey Selph ...... Player ...... 2007 Al Simmons ...... Player ...... 2004 Jimmy Slagle ...... Player ...... 2013 Tris Speaker ...... Player ...... 2004 Milt Steengrafe ...... Pitcher/Umpire ...... 2004 Bobby Stow ...... Player ...... 2004 Larry “Moose” Stubing ...... Player/Manager ...... 2008 Homer Summa ...... Player ...... 2010 Bruce Sutter ...... Pitcher ...... 2017 Don Sutton ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 ...... Pitcher ...... 2015 46 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS Elected Arch Tanner ...... Player ...... 2004 Pete Turgeon ...... Player ...... 2011 ...... Executive ...... 2004 Lee Velarde ...... Groundskeeper ...... 2013 Al Vincent ...... Manager ...... 2005 Paul Wachtel ...... Pitcher ...... 2004 Bill Walberg ...... Broadcaster ...... 2013 Tom Walker ...... Pitcher ...... 2015 Frank Walsh ...... Umpire ...... 2008 Frank “Pop” Weikert ...... Player ...... 2007 George Whiteman ...... Player ...... 2005 Bill Whittaker ...... Pitcher ...... 2015 Dick Whitworth ...... Pitcher ...... 2005 Billy Williams ...... Player ...... 2004 Dick Williams ...... Player ...... 2009 Don Wilson ...... Pitcher ...... 2013 William “Lucky” Wright ...... Pitcher ...... 2009 ...... Pitcher ...... 2009 Burl Yarbrough ...... Executive ...... 2016 Anthony Young ...... Pitcher ...... 2014

TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Harry Ables – Pitcher/Executive Though he never won 20 games in any one of his five full seasons in the Texas League, Harry Ables still accomplished feats that more than 100 years later, have never been equaled in league play. While completing a 80-52 record with Dallas and San Antonio from 1905 through 1910, Ables pitched a number of legendary games, led by his 10 con- secutive that opened a 4-2 win over Dallas in 1910. Among his other accom- plishments in 1910: a 14-inning, 19-strikeout win in which he did not allow a hit until the10th inning and a seven-inning, 1-0 no-hitter over Waco on September 4. During his rookie season, Ables pitched a pair of double headers with results that test credulity. On July 4, 1905, pitching for Dallas, he split a doubleheader versus Waco, winning the 3-0 and losing a one-hitter, 1-0 in the second contest, allowing just five total hits in the two games. On July 30, Ables swept a double header from Fort Worth, winning both, 6-0 and 8-0, tossing a one-hitter in the opener and a four hitter in the second game, again, allowing just five hits over 18 shutout innings. Following his playing career, Ables returned to the San Antonio club as their president from 1925 to 1928. As a promotional stunt in both 1925 and 1926, Ables took the mound for his club, losing in ‘25, but pitch- ing five innings, while winning the next year, allowing just one hit in four innings at the age of 42.

Roy Acuff - Broadcaster The dean of Texas League broadcasters, Acuff is the longest serving play-by-play man in the long history of the league, with 26 seasons behind the microphone, 25 consecutive in San Antonio. A native of Mineral Wells, Texas, Acuff began his Texas League career with the league champion Victoria Toros in 1974 during their lone season in the league. He returned to the loop in 1988, joining San Antonio after the club was purchased by Dave Elmore. Over his long career in the league, Acuff has called the action for more than 3,000 games, including four Texas League All-Star games and seven league-cham- pionship series, five of which were won by San Antonio.

47 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Roberto Alomar - Player Alomar, a speedy, good hitting and a smooth fielding infielder who helped lead Wichita to a championship in their first season in the league. Playing both second base and short- stop, Alomar led all with 167 put outs in 113 games at that position. Alomar went on to have a long career in the Major Leagues, being elected to the National Base- ball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Jake Atz - Manager The manager with most seasons (21) and wins (1,566) in league history. He guided the Fort Worth Panthers for 16 consecutive seasons (13 complete). During that period Fort Worth had their record breaking of pennants and first place finishes from 1919 through 1925. He led the Panthers to 109 victories in both 1922 and 1924. His clubs won Dixie Series championships in five of the six in which they competed. Atz also led four other TL, clubs, Dallas in 1930, Shreveport in 1931, Tulsa in 1934 and Galveston in 1936.

Lee Ballanfant - Umpire After a leg injury shortened a promising playing career, Lee Balanfant turned to umpir- ing, joining the Texas League staff in 1929. The Waco native spent seven seasons in the loop, then went directly to the National League in 1936. His 22-year Major League career lasted until 1958 and included a span of 11 ½ years during which Ballenfant did not miss an inning. Only 5' 8", Ballanfant used his quickness to develop a reputation for always being in the proper position to make a call.

Sis Bateman - Pitcher/Player Bateman played just a year in the Texas League, but it may be one of the most no- table seasons in league annals. Playing the outfield when not pitching for Paris and Waco in 1903, Bateman led the league in hitting, home runs, triples and total hits. On the mound he was 16-16, completing 33 of 34 starts. In May, he became the second player in league history to hit four home runs in a single game. In July he tossed a 7-0 no-hitter versus Fort Worth. These were truly amazing accomplishments for player in a single season.

Carroll Beringer - Pitcher Beringer was a jack-of-all-trades workhorse, over nine seasons for Fort Worth and Victo- ria between 1949 and 1959. He performed consistently well, both in relief and as a starter, saving his best for his final league season when went 19-5, with 18 complete games for Victoria in 1959, earning the league’s Pitcher of the Year Award. Beringer, who settled in Fort Worth, is third, all-time, in the Texas League in career winning per- centage (94-50, .635) and 10th in career ERA (2.97).

John Bischoff - Player Bischoff was likely the finest hitting catcher in the early years of the Texas League. In eight complete seasons in the league, 1921-24 and 1927-30, Bischoff had a career average .301, amassing 789 hits in 2618 at-bats. The 5’ 7”, 140 pound native of Ed- wardsville, Illinois, possessed uncommon speed for a catcher, particularly in his earlier seasons in the loop, collecting 19 triples and 46 stolen bases in his first three seasons while at Wichita Falls. He also had a keen eye at the plate, walking more times than he struck out in his TL career. A fine defensive backstop, Bischoff led the league in in 1924 while with the league champion Fort Worth Panthers and in total chances in 1922 with Wichita Falls. In addition to being a member of the 1924 champiFew players in the history of the Texas League have had greater success than Ge-

48 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES oGeorge Blackerby - Player George Blackerby achieved over the first three years of his five year career in the loop. Playing for a mediocre Waco club from 1927 through 1929, his three full seasons in the league, Blackerby hit .364, .368 and .365, winning the league batting title and leading in in 1928. However, 1929 may have been the outfield’s best season when he led the league in runs scored, home runs, and extra base hits. Over his five seasons in the Texas League, Blackerby had a career batting average of .348, amass- ing 694 hits, of which 221 went for extra bases, in 554 career games. The Oklahoma na- tive also had a keen eye at the plate, striking out just 149 times in over 2,200 plate appearances while, walking 222 times.onship Fort Worth club, Bischoff was with the 1929 pennant winning Dallas Steers.

Keith Bodie - Manager A scrappy, competitive / in three seasons at Jackson in the late 1970’s, Bodie returned to the league after a 21 year absence, developing into one of the most successful managers in Texas League history, first with Wichita from 2000 through 2003, then nine years later with Corpus Christi for three seasons beginning in 2012. In seven league seasons, Bodie led his clubs to Texas League post-season play in all but his final year at Corpus Christi, becoming the first manager in league history to lead a team into post-season play in his first six years managing in the loop. Additionally, in the long history of the league, only Jake Atz (7) and Al Vincent (8) led TL teams into the playoffs more often than did Bodie. With a Texas League career record of 537-436, the native New Yorker amassed a winning percentage of .552, eighth best in league history. In addi- tion, he is ninth, all-time, with 537 wins and 10th in total games managed with 973.

Joe Bonowitz - Player He played six complete years in the Texas League, compiling a career batting average of .313, seventh highest in league history. He was one of the greatest defensive in league history, leading his position in fielding percentage in five consecutive seasons, centerfield in 1926 and left field, 1927-30. He also led center fielders in chances in 1925 and left fielders in 1929 and 1930. Bonowitz was also one of the toughest men to strike out in the league, whiffing just 154 times in 3,401 at-bats in six seasons.He was a 10-year league veteran with four clubs (Beaumont 1946-47; Tulsa 1947-51; Dallas 1951; Okla- homa City 1952-55). He led the league in RBI’s four times, while driving in 100 or more runs in six of his seven full seasons in the loop. He led the league in homers once, hitting 20 or more in a season five times.

Henry “Zeke” Bonura - Player Bonura had two outstanding seasons for Dallas, hitting a combined .340 with 221 RBI, 242 runs scored and 203 walks. Bonura was also an outstanding fielder, leading in fielding both years and in total chances in 1933.

Ike Boone - Player In 1923, Boone battered Texas League pitching, leading the league in hitting (.402), runs (134), hits (241), doubles (53 and RBI’s (135). That year, he became the only modern TL player to hit over .400. He also established a league record with a 35 game consecutive hitting streak.

Bobby Bragan - Executive/Player/Manager As player/manager of Fort Worth from 1948-52, he guided Fort Worth to the Dixie Series in 1948, won 100 games in 1949 and guided the Cats to five consecutive winning sea- sons. One of the top defensive in the history of the league, Bragan still holds the record for fewest stolen bases allowed in a season (6) and shares the record for fewest passed balls in a season (0). After a career as a Major League manager, he returned to the league as President. He resigned to become the President of the Minor Leagues. 49 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Mark Brouhard - Player Another in the long line of sluggers to have played in El Paso, Brouhard tore through the Texas League in 1979, leading the loop in hits, home runs, RBI’s, total bases and slug- ging percentage. Not surprisingly, for his efforts, the Southern California native was named the 1979 Texas League Player of the Year, as well as a league post-season all star. Brouhard made a brief stop in the league in 1987, playing for Midland while trying to re- turn to the Major Leagues following injuries.

