The Edinburg Bobcats were a minor league baseball franchise based in Edinburg, Texas. In 1926 and 1927, the Bobcats played as members of two Class D level leagues. Edinburg played a partial season in the Gulf Coast League in 1926, winning the league championship and in the 1927 Texas Valley League. The Edinburg Bobcats hosted home minor league home games exclusively at the Edinburg High School Field.
| Edinburg Bobcats | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Class D (1926–1927) |
| League | Gulf Coast League (1926) Texas Valley League (1927) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | None |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (1) | 1926 |
| Conference titles (1) | 1926 |
| Team data | |
| Name | Edinburg Bobcats (1926–1927) |
| Ballpark | Edinburg High School Field (1926–1927) |
History
editThe "Edinburg Bobcats" were formed during the 1926 season and won the league championship.[1] On August 24, 1926, the Victoria Rosebuds of the Class D level Gulf Coast League, moved to Edinburg. Victoria had a 46–37 record at the time of the move and had won the first–half championship. The existing Victoria players reportedly did not make the move to Edinburg. The Victoria/Edinburg team ended the regular season with a record of 51–48 overall, placing second in the four–team league. Playing the season under managers Bart Cahill and Cam Hill, Edinburg finished 3.5 games behind the first place Laredo Oilers in the final regular season standings. Laredo won the second–half championship. In the playoffs the Victoria Rosebuds/Edinburg Bobcats defeated the Beeville Bees/Laredo Oilers team 4 games to 3, to win the championship.[2][3][4]
The Edinburg Bobcats continued play in a newly named league in 1927.[5] The Texas Valley League formed as a four–team Class D level league, evolving from the 1926 Gulf Coast League, with the Corpus Christi Seahawks, Edinburg Bobcats, Laredo Oilers and Mission Grapefruiters teams continuing play. All four teams had finished the previous season as the only members of the 1926 Gulf Coast League. The Texas Valley League began play on April 5, 1927. With a record of 57–58, Edinburg placed third in the overall standings under managers Roy Morton and Cam Hill, finishing 4.0 games behind first place Mission. Edinburg missed the playoffs, as the Corpus Christi Seahawks won the first–half standings and Laredo won the second–half standings to play in the Finals (where Corpus Christi defeated Laredo).[6][2][7][8][9]
Edinburg did not return to play in 1928. The Texas Valley League continued play as a four–team league, as the Mission Grapefruiters and Corpus Christi Seahawks were joined by new teams from Brownsville, Texas and McAllen, Texas. The Texas Valley League folded after the 1928 season.[10][11]
Edinburg, Texas was without minor league baseball until the 2001 Edinburg Roadrunners began play as members of the Independent level Texas-Louisiana League.[12][13]
The ballpark
editThe Edinburg Bobcats played home games exclusively at the Edinburg High School Field. The Edinburg High School Field was located on the campus of the Edinburg Senior High School & Junior College, located "downtown" at the time. The ballpark was noted for having a short right field line. Today, Edinburg High School is located at 2600 East Wisconsin Road in Edinburg, Texas.[14][15]
Timeline
edit| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 1 | Edinburg Bobcats | Class D | Gulf Coast League | Edinburg High School Field |
| 1927 | 1 | Texas Valley League |
Year–by–year records
edit| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 51–48 | 2nd | Bart Cahill / Cam Hill | Victoria moved to Edinburg August 24 League champions |
| 1927 | 57–58 | 3rd | Roy Morton / Cam Hill | Did not qualify for playoff |
Notable alumni
editCliff Garrison (1927)
References
edit- ^ "1926 Victoria Rosebuds/Edinburg Bobcats Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ Laptrinh, X / (July 28, 2020). "Touring the minors: GCL Mets". LaptrinhX / News.
- ^ "1926 Victoria Rosebuds/Edinburg Bobcats minor league baseball Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1927 Edinburg Bobcats Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1927 Texas Valley League (TVL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1927 Edinburg Bobcats minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Brownsville Herald Newspaper Archives, Apr 4, 1927, p. 3". NewspaperArchive.com. April 4, 1927.
- ^ "1927 Texas Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1928 Texas Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Register Team Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "2001 Edinburg Roadrunners minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "2001 Edinburg Road Runners Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Edinburg High School Field in Edinburg, TX minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Edinburg High School". edinburg.ecisd.us.