| Texas Valley League | |
| Sport: | Minor League Baseball |
| President: | Guy Airey (1938) |
| Inaugural: | 1901 |
| Teams: | 9 |
| Continent: | or |
| Continents: | --> |
| Folded: | 1938 |
| Most Champs: | 1 Corpus Christi Seahawks (1927) Harlingen Hubs (1938) |
| Classification: | Independent (1901–1908) Class D (1927–1928, 1938) |
The Texas Valley League was a minor league baseball league that played in three different periods. The league was an Independent league from 1901 to 1908 and a Class D level league from 1927 to 1928 and in 1938. In every season of play, the Texas Valley League consisted of teams based exclusively in Texas.
The Texas Valley League began play as an Independent league in the 1901 season and played continuously through 1908. The exact records and teams in the seasons from 1901 to 1908 are unknown.[1] [2] [3]
In 1927, the Texas Valley League reformed and began play as a four–team Class D level league, evolving from the 1926 Gulf Coast League. The 1927 Texas Valley League members were the Corpus Christi Seahawks, Edinburg Bobcats, Laredo Oilers and Mission Grapefruiters. All four teams had played the previous season as the only members of the 1926 Gulf Coast League. The Texas Valley League began play on April 5, 1927, with the Corpus Christi Seahawks winning the first–half standings. Laredo won the second–half standings. Mission had the best overall record. In the Final, Corpus Christi Swept Laredo in three games.[4] [5] [6] [7]
The Texas Valley League continued play as a four–team league in 1928 before folding. The Corpus Christi Seahawks and Mission Grapefruits were joined by teams from Brownsville, Texas and McAllen, Texas in the Class D level league, as Edinburg and Laredo had folded. The 1928 season standings are unknown. The league folded after the 1928 season.[8] [9]
The Texas Valley League formed for a final season in 1938, playing as a six–team Class D level league. The Brownsville Charros, Corpus Christi Spudders, Harlingen Hubs, McAllen Packers, Refugio Oilers and Taft Cardinals teams made up the 1938 league franchises. The league president was Guy Airey. Corpus Christi won the regular season pennant with a 92–44 record, finishing 8.5 games ahead of second place Harlingen. In the first round of the playoffs, the Harlingen Hubs defeated the Taft Cardinals 3 games to 0 and the Corpus Christi Spudders defeated the Refugio Oilers 3 games to 2. In the Finals, the Harlingen Hubs won the championship, defeating Corpus Christi in a four–game sweep. The Texas Valley League permanently folded after the 1938 season.[10] [11] [7]
Brownsville (1928); Brownsville Charros (1938)
Corpus Christi Seahawks (1927–1928); Corpus Christi Spudders (1938)
Edinburg Bobcats (1927)
Harlingen Hubs (1938)
Laredo Oilers (1927)
McAllen (1928), McAllen Packers (1938)
Mission Grapefruiters (1927–1928)
Refugio Oilers (1938)
Taft Cardinals (1938)[7]
The standings in the 1901 to 1908 seasons are unknown.[7] [12]
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Grapefruiters | 62 | 55 | .529 | – | Harry Davis / Ed Marburger | |
| Corpus Christi Seahawks | 63 | 56 | .523 | 0.5 | Jimmy Payton | |
| 57 | 58 | .496 | 4.0 | Roy Morton / Cam Hill | ||
| Laredo Oilers | 53 | 66 | .445 | 10.0 |
| Garland Orr | Mission | BA | .372 | Herbert Pyle | Mission | W | 15 | ||
| Les Mallon | Mission | Runs | 94 | Glenn Brown | Corpus Christi | W | 15 | ||
| Les Mallon | Mission | Hits | 162 | Fay Haddock | Laredo | SO | 1.13 | ||
| Jack Holloway | Mission | HR | 17 | R.S. "Red" Hill | Laredo | Pct | .750; 12–4 |
The 1928 Texas Valley League standings are unknown.[7] [12]
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi Spudders | 92 | 44 | .677 | – | Rod Whitney | |
| Harlingen Hubs | 84 | 53 | .613 | 8.5 | Jake Atz | |
| 68 | 67 | .504 | 23.5 | John Morrow / Herbert Fash | ||
| Refugio Oilers | 67 | 67 | .500 | 24.0 | Carlisle Littlejohn | |
| McAllen Packers | 65 | 72 | .474 | 27.5 | Skipper Friday / Walter Kopp | |
| Brownsville Charros | 30 | 103 | .226 | 60.5 | Ed Konetchy / Jimmie Wilson / Brooks Conover / Dutch Hoffman / Vernon Deck |
| Manuel Cortinas | Corpus Christi | BA | .380 | Gene Hinrichs | Harlingen | W | 27 | |
| George Hausmann | Corpus Christi | Runs | 157 | Gene Hinrichs | Harlingen | SO | 223 | |
| K. Steve Carter | Harlingen | Hits | 207 | Tom Finger | Corpus Christi | ERA | 2.75 | |
| Manuel Cortinas | Corpus Christi | HR | 20 | Tom Finger | Corpus Christi | PCT | .815 22–5 | |
| Leo Najo | McAllen | HR | 20 | |||||
| Bill McClaren | Harlingen | HR | 20 | |||||
| Kirby Jordan | McAllen | HR | 20 | |||||
| Bill McClaren | Harlingen | RBI | 151 |