The Clovis Pioneers was the primary name of the minor league baseball team that played in

Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, Curry County, New Mexico. The city had a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and a 2019 estimated population of 38,319. Clovis is located in th ...

in various seasons from 1922 to 1957. The team was an affiliate of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1946),

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

(1950-1951) and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1956-1957).

History

Minor league baseball in Clovis began in 1922 and 1923 as the Clovis Buzzers and Cubs played in the Panhandle-Pecos Valley League and the

West Texas League The West Texas League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that existed from 1920 to 1922 and from 1928 to 1929. 1920-1922 The following teams played in 1920: Abilene Eagles, Ranger Nitros, Mineral Wells Resorters, Cisco Scouts, ...

. Clovis was the first non-Texas team to play in the West Texas League. After a 15 year hiatus, the Clovis Pioneers played in the

West Texas–New Mexico League The West Texas–New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. The league started as a Class D level league, upgraded to Class C in 1946 and then ...

(1938-1942, 1946-1955) and in the

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

(1956). They were affiliated with the

in 1946, the

in 1950 and 1951 and the

in 1956. The final season was 1957 as the Clovis Redlegs disbanded on June 16 with a record of 36-12. In 2011, a new Clovis Pioneers team was proposed as member of the

Pecos League Pecos may refer to: Places * Pecos River, rises near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States * Pecos, Texas, a city in Reeves County, Texas, United States * Pecos County, Texas, named for the Pecos River ** Pecos Spring, a spring * Pecos, New Mexico, ...

, an

independent baseball Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

league.

Dean Brothers

Infamous baseball brothers Paul "Daffy" Dean and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as Jerome Herman Dean (both the 1910 and 1920 Censuses show his name as "Jay"), was an American professional baseball pitcher. During his Major League Baseball (MLB) career ...

co-owned the team in 1949-1950, with Paul serving as manager. Dizzy had a pinch-hitting appearance in a game on July 8, 1949.

The ballparks

The 1922 and 1923 Clovis teams hosted home games at League Park, which was located on North Pile Street. Later Clovis teams played at Bell Park, first called Calvary Park, with the name changed in 1938 to honor a local baseball supporter who had died. Bell Park is still in use today by Clovis High School and is located at 610 Ash Street Clovis, New Mexico 88101.

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni

(1949-50, owner) Inducted, 1953

Notable alumni

Harry Bright Harry James Bright (September 22, 1929 – March 13, 2000) was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman and utility player in Major League Baseball over all or parts of eight seasons, from to , for the Pittsburgh Pirates, W ...

(1950) *

Russ Christopher Russell Ormand Christopher (September 12, 1917 – December 5, 1954) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for seven seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics (1942-1947) and Cleveland Indians (1948). In 241 care ...

(1938) MLB All-Star * Paul Dean (1949-1950, MGR) MLB All-Star *

Jesse Gonder Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' (a ...

(1957) *

Glenn McQuillen Glenn Richard McQuillen (April 19, 1915 – June 8, 1989), known also as "Red", was an American professional baseball player. During a 210- game, five-season career in Major League Baseball, all with the St. Louis Browns, he was a reserve outfielde ...

(1956) *

Tex Shirley Alvis Newman "Tex" Shirley (April 25, 1918 – November 7, 1993) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1941 to 1946 for the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns ...

(1940)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Clovis Pioneers Homepage
* Pecos League teams Professional baseball teams in New Mexico Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in New Mexico Pioneers

History

Dean Brothers

The ballparks

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ... alumni

Notable alumni

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni