The Mount Airy Graniteers were a minor league baseball Class D team that represented the city of Mount Airy, North Carolina. The team played under two different names in two leagues over their 13 non-consecutive seasons spanning 1934–1950.[1] The club joined the Bi-State League for the 1934 season. In 1935, the Graniteers changed its name to the Mount Airy Reds and continued to operate in the league through 1937.[2]
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During that span, Mount Airy had affiliation agreements with the Cincinnati Reds (1935–1936) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937).[citation needed] Then, the team changed its name again to Mount Airy Graniteers and played uninterrupted until the 1941 season. After that, the city was without a professional club for the next four years.[3]
In 1946, the Graniteers resurrected in a new circuit, the Blue Ridge League (1946–1950), playing there uninterrupted until the 1950 season.[4]
One of their most popular players was outfielder Gene Handley, who won a batting crown title with a .403 batting average in 1936.[5] Other major contribution came from pitcher Bob Bowman, who posted a 30-11 record and a 2.91 ERA from 1946–48,[6] including a 17-4 mark with a 3.29 ERA and 197.0 innings pitched in 1947.[7]
In its storied 13-year history, surviving the ups and downs during wartime and postwar times, the team won championship titles in 1948 and 1950, while reaching the postseason in 1940, 1947 and 1949. Since 1950, no other team based in Mount Airy has participated in professional baseball.
Season-by-season
edit| Year | League | Record | W-L % | Finish | GB | Manager | Playoffs |
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| 1934 | BIST | 33-43 | .434 | 4th of six | 19 | Cecil Harris G. Thomas |
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| 1935 | BIST | 67-47 | .588 | 4th of eight | 3½ | Mickey Shader | |
| 1936 | BIST | 53-63 | .457 | 6th of eight | 20½ | Mickey Shader Elbert Conway Frank Packard |
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| 1937 | BIST | 52-61 | 5th of eight | 16 | Walter Novak | ||
| 1938 | BIST | 49-69 | .415 | 6th of eighth | 28 | Dick Goldberg | |
| 1939 | BIST | 42-70 | .375 | 8th of eight | 27 | Guy Lacy Walter Stephenson |
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| 1940 | BIST | 63-56 | .529 | 3rd of eight | 11 | Walter Novack | Lost in first round (vs. Bassett Furnituremakers, 4 Games to 1) |
| 1941 | BIST | 42-70 | .375 | 5th of six | 23 | Jimmy Maus | |
| 1946 | BLRI | 59-45 | .567 | 2nd of four | 11 | Eddie Morgan | No postseason |
| 1947 | BLRI | 72-52 | .581 | 2nd of four | 3½ | Chubby Dean | Lost in first round (vs. Lenoir Red Sox 3 games to 1) |
| 1948 | BLRI | 65-58 | .528 | 4th of six | 10 | Noel Casbier | League Champions (vs. Galax Leafs 4 games to 3) Won in first round (vs. North Wilkesboro Flashers 3 games to 1) |
| 1949 | BLRI | 68-58 | .540 | 1st of six | – | Frank Essick Phil Lundeen Pete Treece Okey Flowers |
Lost in first round (vs. Wytheville Statesmen 4 games to 2) |
| 1950 | BLRI | 71-48 | .596 | 2nd of six | 13½ | Zip Payne Joe Roseberry |
League Champions (vs. Elkin Blanketeers, 4 games to 0) Won in first round (vs. Radford Rockets 3 games to 1) |
MLB alumni
editSee also
editSources
edit- ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1993). Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-96-371898-3.
- ^ "Bi-State League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball
- ^ "Blue Ridge League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1936 Bi-State League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Bob Bowman Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1947 Blue Ridge League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.