Willard Brown - Player Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Willard “” Brown was one of the pi- oneering African-American players in the Texas League. Born in 1911 or 1915, accord- ing to different sources, Brown was at the end of a productive career when he arrived in the Texas League in 1953. The slugging outfielder lived up to his nickname with four solid seasons in the league, pounding 91 homers and driving in 405 runs while playing for Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Tulsa and Austin.

Dick Burnett - Executive He owned the Dallas Eagles from 1948 to 1955. Burnett was one of the most flamboyant promoters of the post-World War II era. His Dallas Eagles drew over 54,000 to the Cot- ton Bowl on opening day in 1950 with an ‘Old Timers Day” that featured seven present or future Hall of Famers. He also installed the first organ in a Texas League ballpark. His signing of Dave Hoskins in 1952 led to the integration of the Texas League. Under his leadership, Dallas finished in first place in 1952, 1953, and 1955.

Russ Burns - Player He was a 10-year league veteran with four clubs (Beaumont 1946-47; Tulsa 1947-51; Dallas 1951; Oklahoma City 1952-55). He led the league in RBI’s four times, while driv- ing in 100 or more runs in six of his seven full seasons in the loop. He led the league in homers once, hitting 20 or more in a season five times.

Dick Butler - Executive Dick Butler was the Texas League President from 1955-63, 1965 and 1969. Butler helped guide the league through the difficult era in minor league that saw a sharp decline in at- tendance across the country for most of the years of his tenure. Butler helped keep the league together by finding new cities for the league when the larger league locations left the departed for -A or because of segregation laws. Butler was instrumental in help- ing push for the agreement with Major League baseball that reclassified the minor leagues in 1962 and standardized the working agreements for all minor league clubs. But- ler also negotiated the three-year pact between the Texas League and the Mexican League that led to an interlocking schedule, a joint all star game and a year-end champi- onship series for the 1959-1961 seasons. The Pan-American Association helped breath new life into both leagues, creating added fan interest in on both sides of the border. After leaving his position with the league in 1963, Butler helped bring Texas League baseball back to Fort Worth in 1964 and to Arlington in 1965, running the Dallas-Fort Worth club for a number of years. He was also named the Double-A Executive of the Year in 1965. Butler was also named interim president of the league for brief periods in 1965 and 1969.

Earl Caldwell - Pitcher Caldwell’s Texas League career had three different segments from 1926 through 1942. A very good fielding pitcher, Caldwell became better with age, going 43-20 in his final two TL seasons at the ages of 36 and 37. A four time 20 game winner, Caldwell led the league in complete games three times and pitched a seven-inning no hitter in 1942.

50 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Jose Cardenal - Player Cardenal was powerful and speedy outfielder for El Paso in 1963. During his only season in the league, Cardinal became just the second Texas League player to hit 30 or more home runs, while stealing at least 30 bases. The feat had not been done since 1932 and has been done in the league just twice since.

Jay J. Clarke - Player A fine hitter and a stellar defensive catcher, Clarke is best known for the eight home runs he hit in Corsicana’s 51-3 win over Texarkana on June 15, 1902. His singular feat is the most famous and productive single game in the long history of the Texas League. While Clarke finished third in the league batting race in 1902, the 19-year-old native of Ontario, Canada led all Texas League catchers in fielding percentage with a .982 mark, commit- ting just eight errors in 105 games, one-third the number committed by the next best catcher in the league that season. Clarke went on to a career in the Major Leagues, mostly in the American League, where referred to him as one of the two best defensive catchers he ever saw.

James “Snipe” Conley - Player/Pitcher/Manager Snipe Conley was one of the most accomplished, all-around players in Texas League his- tory. A great fielding, right-handed pitcher, Conley would regularly start games for Dallas in both the infield and outfield when he was not on the mound. During a stretch from 1920 through 1925, Conley hit .299 in nearly 900 official at-bats. On the hill, Conley led Dallas to pennants in 1917 and 1918. His season in 1917 was one of the greatest of any league hurler, leading the loop with 27 wins, as well as winning percent- age and strikeouts. During that season, Conley won 19 consecutive games, a Texas League record that still stands. A terrific , Conley led starting in fewest walks five consecutive seasons, 1920-25. In 1925, Conley was named manager of the Steers near the end of the first half, leading the club to a 52-38 mark and a second half tie with Fort Worth, losing a post-season playoff to the Panthers. The following season, Conley led the Steers to a first place finish, claiming another league championship for Dallas. Conley ranks seventh all-time among league pitchers in games (369), (2,357) and wins (149), while he is 12th all-time in career strikeouts (959).

Dode Criss - Player/Pitcher Criss may have been the league’s best all-around player. In seven seasons in the loop (Cleburne 1906; Houston 1912-17) he had the highest batting average in the league three times (though he did not have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title in any of those seasons), while compiling a career average of .321, accomplished entirely in the dead ball era. He was also 80-40 as a pitcher, mostly for Houston. Amazingly, Criss pitched three no-hitters (two of nine innings, one of five innings) in his career.

Dizzy Dean - Pitcher Was 34-12 in two TL seasons at Houston, 26-10 in 1931 with 303 strikeouts. Returned to the League briefly in 1940 to Tulsa where he was 8-8, drawing huge crowds across the league. He was the league's first Player of the Year in 1931.

Dick Dietz - Player In 1963, Dick Dietz had one of the most dominant seasons in the early years of the El Paso franchise, leading the league in hitting, with a .354 mark, 16 points higher than the next best player that season. He also led the loop with 128 runs scored and an on-base percentage of .469 that was built on the strength of 91 walks. For his efforts in 1963, Dietz was named to the Texas League post-season all star team.

51 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Jerry Doggett - Broadcaster Jerry Doggett, the first broadcaster selected for membership in the league's Hall of Fame, spent 13 seasons broadcasting Texas League games in Dallas in 1941 and 1942, and again from 1946 through the 1956 season. Hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers after the close of the '56 Texas League season, Doggett spent 32 years as 's Dodgers broad- cast partner, retiring after the 1987 season.

Eddie Donalds - Pitcher One of the finest right hand pitchers of the early years in the league. In his first season in the loop he produced one of the finest seasons in league history, winning 30 while losing only four games.

Dick Dunavan - Groundskeeper For nearly 36 seasons from 1919 to 1954, Dunavan toiled as the groundskeeper for San Antonio, building, rebuilding and looking after the playing surfaces at four different ball- parks the franchise called home during his epic tenure. During his long career in , Dunavan built over 30 fields while consulting on another 40. His glowing reputa- tion as a premier caretaker of baseball surfaces helped attract several Major League teams to San Antonio and the local environs for spring training, including the New York Giants and Boston Bees.

Grant Dunlap - Player A dependable hitter and a good fielding outfielder, Grant Dunlap helped lead Shreveport to the Texas League championship in 1952 when he led the league with a .333 batting av- erage. Dunlap had missed winning the batting title the previous year by a tiny .0004 per- cent. For his career, Dunlap is tied for tenth all-time in the Texas League with a .309 batting average, while he also has the fourth best league career on-base percentage with a .400 mark in over 800 league contests. In his five full seasons in the league between 1948 and 1952, Dunlap increased his average each season from .302 in 1948 to .333 in 1952. He also led the league in on-base percentage in 1952 with a .434 mark, while leading all right fielders in fielding percentage in 1948.

Alex Dupree - Pitcher Dupree was one of the finest pitchers in the early history of the Texas League. He pitched a no-hitter and a one-hitter in his fantastic 1906 season when he pitched for the first place Fort Worth club. Dupree was also a member of the pennant winning San Antonio club in 1908 after being traded to the Bronchos during that season. Dupree was the first Texas League pitcher to have three consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins. A fine fielder, he led all pitchers in fielding percentage in 1906, in addition to tying for the most wins in the league. In 1907, Dupree led the league in games pitched. Dupree finished his career in the loop in 1920 as a member of the league’s staff of umpires.

Eddie Dyer - Manager Dyer managed in the Texas League for just three seasons (1939-41), finishing first all three years, winning over 100 games in the final two. He is one of just two managers to have consecutive 100-win season in league history. Only three clubs have won as many as 100 games since Dyer did it, none surpassing his win totals in either 1940 or 1941. Dyer later managed the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title in 1946, becoming one of the few managers to guide a TL squad to a league title and a World Championship.

52 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Paul Easterling - Player One of the greatest of league hitters, Easterling was a 13-year TL veteran, playing with five clubs (Beaumont 1929-33; Tulsa 1934; Oklahoma City 1935-37; Houston 1938; Oklahoma City-Shreveport 1939; Shreveport-Dallas 1940; Dallas 1941). The Texas League career leader in games, runs, hits, extra-base hits, total bases, doubles, home runs and RBI’s. Paul played on three pennant winning clubs and one Dixie Series winner.

Dennis Eckersley - Pitcher Eckersley, one of the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, was the Texas League right-handed Pitcher of the Year in 1974 when he was 14-3 for the San An- tonio Brewers. That season, Eckersley led the loop in wins, winning percentage (.824), strikeouts (163), while completing 10 of his 23 starts.

Oscar “Ox” Eckhardt - Player One of the greatest minor league hitters of all time, amassing a career batting average of .367 in over 1900 minor league contests. The left hand hitting Eckhardt won five minor league batting titles, four in succession, the first in the Texas League in 1930 when he hit .379 over 147 games. During his great 1930 campaign at Beaumont, Eckhardt also led the Texas League with 217 hits and 55 doubles, the third highest total for two-base hits in league history, and a number unsurpassed since that season. Returning to the Texas League in 1938, Eckhardt had the highest average in the league at .387, but did not have enough plate appearances in 72 games to qualify for the batting title.

