Texas League


The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified as a Double-A league.
Despite the league's name, only its four South Division teams are actually based in Texas; the four North Division teams are located in surrounding states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. The league maintains its headquarters in Fort Worth.
The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892. It was called the Texas Association in 1895, the Texas-Southern League in 1896 and again as the Texas League from 1897–1899. It was revived as a Class D league in 1902, moved to Class C in 1904 where it played through 1910, played at Class B until 1920, and finally moved up to Class A in 1921. The Texas League, like many others, shut down during World War II. From 1959 to 1961, the Texas League and the Mexican League formed the Pan American Association. The two leagues played a limited interlocking schedule and post-season championship. By 1971, the Texas League and the Southern League had both decreased to seven teams. They played an interlocking schedule with the Southern League known as the Dixie Association. The two leagues played separate playoffs.
The League's name is well known due to its association with a particular aspect of the game. A bloop single that drops between the infielders and outfielders has been called a Texas Leaguer since the 1890s, despite no evidence that it originated in the Texas League, or was any more common there than elsewhere. There is a common thread throughout Civil War anecdotes that refer to a game played 30 years earlier in the Sabine Pass area. As the story goes, a Union soldier hit a ball over the outfielder's head, leading him into a long chase for the ball which resulted in a bullet wound from a nearby sniper. After the incident, hits were only awarded for balls that landed between the infielders and outfielders.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.

Team moves

In recent years, the Texas League has witnessed a great deal of change. Teams once known as the Jackson Mets, El Paso Diablos, Shreveport Captains, and Wichita Wranglers have all relocated to new cities and bigger stadiums.
In 2019, the San Antonio Missions relocated to Amarillo, Texas, becoming the Amarillo Sod Poodles. At the same time, the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League moved to San Antonio to continue on as the Missions at the Triple-A level.

Current teams

DivisionTeamMLB AffiliationCityStadiumCapacity
NorthArkansas TravelersSeattle MarinersNorth Little Rock, ArkansasDickey–Stephens Park7,200
NorthNorthwest Arkansas NaturalsKansas City RoyalsSpringdale, ArkansasArvest Ballpark7,305
NorthSpringfield CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsSpringfield, MissouriHammons Field10,486
NorthTulsa DrillersLos Angeles DodgersTulsa, OklahomaONEOK Field7,833
SouthAmarillo Sod PoodlesSan Diego PadresAmarillo, TexasHodgetown6,631
SouthCorpus Christi HooksHouston AstrosCorpus Christi, TexasWhataburger Field7,050
SouthFrisco RoughRidersTexas RangersFrisco, TexasDr Pepper Ballpark10,316
SouthMidland RockHoundsOakland AthleticsMidland, TexasMomentum Bank Ballpark6,669

Current team rosters

Texas League timeline


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Period = from:1946 till:2021
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
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Colors = id:barcolor
id:line value:pink
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member
id:Past value:rgb # Use to indicate a stint in the Dixie Association
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another current league
id:OtherC2 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to a now-defunct league
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Full from:1946 till:1971 text:Beaumont Exporters/Roughnecks; Austin Senators/Braves; Shreveport Braves
bar:2 color:Full from:1946 till:1959 text:Dallas Rebels/Eagles/Rangers AA
bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1959 till:1963
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1963 till:1965 text:PCL
bar:3 color:Full from:1946 till:1960 text:Fort Worth Cats
bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1959 till:1960 text:AA
bar:3 color:Full from:1964 till:1965
bar:3 color:Full from:1965 till:1971 text:Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs
bar:3 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:4 color:Full from:1946 till:1959 text:Houston Buffaloes
bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1959 till:1962 text:AA
bar:5 color:Full from:1946 till:1958 text:Oklahoma City Indians
bar:6 color:Full from:1946 till:1965 text:San Antonio Missions/Bullets
bar:6 color:Full from:1968 till:1971 text:San Antonio Missions/Brewers/Dodgers
bar:6 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:6 color:Full from:1972 till:2019
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2019 till:end text: PCL
bar:7 color:Full from:1946 till:1958 text:Shreveport Sports
bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1959 till:1962 text:SA
bar:8 color:Full from:1946 till:1966 text:Tulsa Oilers
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1966 till:1969 text:PCL
bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1977 text:AA
bar:9 color:Full from:1958 till:1962 text:Corpus Christi/Rio Grande Valley/Victoria Giants
bar:10 color:Full from:1958 till:1962 text:Victoria/Ardmore Rosebuds
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1953 till:1956 text:WTNM
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1956 till:1959 text:WL
bar:11 color:Full from:1959 till:1964 text:Amarillo Gold Sox
bar:11 color:Full from:1976 till:1983
bar:11 color:Full from:1983 till:2008 text:Beaumont Golden Gators; Wichita Pilots/Wranglers
bar:11 color:Full from:2008 till:end text:NW Arkansas Naturals
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1946 till:1956 text: WTNM
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1956 till:1962 text: WL
bar:12 color:Full from:1962 till:1971 text:Albuquerque Dukes/Dodgers PCL
bar:12 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1972 till:2001
bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1961 till:1962 text:Soph El Paso Sun Kings; El Paso Sun Dodgers/Sun Kings/Diablos
bar:13 color:Full from:1962 till:1971
bar:13 color:Full from:1972 till:2005
bar:13 color:Full from:2005 till:end text:Springfield Cardinals
bar:14 color:Full from:1965 till:1971 text:Amarillo Sonics/Giants; Lafayette/Tulsa Drillers
bar:14 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:14 color:Full from:1972 till:end
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1963 till:1966 text:IL PCL
bar:15 color:Full from:1966 till:1971 text:Arkansas Travelers
bar:15 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:15 color:Full from:1972 till:end
bar:16 color:Full from:1968 till:1971 text:Memphis Blues; Victoria Toros; Jackson Mets/Generals
bar:16 color:Past from:1971 till:1972
bar:16 color:Full from:1972 till:2000
bar:16 color:Full from:2000 till:2005 text:Round Rock Express PCL
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end
bar:17 color:Past from:1971 till:1972 text:Shreveport Captains/Swamp Dragons
bar:17 color:Full from:1972 till:2003
bar:17 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:Frisco RoughRiders
bar:18 color:Full from:1972 till:1976 text:Alexandria Aces
bar:19 color:Full from:1972 till:end text:Midland Cubs/Angels/RockHounds
bar:20 color:Full from:2005 till:end text:Corpus Christi Hooks
bar:21 color:Full from:2019 till:end text:Amarillo Sod Poodles
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text:^"Texas League Timeline"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

  • In 1971, the Southern League and Texas League were each down to seven teams, so they formed the Dixie Association for one season. They played interlocking schedules but held their own separate playoffs.

    Complete list of Texas League teams (1902–present)

Current team names are in bold.

Hall of fame