Pecos League

Pecos League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2016
Sport Baseball
Founded 2010
CEO Andrew Dunn
No. of teams 11
Country United States
Continent North America
Most recent champion(s) Roswell Invaders (2015)
Most titles Roswell Invaders (3)
Official website pecosleague.com

The Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs is an independent professional baseball league headquartered in Houston, which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorado, Kansas and West Texas. The league plays in cities that do not have Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either.

History

The Pecos League operated six teams in the 2011[1] and 2012 seasons and expanded to eight teams for 2013. Continued growth saw the league reach a high of ten teams for 2014.

The season is a highly condensed one, where teams may play 70 games in 72 days, all for a weekly salary of $50 per player.

The Pecos League also operates a spring developmental league, which is a one-month showcase beginning in March for recent college graduates and free agents looking to catch on to a full season league.

In May 2014, Fox Sports 1 aired a six-part documentary about life in the Pecos League, mostly based on the Trinidad Triggers.

In August 2014, Jon Edwards made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers becoming the first player in Pecos League history to play in Major League Baseball.

For 2016, the Las Vegas Train Robbers moved to Topeka, Kansas. Expansion teams were added in Great Bend, Kansas[2] and Tucson, Arizona.[3][4][5] The Tucson Saguaros will play home games at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursdays through Saturdays and at Warren Ballpark in Bisbee on Sundays.

On February 25, 2016 it was announced that the Las Cruces Vaqueros would sit out the 2016 season due to severe damage to their home stadium.[6] Expansion team Salina Stockade[7] was added to the league and will play a limited 11-game home schedule in 2016.

Current teams

Pecos League
Division Team Founded City Stadium
Northern Garden City Wind 2015 Garden City, Kansas Clint Lightner Field
Great Bend Boom 2016 Great Bend, Kansas Al Burns Memorial Field
Salina Stockade 2016 Salina, Kansas Dean Evans Stadium
Topeka Train Robbers 2013 Topeka, Kansas Lake Shawnee Park
Trinidad Triggers 2012 Trinidad, Colorado Central Park
Southern Alpine Cowboys 2009 Alpine, Texas Kokernot Field
Roswell Invaders 2011 Roswell, New Mexico Joe Bauman Stadium
Santa Fe Fuego 2012 Santa Fe, New Mexico Fort Marcy Ballfield
Tucson Saguaros 2016 Tucson, Arizona and Bisbee, Arizona Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium and Warren Ballpark
White Sands Pupfish 2009 Alamogordo, New Mexico Griggs Park

NOTE: Las Cruces Vaqueros are sitting out the 2016 season.

Former teams

Team Season(s) Location Homefield
Bisbee Blue 2014 Bisbee, Arizona Warren Ballpark
Carlsbad Bats 2011 Carlsbad, New Mexico Travel team
Douglas Diablos 2014 Douglas, Arizona Copper King Park
Raton Osos 2013-2014 Raton, New Mexico Gabrielle Park
Ruidoso Osos 2011 Ruidoso, New Mexico White Mountain Park
Taos Blizzard 2013-2014 Taos, New Mexico The Tundra

League timeline

Salina Stockade Garden City Wind Douglas Diablos Bisbee Blue Taos Blizzard Topeka Train Robbers Las Vegas Train Robbers Trinidad Triggers Santa Fe Fuego White Sands PupFish Raton Osos Ruidoso Osos Roswell Invaders Las Cruces Vaqueros Las Cruces Vaqueros Carlsbad Bats Alpine Cowboys

League members Former Team

Champions

Season Winner Runner-up Result
2011 Roswell Invaders Ruidoso Osos 2-1 (best-of 3)
2012 Alpine Cowboys Las Cruces Vaqueros 2-1 (best-of 3)
2013 Roswell Invaders Las Vegas Train Robbers 2-0 (best-of 3)
2014 Santa Fe Fuego Alpine Cowboys 2-1 (best-of 3)
2015 Roswell Invaders[8] Santa Fe Fuego 2-0 (best-of 3)

References

  1. "Independent Pecos League also will play in Las Cruces, Roswell and Artesia". Albuquerque Journal. 25 August 2010.
  2. "Great Bend independent baseball team gets schedule, new name". The Hutchinson News. 3 February 2016.
  3. "Martinez signs pro baseball contract with Tucson". Mesabi Daily News. 4 January 2016.
  4. "NJIT’s Mike Rampone Signs Professional Contract with Tucson Saguaros". NJIT Athletics. 3 February 2016.
  5. "Ex-JCC player Ramos signs pro contract". Watertown Daily Times. 10 February 2016.
  6. "Vaqueros will not return in 2016". Las Cruces Sun-News. 25 February 2016.
  7. "Introducing the Salina Stockade". Salina Journal. 14 February 2016.
  8. "Invaders handily end Fuego’s wild season, claim 3rd league title". Santa Fe New Mexican. 4 August 2015.

External links

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