Jim Elder - Broadcaster A former minor league umpire, Jim Elder began his career as a broadcaster in 1960 with the as a statistician and side-kick to play-by-play man Bud Camp- bell. When Campbell moved to another station in 1965, Elder became the voice of the Travelers working every year through the 1993 season, except in 1970, when he was the Trav’s concessions manager. One of the league’s longest serving broadcasters, Elder was probably the last to do road games by ticker tape recreation from a studio in Little Rock. Elder developed a range of sound effects that he used during his recreations that he con- tinued to do well into the 1980’s. Elder’s radio career with the Travelers spanned 34 years, 27 of them after the club joined the Texas League in 1966.

Dave Elmore - Executive The 2016 season was Dave Elmore’s 30th as the owner of the San Antonio franchise. He purchased the club, then called the Dodgers, at the start of the 1987 season, renaming them the Missions the following year. Over the 30 seasons in the Texas League, Dave has been a stable, valuable and respected voice in league affairs, as well as on various Minor League Baseball boards and committees. Under his ownership, the San Antonio club helped develop one of the first modern parks in the Texas League, opening Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium in 1994, a stadium that for many years was know as “the jewel of the Texas League”. During his ownership, the Illinois native has put in place a stable and ac- complished management team that has won numerous league and national awards, in- cluding five for the Texas League Executive of the Year, the Texas League Organization of the Year in 1994 and the Baseball America Bob Freitas Award in 1997.

53 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Hal Epps - Player A brilliant fielder, Hal Epps played 1,176 Texas League games in center field, almost certainly an all-time league record. A fine hitter, Epps is first in career triples in league history and 10th all-time with 977 singles. Epps is the only TL player to have consecutive seasons with 20 or more triples and the only player to lead the league in triples three times. The speedy outfielder was a member of three first place clubs (Houston 1939, 1941, 1947), including the '47 club that won the Dixie Series.

Sid Fernandez - Pitcher Sid Fernandez is one of just three Texas League pitchers that have won the pitcher’s “”, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The league’s Pitcher of the Year in 1983 while pitching for the San Antonio Dodgers, Fernandez produced 13 wins, 209 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.82. Additionally, he is the last Texas League pitcher to strike out as many as 200 batters in a single season.

George Ferran - Pitcher Ferran is just one of three Texas League pitchers to have won the pitcher’s Triple Crown, leading the loop in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Amazingly, Pitching for Shreveport, Ferran accomplished the feat, primarily, as a . In 46 games, he started nine, com- pleted three, tossed two shutouts, saved four games and finished with a 16-1 record. Hav- ing gone 4-1 for Shreveport the year before, Ferran’s career record in the Texas League is 20-2.

Howie Fitzgerald - Player Fitzgerald, who played for Wichita Falls 1924-30, Fort Worth 1931 and San Antonio 1932, hit over .300 six times, finishing his career in the League with a .308 average. He is fourth all-time in runs scored with 812 and tied for sixth place with 437 career extra-base hits.

Chet Fowler - Player/Umpire A 14-year veteran of the Texas League, two as a player and 12 as an umpire, Fowler is one of the longest tenured arbiters in league history. A serviceable infielder with Fort Worth in 1930 and 1931, Fowler began umpiring after his playing career ended in 1933, advancing to the Texas League by 1935. Fowler remained in the league through the 1941 season, returning after World War II in 1946 for five more seasons. A respected and pop- ular umpire, Fowler was assigned to work in four Dixie Series during his career, 1939, 1941, 1947 and 1949.

LaVel Freeman - Player Freeman had outstanding back-to-back seasons, a rarity in modern minor league baseball for a young player. In 1987 produced one of the highest batting averages in league his- tory. Freeman is the only player to have more than 200 hits in a single Texas League sea- son in 50 years. He also has the highest single season batting average since 1925 when Danny Clark of San Antonio hit .399.

Jim Galloway - Player Galloway may have been the best in the history of the Texas League, finish- ing his career in the League with a .316 batting average, 112 home runs and 662 RBI’s in 12 seasons, seven of which were full seasons. One of the outstanding Texas League play- ers in the 1920’s, Galloway hit over .300 in six of his seven full seasons.

54 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES J. Alvin Gardner - Executive Serving as the top executive from 1929 until 1954, Gardner had the longest tenure as president in league history. He began his Texas League career at Wichita Falls in 1920, building clubs that won league titles in 1927 and 1929 and winning the Dixie Series in 1927. Following the 1929 season, Gardner was elected to succeed Doak Roberts as league president.

Hank Gowdy - Player Playing first base for the pennant winning Dallas Giants in 1910, Gowdy had one of the finest seasons in the early history of the Texas League, leading the league in batting aver- age, home runs, doubles, total bases and extra base hits, while playing 139 of the Giants’ 143 games. The Ohio native would go on to have a long career in the National League, notably as the starting catcher on the 1914 Miracle Braves, who went from last place in early July to winning the National League pennant by 10 1/2 games after going 70-19 in their final 89 games. When the United States joined the fighting during World War I, Gowdy became the first major league player to enlist, receiving a commission as a Cap- tain and seeing considerable action in France with the 166th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, including some of the worst trench fighting in the war. He would serve again in 1943 and 1944 as a Major during World War II. Gowdy had a long coach- ing career after his playing days, including a brief stint back in the Texas League when he was 8-5 as the acting manager of the Oklahoma Indians from June 20 through July 2, 1950.

Hank Greenberg - Player At Beaumont in 1932, Greenberg led the league with 123 runs and 39 home runs. He hit .290 and had 131 RBI’s. He was the Texas League Player of the Year in 1932.

Ken Guettler - Player In 1956, Guettler hit a league record 62 home runs, scored 115 runs and drove in 143 runs.

Chick Hafey - Player At Houston in1924, Hafey hit .360 with 39 doubles, 9 home runs, 90 RBI’s and a league leading 20 triples.

Bob Hards - Broadcaster In 2016, Bob Hards joined a select and exclusive group of broadcasters that have worked in the Texas League for 25 or more seasons. Hired by the Midland club to become their play-by-play announcer in November, 1991, Hards has become a revered member of the Permian Basin community, as well as a respected and popular member of the Texas League. Hards is known for his passionate, witty, fun and focused broadcasts, his love of baseball history, particularly of the Midland club and the Texas League, and game recaps and notes that are a must read after every morning. In addition to his broadcast duties, Hards is responsible for the design for all the RockHounds publications and marketing material which consistently have the look and content of Major League products. Hards was just the fifth broadcaster elected to the league Hall of Fame.

Ellis Hardy - Manager Hardy led Waco from 1911 through 1918, winning league championships 1914-16. He has the highest winning percentage of all Texas League managers with a .574 mark and an overall record of 594-441.

55 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Ash Hillin - Pitcher A good fielding pitcher, who sometimes struggled with injuries and his control, Ash Hillin had a number of brilliant seasons in the Texas League, particularly 1937 and 1938, when he was a combined 54-20, winning 31 games in Oklahoma City in the first of the two seasons. Pitching for San Antonio in 1934, Hillin won a league best 24 games, earn- ing him the Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award. He topped that in 1937 when he was named the league’s Player of the Year after going 31-10 with a league best 2.34 ERA. Hillin also pitched in a total of 62 games in ’37, establishing a new league mark for appearances by a pitcher. A workhorse on the mound, Hillin completed 128 starts in his seven full seasons in the loop, while tossing more than 250 innings five times, topped by his 302 innings during his fantastic 1937 season. With a career mark of 136-123, Hillin is 10th all time in wins in the league, fourth in appearances with 410 and ninth all-time in innings pitched with 2,097.

Monty Hoppel - Executive Hired by the Midland club mere months before the team was sold to Miles Prentice and Bob Richmond, Monty Hoppel arrived in the Permian Basin in September on 1989 and has been there ever since. The 2016 season represents the 28th he has spent guiding the fortunes of club, in one of the smallest markets in Double A baseball. Easy going and driven, Hoppel and his staff have built a record of accomplishment that helped prompt the city of Midland to build a modern facility for the club in 2002. The new ball- park has allowed the team draw each season more fans to their games than there are peo- ple in the combined Midland and Odessa markets. For his efforts, the Montana native has become one of the most decorated executives in league history, earning five league Exec- utive of the Year Awards and the Baseball America Minor League Executive of the Year trophy in 2010, while the Midland club earned the TL Organization of the Year award four times under his leadership, as well as the Bob Freitas Award from Baseball America in 1995.

Tyrone Horne - Player Horne had one outstanding season in the Texas League during which he led the league in home runs and RBI’s. His RBI total of 139 was the highest in the league since 1956. Horne also had one historic game in 1998, hitting a home run cycle in a July contest at San Antonio. It was the first time a batter had accomplished the feat of hitting a solo, two-run, three-run and homers in the same game in professional baseball his- tory. For his accomplishments during the 1998 season, Horne was selected the Texas League Player of the Year.

Dave Hoskins - Player He was the first African-American player to play in the Texas League. In 1952 he led the league with 22 wins, had a 2.12. ERA, an over all record of 22-10 and a league leading 280 innings pitched. After spending time in the Major Leagues, he returned to Dallas in 1958 going 17-8.

Mark Howie - Player Mark Howie was a career .330 hitter in three Texas League seasons. However, it was Howie’s final season in the league, in 1991, during which he truly excelled. Playing in 130 games that year, the right-hand hitter produced a league-leading .364 batting average, with 123 RBI, driving in runs at a rate of nearly one a game. In addition to leading the league in batting average in 1991 with the second highest Texas League mark since 1959, Howie also led the loop with 136 singles and 188 total hits. The Louisiana native was a participant in the 1991 Texas League All Star game, hitting clean-up and collecting two of the five hits the West squads had in the game. Howie was named the MVP of the ini- tial Double A All Star Game. Later in the 1991 season, Howie capped his fabulous sea- son when he was elected to the Texas League’s post-season all star team. 56 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Grayle Howlett - Executive Grayle Howlett was one of the most innovative and successful of the young executives that arrived in the Texas League following World War II. Sent to Tulsa in 1946 by the , Howlett was one of the first club executives in the league to promote the game year ‘round. One of his first steps was to begin publishing a monthly newsletter for fans and media to keep up with the Oilers all year long. To help attract more fans to Oil- ers’ games, Howlett oversaw a painting and improvement regime that helped brighten Tulsa’s Texas Park. Howlett’s many efforts were a success as the Oilers drew over 200,000 fans for the first time in their history in 1948 and averaged over 200,000 fans from 1947 through 1950. In 1953, he arranged for the first televised minor league game. That followed his having arranged for the first coast-to-coast broadcast of a minor league game on the Mutual Radio Network of a contest between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Looking after the Tulsa players, Howlett was one of the first operators to arrange for team travel by sleeper bus. His decision to attract the locally popular St. Louis Cardinals affiliation when it became available after the 1958 helped Tulsa lead the league in atten- dance for the next seven season.

Went Hubbard - Executive Went Hubbard has been influential in the success of the franchise in Tulsa, as well as a respected voice in matters concerning the direction of the Texas League for nearly 20 years. Hubbard bought the Tulsa club in late 1986. Under his direction, he funded numer- ous renovations of Drillers Stadium, including one that saw the addition of a second tier. In 2002, the Drillers became the first Texas League team to draw more than 300,000 fans for ten consecutive years. During his tenure, the Tulsa club was twice the recipient of the Bob Freitas Award as the top Double-A club. The Tulsa club also was named the winner of the John H. Johnson Award in 1999. The Johnson award recognizes a club’s long term stability and contribution to their community and to baseball.

Tim Ireland - Manager In six Texas League seasons, Ireland’s regular season was 468--368, with a .554 winning percentage, one of the best in league history. He also had a post-season record of 24-13, .648. He guided El Paso, Tulsa and Frisco to the league championship series, winning ti- tles in El Paso and Frisco, in 1994 and 2004 respectively. His club reached the champi- onship series in five of his six years as a manager in the loop.

John Jaha - Player Easily the leading slugger in the Texas League in 1991, leading league hitters in home runs, RBI, runs scored, hits, extra-base hits, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging. His total of 134 RBI was the highest by any Texas League player since Ken Guettler drove in 143 in 1956. Making Jaha’s totals even more impressive is that he drove in his total of 134 in just 130 games. A fine fielding first baseman, Jaha led his position in as- sists and was second in total chances. One of just six batters in the 1990’s to have as many as 30 home runs in a season, Jaha was the 1991 Texas League Player of the Year, helping lead El Paso to a record of 81-55 and a place in the league championship series.

Gregg Jefferies - Player A power hitting infielder, Jefferies came to the Texas League with a vaunted reputation as a hot hitting prospect. He did not disappoint league fans. After a brief and flashy glimpse of his talents in 1986, Jefferies had a spectacular season in 1987, leading the league in doubles, while batting .367, mashing 20 homers, driving in 101 runs and steal- ing 26 bases. For his efforts, Jefferies was voted to the Texas League post-season All-Star team, as well as being named the league’s Player of the Year.

57 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Tom Jenkins - Player Over the course of his first three seasons in the league, Tom Jenkins was one of the finest hitters the league had ever seen, hitting .361 from 1926 through 1927. Jenkins won the league batting title with a .374 mark in 1926, then followed that with seasons in 1927 and 1928 in which he scored over 120 runs, had over 200 hits and drove in over 120 runs each season. Also an accomplished , Jenkins led Wichita Falls in hitting in the 1927 Dixie Series, helping the Spudders sweep New Orleans four games to none. Jenkins hit .428 in the one-sided series that saw the Spudders outscore the Pelicans 26-3.

Gus Johns - Pitcher Johns was one of the important contributors on the great Fort Worth clubs of the early 1920’s. The curve balling left hand pitcher won 20 or more games three times and led the league in ERA twice between 1921 and 1925.

Tom Kayser - Executive President of the Texas League from March 1992 through February 2017, Tom Kayser has led the loop for 25 seasons, the longest serving leader in the long history of the Texas League, surpassing the tenure of J. Alvin Gardner, who was the league’s chief executive from late 1929 until 1954. During Kayser’s long term of service, he helped guide the league into the second Golden Age and arguably the most prosperous period in league history. Over his 25 years, vibrant new cities entered the league, new facilities were built in every league location and overall attendance increased from 1.6 million in 1991 to over 3.1 million in 2008. An avid historian, Kayser was the co-author of two Texas League related books, while he helped rebuild and rediscover vast tracts of the league’s storied past. A former minor league club operator and owner and player development ex- ecutive with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati prior to his election as Texas League president, Kayser was selected as the Eastern League Executive of the Year in 1980. In 2003, he was the recipient of Minor League Baseball’s Award, that annually honors outstanding service as a league president, while in 2016 Kayser was selected as the Minor League Executive of the Year by Baseball America.

Ed Knoblauch - Player An 11-year Texas League player with five teams (Houston 1942, 1946-48; Houston- Shreveport-Tulsa 1949; Tulsa 1950-51; Dallas 1951-54; Beaumont 1954-55; Dallas 1955). He was a strong-armed who hit over .300 in eight of his 11 seasons. He is first or second in seven Texas League all-time hitting categories

Eddie Konetchy - Player Konetchy was a veteran of 15 Major League seasons when he arrived in Fort Worth for the 1925 season. He was being asked to replace the legendary Clarence “Big Boy” Kraft, who retired after the 1924 season during which he drove in 196 runs. Konetchy was up to the task, helping lead the Panthers to their sixth straight league pennant, driving in 166 runs and stroking 86 extra-base hits, of which 41 were homers. Though his production dipped in 1926, the 40-year-old first baseman still amassed 64 extra-base hits and drove in 104 runs, just 14 off the league lead.

Clarence “Big Boy” Kraft - Player Kraft played seven seasons in Fort Worth (1918-24) on the great teams of the early 1920’s. He was the top home run hitter of his era, setting the, then, league mark for homers in 1924 with 55. He drove in 196 runs in 1924. The total is still a single-season league record. He hit 150 of his career 170 home runs in his final four TL seasons.

58 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Paul LaGrave - Executive A former Texas League infielder, LaGrave earned his fame as the director of Fort Worth from 1916 to 1929. Working with Jake Atz, he helped construct the Fort Worth dynasty that finished in first place from 1919 through 1925, winning six consecutive TL titles and five of six Dixie Series, an event that along with Walter Morris, he is credited with for- mulating.

Chuck Lamson - Executive Chuck Lamson went from a promising pitching prospect, who in 1980, would miss pitch- ing a no-hitter for the Drillers by one out, to an injured player hoping to stay in the game by becoming the grounds keeper, caring for the field on which he once played. A sales representative for the Drillers during the off seasons of 1980 and 1981, Lamson joined the Drillers full time in 1982, rising quickly in the organization to become an assistant general manager in 1984. Named Executive Vice President/General Manager in 1995, Lamson helped lead the Drillers to levels of success never before seen by a professional club in Tulsa. In 2006, Chuck bought controlling interest in the club from Went Hubbard. Over the next few years, he worked tirelessly to try to replace Drillers Stadium with a modern playing facility, which he accomplished with the opening of ONEOK Field in 2010. Lamson and the Drillers received numerous awards during his tenure. In 1996, 1998 and 2010, Chuck was named the Texas League Executive of the Year. In 1992, 1996 and 2004, the Drillers were named the Texas League Organization of the Year. In 1999, the Drillers received the John H. Johnson award from Minor League Baseball, an award that recognized long term stability and contribution to the community. Finally, in 1992 and 2005, the club was recognized by Baseball America with the Bob Freitas Award which recognizes long term stability and success in Minor League Baseball. Fol- lowing the 2010 season, Lamson sold his interest in the Drillers to Dale and Jeff Hub- bard, ending his 32 year association with the club.

Joe Macko - Player/Manager/Executive Macko was a dependable slugger, mostly with Dallas and Tulsa in the 1950's. In his eight-year TL career, five as a regular, he hit 141 homers, good for fifth place on the all- time league list. Playing mostly at first and third base in his league career, Macko also managed one season, for Amarillo in 1963. Following his playing career, he became a re- spected executive with the Fort Worth and Dallas-Fort Worth clubs, prior to a long career with the Texas Rangers.

Con Maloney - Executive A loyal and supportive member of the Texas League, Con Maloney purchased the Jack- son franchise from the New York Mets in 1982, remaining the majority owner of the club until 1998, when he sold the team to Ryan-Sanders Baseball. Con continued as a minority owner of the club through 1999, then after its move to Round Rock through the 2004 sea- son, amassing a total of 24 years in the loop. A respected voice among league owners, Maloney, who had been a state senator in Mississippi, served as the interim president of the league during parts of 1991 and 1992 after the death of Carl Sawatski, as well as on a number of important Double A and Minor League Baseball boards and committees. Dur- ing his stewardship of the and later the Generals, his club was in post-sea- son play 10 times, reaching the championship series eight times, while winning four Texas League titles.

59 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES James “Curley” Maloney - Player/Pitcher/Manager One of the pioneers in the early years of the loop, Maloney participated in 17 of the first 21 years of the existence of the Texas League as a pitcher, player and manager. In the early years of his career in the league, Maloney was a pitcher who had moderate success. After the league was reorganized in 1902, he was an integral member of the powerhouse Corsicana team that ran away with the league pennant. In 101 games that season, Mal- oney led the league with 101 runs scored, 140 hits and 31 doubles. In 1908, he would lead the league, again, in hits (169) and doubles (34) while playing for Dallas. In 1904, Maloney took over the Dallas club as manager, guiding them to six consecutive winning seasons, as well as and the TL pennant in 1909. A dependable player on defense, Mal- oney played both infield and outfield during his long career, leading center fielders in chances in 1905, games in 1906 and assists in 1910.

Joe Martina - Pitcher Martina, who was one of the most popular figures while with the Beaumont club, holds the Texas League career record for strikeouts with 1,412. He is also third in career wins with 158 and ninth in career ERA with a 2.93 mark. Martina’s two best seasons in the league came in back-to-back years with Beaumont when he was 28-13 with a 2.14 ERA in 1919 and 20-14 with a 2.88 ERA in 1920.

Wilson Matthews - Umpire He is considered the finest umpire in the early years of the league. He was in the league during the period 1899-1917, 12 of those years as an umpire.

John J. McCloskey - Founder The founder of the Texas League in 1887 at the age of 26. A player, manager and league organizer for six seasons beginning in 1888. He was instrumental keeping interest in baseball alive in the region through the end of the 19th century. He played for and man- aged Houston to a first place finish in 1889 and 1892. He managed a total of five differ- ent Texas League clubs, Austin-San Antonio, 1888; Houston, 1889-90 and 1892; Dallas, 1897-98 and Beaumont in 1919.

Willie McCovey - Player At Dallas in 1957, McCovey hit .281 with 21 doubles, 9 triples, 11 home runs and 65 RBI’s. He also had a three home run game and a three triple game during that season.

Monte McFarland - Pitcher A great hitting pitcher, McFarland’s 32 wins in 1895 are topped in league history only by Lucky Wright, who won 33 in 1902. In addition to appearing in 46 games as a pitcher in 1895, McFarland played another 47 in the outfield, hitting .332 for the season. His 29 extra-base hits that year were the second highest on a very good hitting Fort Worth club. and on the mound, McFarland helped Fort Worth to a 80-40 record, a first place finish in the second half and participated in Fort Worth’s championship series win over Dallas

Joe Medwick - Player At Houston in 1931 and 1932, he twice hit over .300 and had a total of 93 doubles, 18 triples, 45 home runs and 237 RBI’s. He hit .354 in 1932, while leading the league in home runs (19) and RBI’s (126) in 1931.

60 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Eddie Moore - Player Called the greatest centerfielder of his era, Eddie Moore was one of the finest all-around players in Texas League history, a durable and speedy player, as well as an accomplished hitter. With Fort Worth for seven consecutive seasons from 1926 through 1932, Moore set a league record that still stands by playing in 573 consecutive games for the Panthers from July 9, 1926 until April 29, 1930. At the plate, Moore had a career batting average of .305. His most productive season at the bat was 1929 when the Texas native hit .335, while leading the league with 143 runs scored and 30 triples, setting a league single sea- son mark that he still holds. Moore was also known for his great eye at the plate, walking 547 times, while striking out just 225 times in over 4,000 Texas League plate appear- ances. Moore, a left-handed batter, also had more than 200 hits in a season twice, while scoring more than 100 runs in each of his first four seasons. However, as proficient as he was at-bat, it was in the field that Moore truly excelled, leading league center fielders in fielding in 1927, 1929, 1930 and 1931, in games played in center field in 1926, 1928 and 1929 and in double plays in 1928 and 1929

Taylor Moore - Executive Taylor Moore purchased a minority share of the Shreveport club in 1974, becoming the majority owner of the team in 1976, a stake he held until 1999, when the Captains were sold to Mandalay Baseball, effectively running the franchise for 26 years. During his tenure, Moore worked with the city of Shreveport to build what would become the first modern park in the league in more than a generation. The facility, Fairgrounds Field, was designed with a modern television studio that allowed the club to have a regular slate of games broadcast locally for many years. The studio also served as the location for the production of local sports shows, as well as for the production of local advertising and other local sporting events. A member of various Texas League, Double A and Minor League boards and committees during his tenure, Moore’s club’s reached the champi- onship series five times, winning the Texas League title three times.

Joe Morgan - Player At San Antonio in 1964, he was the league Player of the Year, hitting .323 with a league leading 42 doubles and 90 RBI’s for the league champion Bullets.

J. Walter Morris - Player/Manager/Executive Involved in the Texas League for the better part of nearly 40 years, Walter Morris had one of the most varied careers of any of the men to have been associated with this loop. Morris first appeared in the league as a light hitting, slick fielding on the leg- endary 1902 Corsicana Oilers. Though he hit just .244 that season, he was 6-for-8 in Cor- sicana’s epic 51-3 win over Texarkana and led the league that season with 10 triples. After three years in the South Texas League and four more in the South Atlantic and Southern Leagues, Morris returned to the Texas League in 1910 as the shortstop, man- ager and owner of the Fort Worth Panthers, where he stayed until selling the club in 1914. During the 1910 season, Morris is credited with creating the first rain check, an in- novation that was quickly adopted by other league clubs and teams throughout minor league baseball. In 1915, Morris was elected Texas League president, a position he held until 1920. After spending a short time away from baseball, the Rockwall, Texas native returned in 1922 as the owned of the Dallas club, operating the Steers until 1928. During this tenure with the Dallas, the Steers won the Texas League title in 1926, defeating New Orleans in the Dixie Series four games to two. After spending a number of years as a minor league organizer and as a president of several lower minor leagues, Morris, once again came home to the Texas League, running the Shreveport club in 1932 and 1938-39 and Fort Worth in 1933 and 1940.

61 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Red Murff - Pitcher After going 27-28 in the two seasons prior to 1955, Murff had one of the best seasons by a Texas League pitcher in the post-World War II era. In 1955, Murff was 27-11 in 43 games, posting a league best ERA of 1.99. He also led the league with 28 complete games. No pitcher in the Texas League has won as many games in one season since Murff’s 27 in 1955. In the long history of the league there are just 16 other occasions when a pitcher has won as many as 27 games in a single season.

Pat Newnam - Player A 20-year TL veteran, nine as a manager and one as an umpire (San Antonio 1907-08, 1929; Houston 1909-18; Beaumont 1921; Galveston 1922-23; Umpire 1924). He played on pennant winners in San Antonio in 1908 and Houston in 1909, 1912, 1913 and 1914. He stole a league best 422 bases in his career. He also led the league in home runs with 18 in 1908.

Mike O’Connor - Founder He played 13 years in the league beginning in 1888 (Fort Worth 1888, 1890; Austin 1889, 1898-99, 1905; San Antonio 1892, 1896-97; Sherman-Dallas 1895; Denison 1896; Corsicana 1902-03; Paris 1904; Waco 1905). A terrific hitter, he finished the 1896 season with a .395 average in 114 games. He also managed the great 1902 Corsicana club that won 27 consecutive games and finished 87-23. He was on two first place clubs, Dallas in 1895 and Corsicana in 1902 and two pennant winners, San Antonio in 1897 and Corsi- cana in 1902.

Eddie Palmer - Player/Pitcher/Umpire Palmer is one of the longest serving men in Texas League history, totaling 16 years, eight as a player and another eight as an umpire. A good hitting, steady , Palmer was on four pennant-winning clubs, Dallas in 1917 and the 1918 season that was shortened by World War I, then with the powerhouse Fort Worth Panthers in 1924 and 1925. Palmer led all second basemen in games played in 1917, 1924 and 1925, fielding in 1918 and 1924 and total chances in 1924 and 1925. After his playing career ended, Palmer returned to the league as a member of the umpiring staff, working eight seasons, 1932-34, 1936-37 and 1939-41. Palmer was widely respected by players and fans alike for his fairness, professionalism and genial disposition.

Al Papai - Pitcher A Texas League workhorse and one of the best pitchers of his generation, Papai amassed a 103-66 record over six full seasons that included three seasons during which the 6’ 3” right-hander won more than 20 games. His initial season in the loop in 1947 saw the 30- year-old post a 21-10 record, with a league leading 27 complete games. Three seasons later, Papai returned to Houston and was even better, leading the loop with a 23-9 record, and, again, with 22 complete games. After leading Houston to league titles in 1947 and 1951, Papai finished his career with clubs that were, at best, mediocre. Yet in 1955, on an Oklahoma City club that would finish 70-90, he had one of his finest seasons at the age of 38. While the Indians struggled through the season, Papai sparkled, producing a 23-7 record, with a 2.65 ERA. Noted for completing what he started, the Illinois native had 117 complete games in the more than 180 games that he started in his six full seasons in the Texas League. Papai was also a workhorse in post-season play, particularly in 1947 when he helped lead the Buffs to a Dixie Series title, going 4-1 in three post-season se- ries, including 2-0 in Houston’s six game Dixie series win over Mobile.

62 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Bert Parke - Executive A life-long resident of Little Rock, Bert’s association with baseball in his hometown pre- ceded the Arkansas Travelers, beginning when he joined a group that successfully brought baseball back to his home town in 1960. In the mid-1960’s Bert joined the board and was named a member of the Travelers Executive Committee, serving as treasurer of the Travelers in the 1960’s and 1970’s. In 1980, following the death of Max , Bert was elected President of the club, retaining that position until 2010 when he was named President Emeritus. During his involvement with the Travelers, Bert was active in mov- ing the team to the Texas League in 1966, promoting the hiring of both Carl Sawatski and Bill Valentine as the General Manager of the Travelers, as well as helping to facilitate support for needed repairs to Ray Winder Field. During Bert’s 30-year tenure as club President, he was also the Travelers representative on the Texas League Board of Direc- tors.

Joe Pate - Pitcher A 21-year veteran of the league as a pitcher and umpire (Dallas 1912-13; Fort Worth 1914, 1918-25, 1927-28; Shreveport 1931; Umpire 1933-39), Pate won a total of 195 games, second all-time in league history. Twice he won 30 games as a member of the great Fort Worth teams in the 1920’s. After his pitching career ended, he returned to the league as an umpire for seven complete seasons.

Joe Patterson - Player One of the fleetest outfielders of his era, Joe Patterson is the only player in Texas League history to lead the league in stolen bases in three consecutive seasons. Patterson led the league in thefts each season from 1962 through 1964, the year he stole 67 bags, the high- est one season total in the league since Bobby Stow stole 70 in 1915. Patterson amassed a respectable .285 career average during parts of six seasons in the Texas League, while producing one of the top, all-time on-base percentages with a .387 mark. Patterson was the sparkplug that helped Tulsa win league championships in 1962 and 1963 and into the championship series in 1964, which the Oilers lost to San Antonio.

Jim Paul - Executive As the owner of the from 1974-97, he was one of the most innovative promoters of the modern era. He was also one of the most decorated minor league opera- tors, winning numerous national and Texas League awards. In addition, Jim also helped revive the minor leagues with the founding of the El Paso Seminars, helping to spread progressive ideas and sharing knowledge within the baseball community.

George Payne - Pitcher A consistent winner in all eight of his Texas League seasons. He pitched for four first place clubs and two pennant winners. Payne is sixth in league history with 153 wins, 12th in shutouts with 24, eighth with 366 games pitched, while completing 157 of his career starts. He won 20 games twice, led the league in complete games in 1929 with 28 and in- nings pitched in 1931 with 321.

Albie Pearson - Player A diminutive and speedy center fielder, the 5’ 5” Pearson had one of the finest single Texas League seasons of his era. In addition to leading the loop with a .371 average, Pearson crafted a league best .456 on-base percentage, adding 75 walks to the 178 hits he gathered in just 122 games. More than just a , Pearson had 42 extra base hits in his 480 at-bats in 1956, while he struck out just 33 times. A wide ranging fielder, Pear- son also had a strong arm, leading all outfielders in ’56 with 21 assists. Pearson would go on to a successful career with the after winning the American League Rookie of the Year with the Washington Senators in 1958. 63 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Homer Peel - Player A 14-year league veteran with four clubs (Houston 1924-26, 1928, 1930-32; Fort Worth 1936-38; Shreveport 1939-40; Oklahoma City 1941-42). He led the league in numerous hitting categories, including batting average in 1937 with a .370 average. Has the top ca- reer bating average in league history with a .325 mark. He is in the top five for career bat- ters in eight areas, while he is second all-time in extra-base hits and doubles. He played on two first place clubs, two pennant winners and two Dixie Series winners.

Cap Peterson - Player The 1962 Texas League Player of the Year, El Paso’s Cap Peterson had one of the finest seasons ever produced by a Texas League shortstop. Though he finished third in the race for the batting title, Peterson hit .335, with 29 home runs and a league leading 130 RBI. He also led the league with 70 extra-base hits, in total bases with 315 and in slugging per- centage with a .599 mark. His terrific season helped the Sun Kings finish in first place in the league with an 80-60 record.

Adam Piatt - Player Piatt became just the second Triple Crown winner in league history when he accom- plished the feat in 1999. Piatt put together one of the finest offensive seasons in league history when he led or tied nine different offensive categories.

Howie Pollet - Pitcher Pollet was 20-7 and 20-3 in his two seasons at Houston. In 1941 he led the league with a 1.16 ERA. Only one other pitcher, Walt Dickson at 1.06 in 1916, has had a lower ERA in league history.

Del Pratt - Player Pratt came to the Texas League at the age of 38 to play for and manage Waco. In 1927, at the age of 40, Pratt became the first Texas League batter to win the Triple Crown. A dan- gerous hitter throughout his TL career, Pratt hit .374 in 1930 at the age of 43. A great contact hitter, Pratt rarely struck out, going down on strikes just 24 times in 562 at-bats in his big 1927 season. In his four seasons as a regular for Waco, Pratt struck out just 71 times in 1988 at bats. He managed in the league for nine, largely futile seasons, leading, for the most part, second division clubs.

Miles Prentice and Bob Richmond - Owners Over the many years since purchasing the Midland Angels in 1990, Miles Prentice and Bob Richmond have been a perfect partnership for the Permian Basin franchise. Prentice has been the very visible majority owner, always being seen in Midland and elsewhere with his team’s cap on his head. Extremely loyal to the Midland market, Prentice worked patiently with the city for nearly 10 years to replace the aging Christensen Stadium, his efforts culminating in the opening of a state of the art facility in 2002. New to the game when he agreed to purchase the team, Prentice relied on Richmond to help build and guide the business through the official baseball world. Together the pair assembled a ter- rific staff headed by long-time GM Monty Hoppel, while making their operation a model of consistency and success. One of the important hallmarks of the Prentice and Richmond ownership of the Midland club has been their emphasis on integrating the club into the fabric of the community. That attitude is best exemplified in their winter West Texas Sports Banquet which they began in 1991and has raised nearly $500,000 for local chari- ties. In addition to many awards earned by the club under their leadership, both Prentice and Richmond have been deeply involved in Minor League Baseball, Prentice on a num- ber of boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees and Richmond as the long-time president of the Northwest and Arizona Summer Leagues.

64 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Randy Ready - Player/Manager Few men have accomplished as much in two Texas League seasons as did Randy Ready as a player in 1982 and a manager in 2007. Playing for the El Paso Diablos in 1982, Ready led league batters in five different categories, including batting average. His .375 mark was the highest by any Texas Leaguer since Ox Eckhardt hit .379 in 1930. His aver- age that season remains the 10th highest single season batting average in league history since 1902. Returning to the league 25 years later, Ready led San Antonio to a league championship, going 6-1 in the post-season, becoming one of the few former league stars to later win a league championship as a manager.

Mickey Rivers - Player Born John Milton Rivers, the speedy outfielder would become known as “Mick the Quick” during a stellar Major League career. In 1970 Mickey Rivers aptly demonstrated the player he would become for the Angels, Yankees and Rangers, by having an almost unbelievable season for El Paso. In 114 games, the left-hand hitting Miami native led the league with a .343 batting average, a .426 on-base percentage, a .537 slugging percentage and an OPS of .963. He also led the loop with 99 runs scored and tied for the lead in hits with 154. Rivers also accomplished the rare feat of amassing double figures in doubles, triples and home runs, while also stealing 30 bases. For his efforts, Rivers was selected as a post-season Texas League All Star and was selected as the league’s Player of the Year.

J. Doak Roberts - Founder He was twice president of the Texas League (1904-06 and 1920-29). Roberts assisted in the revival of the league in 1902. He helped construct a powerful Houston club that won league titles in 1909, 1912 1913 and was co-champion in 1914. He served the league for over 27 years. He was the managing director of the powerful Corsicana club in 1902 that still holds the record for highest winning percentage in a single season.

Claud “Ug” Roberton - Player/Manager A superb catcher and teacher, Robertson was considered one of the best overall catchers in the early history of the league. Known as a very hard worker and a great coach of young pitchers, he was a .279 hitter in 787 league games and led catchers in total chances in 1920 and fielding in 1926 and 1929. He also threw out a fantastic 111 runners attempt- ing to steal in 1920. Robertson had a knack for getting hit by pitches, having led the league in that area for four different seasons, a skill that led to more than a few disagree- ments during his career.

Billy Jo Robidoux - Player Another of a long line of El Paso sluggers, Billy Jo Robidoux was named the 1985 Texas League Player of the Year after leading the league in eight different statistical categories, including runs, hits, doubles, RBI and batting average. In 1985, Robidoux was part of a terrific El Paso squad that won both half seasons and finished with a record of 86-50, in no small measure due to his hitting accomplishments. His 132 RBI in 1985 set the El Paso franchise all time record, passing the mark set by Cap Peterson in 1962 when he drove in 130 runs.

Brooks Robinson - Player At San Antonio in 1956, he led the league in fielding percentage at third base. He hit .272, with 28 doubles and 74 RBI’s.

65 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Hank “Rube” Robinson - Pitcher In his lone season in the loop, Robinson put together one of the greatest single seasons for a pitcher in the history of the league. Robinson was noted for the ability to warm up quickly, which led to his having a number of wins in relief. A left handed hurler, Robin- son also had wonderful control, walking just 60 batters in 300 innings, while striking out 243. A native of Arkansas, Robinson finished his career by pitching 12 consecutive years in the Southern Association at Little Rock. Over his professional career, he had a 273-195 record, winning nearly 60% of all his decisions.

Chuck Rose - Pitcher A brilliant south paw in the early years of the league, Chuck Rose won 20 games four times, all with pennant winning clubs in Houston. During Houston’s run of three consec- utive pennants in 1912-14, Rose had a fantastic 71-27 record. With a career record of 145-96, Rose is fifth all-time in the league in wins and fifth all-time with 1,013 strikeouts and a league career record for shutouts with 42. Al Rosen - Player Rosen, third baseman for the in 1947, had one of the finest indi- vidual seasons in league history. In his one season in the League, Rosen led in batting (.349), hits (1860, doubles (47), extra-base hits (83), RBI’s (141), total bases (330), slug- ging percentage (.619) and on-base percentage (.437). Among the outstanding single games during the year were a four double performance on April 16 and an eight RBI game on June 29. Rosen was elected as the player of the year following the 1947 season.

William Ruggles - Executive He was the historian of the Texas League. He published numerous league history books beginning in 1931. An employee and statistician of the league from 1920 until 1964. Ruggles was also a long-time sports writer and later sports editor of the Dallas Morning News. His research of the early years of the Texas League is essential to our understand- ing of the founding and the origins of this league.

Ron Santo - Player Playing in his first season as a professional, 19-year-old Ron Santo proved that he be- longed in the Texas League after playing in all 136 of San Antonio’s games in 1959, hit- ting .327 and leading the league in doubles and put outs at third base. It would take the slick fielding Santo just one more half season to get to Chicago where he became a main- stay with the Cubs for more than a decade. Santo was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Carl Sawatski - Executive After retiring from a successful playing career, Carl Sawatski joined the Texas League as the General Manager of the Arkansas Travelers, serving the Trav’s from 1968 through the 1975 season. In 1976, Sawatski was elected President of the Texas League, serving the loop until his death in November 1991. His 16 years as head of the TL is the third longest tenure of any Texas League president, behind only J. Alvin Gardner and Tom Kayser. The Pennsylvania native joined both the Travelers and the Texas League during a time of instability and economic challenges in the minor leagues. In the 1960’s Minor League Baseball was in an unsettled era that saw many cities lose their teams. During his tenure running the Arkansas club, Carl helped stabilize the Travelers business operations, guiding them for eight seasons, while winning the Texas League Executive of the Year award in 1970. By the mid-1970’s, baseball was on the verge of a resurgence and much more stability. During Carl’s tenure at the top of the Texas League there were just three franchise shifts and league attendance grew by over one million fans from 1976 to 1991. In addition to his Texas League executive award, in 1987, Carl was the recipient of Minor League Baseball’s Warren Giles Award that annually honors outstanding service as a league president. 66

TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Ken Schrom - Pitcher/Executive A pitcher for the El Paso Diablos in the late 1970’s, Schrom began preparing for a life after his playing career when he joined the sales staff of the Diablos in 1981, working for the club each off season until joining the club on a full-time basis in 1989, following a successful career in the American League. Over the following 16 seasons, Schrom be- came the Diablos Director of Sales and Marketing and later their Executive Vice Presi- dent, before moving to Corpus Christi to become the General Manager of the Hooks in 2005 and in 2007, club president. During his 36 year association with the league, Schrom participated in the success of the Diablos, who won the Baseball America Bob Freitas Award in 1898, as well as the Texas League Organization of the Year Award and Minor League Baseball Larry MacPhail Awards in 1993. During his tenure in Corpus Christi, the Hooks have consistently been one of the top draws in all of Double A baseball. For their efforts under Schrom, Corpus Christi won the TL Organization of the Year trophy twice, in 2009 and 2015, while the Idaho native was elected the TL Executive of the Year in 2005.

John “Ziggy” Sears - Player/Pitcher/Umpire After his playing career, which included stops in Fort Worth (1918-27), San Antonio (1927), Shreveport (1928) and Waco (1928), Sears joined the Texas League umpire staff in 1929, where he stayed until called to the National League in 1935. Among the special accomplishments of Sears’ career, the most notable may have been his 11 RBI game on May 19, 1925 versus San Antonio. Sears is in the career top 10 in many offensive cate- gories including runs (883, 3rd), hits (1,492, 5th), extra-base hits (444, 5th), total bases (2,176, 5th), singles (1,048, 7th), doubles (307, tie 3rd) and RBI’s (664, 7th).

Carey Selph - Player/Manager Selph hit over .300 in all five seasons in the league. His career average of .322 is second highest in league history. He was also tough to strike out, going down on strikes just 137 times in 3184 TL at-bats. Selph was also one of the outstanding second baseman in loop history, leading the league in a number of fielding categories annually. He returned to manage Houston for two seasons, leading them to first place in 1933.

Al Simmons - Player At Shreveport in 1923, Simmons hit .360 with 58 extra-base hits and 90 RBI’s.

Jimmy Slagle - Player A speedy, athletic center fielder on the powerful, pennant winning 1896 Houston Buf- faloes, Slagle led the league in three separate batting departments while establishing a record that has never been broken. In addition to leading the league in stolen bases and hits, the Houston scored 171 run in just 131 games. That run total has never been topped in the more than 100 seasons that have followed Slagle’s singular season. Additionally, along with team mate Charlie Schaffer, Slagle was the first of two batters to top 200 hits in 1896, the first time that any hitter had gathered more than 200 hits in a sin- gle Texas League season. After two more minor league seasons, Slagle went to the Na- tional league, where he was a member of the pennant winning Chicago Cubs’ clubs 1906-08, winning the World Series with them the later two seasons.

Tris Speaker - Player At Houston in 1907, he led the league with a .314 batting average.

67 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES Milt Steengrafe - Player/Pitcher/Umpire He had one of the longest careers in the Texas League, eight years as a pitcher and 15 years as an umpire (Beaumont 1924; Shreveport 1925; Wichita Falls 1927-31; Wichita Falls-Shreveport-Tyler-Fort Worth 1932; Umpire 1938-42, 1946-1955). He compiled a 95-76 record on the mound in the 1920’s and 1930’s, leading the league in winning per- centage in 1928 with a 22-8 record (.733). Was the longest serving league umpire in league history, working all 15 Texas League seasons between 1938 and 1955.

Bobby Stow - Player He was a 10-year veteran of the league, the first eight with Fort Worth from 1915-20 (Dallas 1921-24; Shreveport 1923). He is rated as possibly the greatest shortstop in league history. He led the league in fielding percentage six times. He also led the league in stolen bases five times, twice with consecutive seasons of 70 and 60.

Larry “Moose” Stubing - Player/Manager Stubing was one of the top sluggers of the 1960’s, as well as a premier fielding first base- man. With 138 TL homers, mostly for El Paso, Stubing is sixth on that all-time list. He is second, all-time, in slugging percentage with a .504 mark, topped only by the celebrated slugger Clarence Kraft. “Moose” finished first in fielding average at first base in 1963 and was second in 1960, 1964 and 1966. Returning to the league in 1978 to manage El Paso, Stubing won both half seasons, then swept Jackson 3-0 to win the league champi- onship.

Homer Summa - Player Summa was the offensive engine that drove a very good Wichita Falls club to a 94-61, second place finish in 1922. His one season in the Texas League ranks with the very best of the single season performances in Texas League history. Summa’s 225 hits broke the existing league record, while his 131 runs scored was just one behind the existing league mark of 132, set the previous season. His .362 batting average was the third highest up to that time in the league’s modern era. A fair, but slow outfielder, Summa finished the 1922 season playing 12 games for Cleveland, hitting .348

Bruce Sutter - Pitcher A two-year pitcher for the Midland Cubs, Sutter had a stellar season for the Cubs in 1975, perfecting the split-finger fast ball that he had learned following arm surgery in 1972. In 41 games in ‘75, Sutter tied for the league lead with 13 saves, while crafting a 2.15 ERA. He also appeared in three of the four Midland games in the league championship series that ended in a tie with Lafayette due to rain, allowing two hits and no runs in three total innings. Sutter, who in his two seasons in seasons at Midland crafted a career 1.96 ERA, went on to have an outstanding career with the Cubs, Cardinals and Braves as a lights-out from 1975 through1986, winning election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006

Don Sutton - Pitcher At Albuquerque in 1965, Sutton had the best winning percentage with a 15-6 record (.714).

68 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Frank Tanana - Pitcher A slender left-handed pitcher from Detroit, Frank Tanana thrived in his only season in the Texas League, earning Pitcher of the Year honors in 1973 in spite of working half his games in the notoriously hitter friendly in El Paso. In 26 starts in 1973, Tanana won 16, led the league in complete games with 15, innings pitched with 206 and strikeouts with 197. Tanana put together a season-long ERA of 2.71, less than half of the El Paso team ERA which was a league worst 4.58. In addition to being named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 1973, Tanana was also named a 1973 post-season TL all star.

Arch Tanner - Player He played 14 seasons in the Texas League (Waco 1912-19; Wichita Falls 1920-25). He was a good fielding and hitting shortstop during his first ten years in the league. He led the league in fielding percentage twice at shortstop. Also led the league in hits in 1915 and doubles in 1914. He is in the top 10 in nine all-time TL hitting categories, including third in hits with 1,555.

Pete Turgeon - Player A power hitting, speedy infielder, Turgeon was also one of the top second baseman of his era. A good base runner and lead-off hitter, Turgeon had six seasons during which he scored 100 or more runs, four of them consecutively, both Texas League records. In 1923 and 1927, Turgeon led the loop in sacrifice hits. The led second basemen in chances and games played in 1923, while leading second baseman in double plays in 1928. Having played in 1,097 games over eight seasons, Turgeon is ranked 7th all time in runs scored (787), tied for sixth in home runs (138), eighth in extra-base hits(426), ninth in runs bat- ted in (627) and tenth in total bases (1,968).

Bill Valentine - Executive He began his career in the league as an umpire (1954-60), returning as a broadcaster (1969-75), then, since 1976, has been the General Manager of the Arkansas Travelers. Along with Jim Paul, he led the revival of minor league baseball as an innovative pro- moter. He has also received numerous league and baseball awards including Texas League Executive of the Year five times. Has more than 40 years service in the league, including the last 29 as the chief executive of the Travelers.

Lee Velarde - Groundskeeper For the first 28 of the existence of the Midland franchise in the Texas League, their home turf knew just one head groundskeeper, Lee Velarde. Working at the Midland facility al- ternately known as Cubs Stadium (1972-84), Angels Stadium (1985-94) and Christensen Stadium (1995-2001), Velarde diligently tended the grounds there from 1972, until his re- tirement in 1999. In the history of the circuit, he is one of the longest serving groundskeepers any TL team has ever had. Prior to his assignment to care for the surface at Cubs Stadium, Velarde had been in charge of caring for all of the youth fields in Mid- land from 1954 until the arrival of the Cubs in 1972. During his term as a Texas League groundskeeper, Society and Grounds Management magazine gave Cubs Field their Best Field award in 1976, while Lee was presented a National Maintenance Award for his care of Cubs Stadium in 1977. A hard working family man, Velarde was also a noted amateur slugger in his youth, often hitting clean-up for the locally famous Midland Colts. Velarde is also the father of former Major League player Randy Velarde.

69 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Al Vincent - Manager Vincent led his team’s to post-season play in eight of his 12 seasons, compiling a record of 50-36, which includes a victory in the 1946 Dixie Series when Dallas swept Atlanta 4-0. Vincent managed 1,879 games in the Texas League, winning 974. Vincent won league crowns with three different clubs. In addition to Dallas in 1946, he took Beau- mont and Tulsa to the Dixie Series in 1938 and 1949 respectively.

Paul Wachtel - Pitcher He spent 13 seasons in the Texas League, mostly with Fort Worth (Fort Worth 1918-28; Houston 1929; Dallas-Waco 1930). He is number one in career victories in league his- tory with 231. He is also first; all-time; in complete games (242) and total innings pitched (3,177), while he is second all-time with 40 shutouts. Wachtel won 20 or more games six times during his Texas League career.

Bill Walberg - Broadcaster Joining Jackson in 1977, Walberg spent 23 seasons calling plays for the Mets and the Generals, his tenure ending only after the Generals were sold and moved to Round Rock following the 1999 season. He is on a short list of broadcaster that has spent as many as 20 seasons calling TL games in the long history of this loop. A popular broadcaster in Jackson during and after his Texas League career, Walberg called 11 no-hitters during his tenure, six of which were authored by Jackson hurlers. He was also behind the mi- crophone during 10 Texas League championship series, five of which were won by Jackson and two TL All Star games both of which ended with dramatic final at-bat calls. The first, in 1984 when Jackson outfielder and future Oakland GM gave the East an 8-7 win when he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and, again, in 1992, when Shreveport’s Adell Davenport, a Jackson native, capped a seven-run, ninth inning rally with a three-run homer that gave the East a stunning 8-6 win. In 1999, Wal- berg called the 26-inning game at San Antonio one of his two most memorable broad- casts. The other was the shocking end to the 1994 East Division Series that vaulted the Generals into the Championship Series after Jackson players clubbed back-to-back, two-out homers in the bottom of the ninth inning of the fifth and final game.

Tom Walker - Pitcher A first round draft choice by the in 1968, Tom Walker wondered if his career had flattened out by the time he came to the Texas League. While his season totals in 1971 were enviable, it was a performance late in the season that gave him re- newed hope for his career and forever put him in the Texas League record book. Start- ing a game for the Dallas Fort Worth Spur at Albuquerque against the Dodgers on August 4, 1971, Walker tossed a 15-inning, 1-0, no-hit win. Arguably the greatest pitched game in the long history of the Texas League. Before or since, there has never been a Texas League game to equal his feat that night. The next longest no-hitter in the Texas League prior to Walker's 15-inning gem was a 12-inning, 2-1 win by Grover Brant on May 31, 1912.

Frank Walsh - Umpire Walsh spent nine seasons in the Texas League over two different spans in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He did not join the league until 1957, when he was nearly 52 years old. After the close of the 1961 season he was summoned to the National League, working there through the 1963 season. He returned to the TL in 1965, working in the loop until 1968 when he was felled by a stroke. During the 1966 season, Walsh was honored prior to a game at Dallas-Fort Worth for having worked 4,000 consecutive games during his professional career. Players considered Walsh a good, fair, consistent and hard working umpire. 70 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

Frank “Pop” Weikart - Player/Pitcher/Manager Weikert was one of the most accomplished and popular players during the early decades of the league. He was an active player in the loop over the first 20 years of its existence from 1888 through 1908. Weikert was outstanding at the plate, in the field and the mound, going 27-11 for Houston in 1889, then hitting .380 and .385 for Austin in 1896 and 1897. A slick fielding first baseman, Weikert capped his TL career as the player/manager at Galveston in 1907 and 1908, leading the loop in home runs in ’07.

Bill Whittaker - Pitcher Bill Whittaker was member of the fabulous Fort Worth Panthers, who dominated Texas League play from 1919 through 1925. Joining the Panthers in a trade Galveston in 1917, Whittaker blossomed with Fort Worth in 1919, the first of three consecutive 20 plus win seasons for the club. His best season for the Panthers was 1920, when he was 24-6, leading the league in winning percentage and going 2-0 in the Dixie Series, winning the series clincher over Little Rock. The St. Louis native finished his seven seasons in the league with a 109-75 record and a career ERA of 2.42, which is second all-time in league history.

George Whiteman - Player A member of the great 1906 Cleburne club, Whiteman played over 1,400 games over 11 seasons in the League. During his career at Waco 1905, Cleburne 1906, Houston 1907- 08, 1911-13, 1921-22, Wichita Falls/Galveston 1923 and Galveston in 1924, Whiteman gathered more outfield assists than any other player in the history of the loop.

Dick Whitworth - Pitcher Whitworth pitched 12 complete seasons in the Texas League and holds the record for the most games pitched with 453. He is also tied for third in career wins with 158. A good fielding pitcher, Whitworth was also durable, pitching 167 complete games. He was on one first place club and three pennant winners. Whitworth’s career was as fol- lows: Houston 1926-28; Fort Worth 1929-34, Tulsa 1935, Oklahoma City 1936, Okla- homa City/Fort Worth 1937, Fort Worth/Dallas 1938. Billy Williams - Player At San Antonio in 1959, Williams batted .318 in 94 games with 22 doubles, 7 triples, 10 home runs and 79 RBI’s.

Dick Williams - Player A speedy, dependable center fielder, Dick Williams had a career batting average of .301 during his nearly four years with Fort Worth. In 1949, Williams had his best season for the Cats, hitting .310, scoring 109 runs, while driving in 114. Williams went on to be- come one of the most successful managers in Major League Baseball history.

Don Wilson - Pitcher Wilson dominated the Texas League as few others have since advent of the modern af- filiated era, doing so as a 21-year-old. Named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 1966, Wilson led the league in just one category that season, shutouts, with six. How- ever, the 6’2” right hander finished the Texas League season second in ERA, wins and strikeouts, while he was third among pitchers in complete games and winning percent- age. After a September promotion to Houston, Wilson never pitched another minor league game, becoming a key member of the Astros rotation from 1967 until his un- timely death in January 1979.

71 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHIES

William “Lucky” Wright - Pitcher The dominant hurler on the legendary 1902 Corsicana club that won 86 of 108 games, William "Lucky" Wright started 42 games that season, completed 41, won 33, while los- ing just eight times. During Corsicana's 27 game winning streak (June 8-July 5), Wright won 10 times, including four in succession, single games on June 26 and 28, and a dou- bleheader on June 29th. The first game of the doubleheader is the only start that Wright did not complete that season. Ejected late in the game after a dispute with the lone umpire assigned to the game, Wright returned to start the second game, winning yet another com- plete game. Wright's 33 wins, 41 and 385 innings pitched all remain Texas League single-season records.

Hank Wyse - Pitcher A durable right hander for three Texas League clubs over six seasons from 1941-1952, Hank Wyse won 20 games twice, both for Tulsa in 1941 and 1942, when he produced a combined 40-15 record for the Oilers. For his career, Wyse is fourth all-time in the league with a 2.71 ERA, fourth all-time with a .650 career winning percentage (89-48) and tied for seventh in league history with 20 shutouts.

Burl Yarbrough - Executive Joining the San Antonio club as General Manager in the fall of 1987, the 2016 season represented Yarbrough’s 29th in the Alamo City. In his early years with the club, operat- ing in obsolete V. J. Keefe Stadium, Yarbrough quickly established a fun atmosphere that led to a 66% increase in attendance by 1993. With the club’s move to a new stadium in 1994, Yarborough and his staff shattered the existing Texas League attendance record, drawing over 411,000 fans, becoming just the third TL club to draw more than 400,000 fans in a single season, and the first since 1949. During their first 22 seasons in Wolff Municipal Stadium, Burl and his staff drew well over seven million fans to regular sea- son, post-season and all star games, consistently drawing more than 300,000 fans per sea- son. For his efforts, Yarbrough, the president of the Missions since 2004, was voted the Texas League Executive of the Year three times, in 1989, 1994 and 2011, while the Mis- sions received the Texas League’s Organization of the Year Award in 1997 and 2016 and the Baseball America Bob Freitas Award in 1994.

Anthony Young - Pitcher A 38th round draft pick by the New York Mets in 1987, three years later, Anthony Young produced one on the most dominant seasons by a Texas League pitcher in recent league history. A post-season all star and the 1990 Texas League Pitcher of the Year, Young led the loop in wins with 15, winning percentage with a .833 mark and a 1.65 ERA, which was 62 points lower than the pitcher directly behind him. Young’s ERA in 1990 was the lowest in the League since Fort Worth’s Johnny Van Cuyk posted a 1.42 average in 1946 and remains the 8th lowest ERA to lead the league since the statistic began being pub- lished in 1916.

72 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

73 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

74 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

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77 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

78 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

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80 TEXAS LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CLASSES

Did You Know?....that over the life of the circuit, many Texas League batting leaders have gone on to lead the major leagues in the identical categories? Some examples: In 1907 Tris Speaker hit .314 to pace the league in batting average. In 1916, he led the entire major leagues with a .386 mark. In 1934 "Beau" Bell led the Texas League with 51 doubles. In 1937 he led the American League with the same total. In 1942 led the league with 192 hits and 44 doubles. Just one year later, he led the American League in the same categories, collect- ing 200 hits and 38 doubles. Hank Greenberg paced the Texas League with 39 round-trippers in 1932, before becoming one of the American League's premier sluggers. In 1938, he led the majors with 58 dingers while leading the American League in 1935 and 1940 with 36 and 41 home runs, respectively. led the American League in homers in 1979 (45) and 1982 (39) after lead- ing the Texas League with 26 long flys in 1972. Al Rosen drove home 141 to lead the loop in 1947. In 1952 he led the American League with 105, then led the ma- jors with 145 in 1953.

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82 Texas League 2019 SCHEDULE

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