The Fort Scott Giants were a minor league baseball team based in

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

. From 1901 to 1905, Fort Scott teams played as a member of the Missouri Valley League, before joining the 1906

Kansas State League The Kansas State League was a minor league baseball sports league, league in the United States that operated in the state of Kansas in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. History The Kansas State League was first established ...

. The 1901 team was known as the Fort Scott "Memphis Route."

History

Fort Scott first hosted minor league baseball in 1891, when the "Fort Scott" team played the season as members of the independent Southwest League. The "Fort Scott Memphis Route" team became a member of the 1901 independent Missouri Valley League. The Columbus, Kansas,

Galena, Kansas Galena is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,761. History Although the railroad was built through the territory of Galena in 1871, the community did not start until the di ...

, Joplin Colts, Monett Railroadmen,

Nevada Reds Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

Oswego, Kansas Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Labette County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,668. History Oswego is located on the site of an Osage village calle ...

and Pittsburg Coal Barons teams joined Fort Scott in league play. The 1901 league records and standings are unknown. In 1902, Fort Scott continued play in the Class D level Missouri Valley League, as the

Nevada, Missouri Nevada ( ''nə--də'') is a city in and the county seat of Vernon County, on the western border of Missouri, United States. The population was 8,386 at the 2010 census, and 8,254 in the 2018 estimate. The local government has a council-manager ...

and Joplin, Missouri teams also continued play. The Coffeyville Indians,

Iola Gasbags The Iola Gasbags were a minor league baseball team based in Iola, Kansas. Between 1902 and 1906, Iola teams played as a member of the Missouri Valley League from 1902 to 1904 and the 1906 Kansas State League. The Iola Gasbags won the 1904 Missouri ...

, Jefferson City Convicts,

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

, Nevada Lunatics,

Sedalia Gold Bugs The Sedalia Goldbugs were a minor league baseball team based in Sedalia, Missouri. Between 1904 and 1911, Sedalia teams played as a member of the Missouri Valley League (1902–1904), Western Association (1905) and Missouri State League (1911), w ...

and

Springfield Reds Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

teams joined Fort Scott in beginning league play on May 6, 1902. The Giants placed third in the 1902 Missouri Valley League final standings, as the league held no playoffs. With a record of 80-44, playing the season under manager

Warren Gill Warren Darst Gill (December 21, 1878 – November 26, 1952), nicknamed "Doc", was a professional baseball player who played as a first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1908 Major League Baseball season. Gill graduated from Washington ...

, Fort Scott finished 6.0 games behind the first place Nevada Lunatics in the standings. The 1903 Fort Scott Giants continued as members of the eight–team Class D level Missouri Valley League, as the Leavenworth White Sox replaced Coffeyville in league play before folding during the season, as did Nevada. The Giants placed fifth of the six remaining teams in the Missouri Valley League standings. Fort Scott ended the 1903 season with a record of 71–64, with Fred Hornaday serving as manager. After Nevada and Leavenworth had folded during the season, Fort Scott ended the season 15.5 games behind the first place Sedalia Goldbugs, who finished with a record of 86–47. The Fort Scott Giants continued Missouri Valley League play in 1904 and finished last as the league became a Class C level League with eight teams. The Giants ended the season with a record of 36–89, placing eighth in the standings. Jake Bene and Lou Armstrong served as managers. The Coal Diggers finished 47.5 gamed behind the first place Iola Gasbags. The Fort Scott Giants placed fourth in the final season of the Missouri Valley League, as the league folded during the season. With a record of 49–52, the Giants finished 26.0 games behind the first place

Pittsburg Miners Pittsburg may refer to: Places United States Cities, towns, townships and counties *Pittsburg, California *Pittsburg, Florida *Pittsburg, Kansas, Crawford County *Pittsburg, New Hampshire *Pittsburg, Oklahoma *Pittsburg, Texas *Pittsburg County ...

. Harry Chapman served as manager. Fort Scott was also referred to as the "Hay Diggers" in 1905. The

Muskogee Reds Muskogee Reds refers to three baseball teams based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. The first team played in the Missouri Valley League in 1905. The next played in the Western Association in 1917, and the third played in the Western Association ...

disbanded on August 31, causing the Missouri Valley League to end play on September 5, 1905. In 1906, the Fort Scott Giants continued minor league play, as the franchise joined the eight-team, Class D level

. The Giants joined the Bartlesville Indians,

Chanute Browns There have been five Minor leagues teams that have represented the city of Chanute, Kansas. Since classification of the minors began, all of them have been labeled as class D loops. Chanute Oilers The Chanute Oilers became a member of the Missouri ...

, Coffeyville Bricks,

Independence Coyotes The 1906 Independence Coyotes went 69-48 and won the Kansas State League championship. Ben Haas hit .341 to lead the league, while pitcher Chick Brandom paced the circuit with 16 wins and 121 strikeouts. The league folded after the season, and the ...

, Iola Grays,

Parsons Preachers The Parsons Preachers were a minor league baseball team based in Parsons, Kansas that played in the Class-C Missouri Valley League in 1905, the Class-D Kansas State League in 1906 and the Class-D Oklahoma–Arkansas–Kansas League in 1907. They w ...

and

Pittsburg Champs Pittsburg may refer to: Places United States Cities, towns, townships and counties *Pittsburg, California *Pittsburg, Florida *Pittsburg, Kansas, Crawford County *Pittsburg, New Hampshire *Pittsburg, Oklahoma *Pittsburg, Texas *Pittsburg County ...

in beginning league play on May 3, 1906. On June 6, 1906, the Pittsburg Champs franchise moved to Vinita, Oklahoma. On July 5, 1906, both the Fort Scott and Vinita franchised folded during the season. The Fort Scott Giants ended their final season with a record of 35–18, as Ed Finney, Cy Mason and M. McDonald served as managers. After the two teams folded, the league discarded all games played before July 10 and restarted with a new season. The league did not return to play in 1907. The Kansas State League resumed play in 1909, but without a Fort Scott franchise. Fort Scott has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The name and location of the Fort Scott Giants' home minor league ballpark are not directly referenced. 1902 newspaper accounts refer to fans interacting with the "guards" present on the "grounds" at the site of the Fort Scott ballpark. The verbiage corresponds with Fort Scott being home to the Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Raleigh Aitchison Raleigh Leonidas Aitchison (December 5, 1887 – September 26, 1958), nicknamed "Redskin" was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1915. He continued to pitch in the minor leagues through 1923 with an assortment of teams. After his ret ...

(1906) *

Harry Berte Harry Thomas Berte (May 10, 1872 – May 6, 1952) was a Major League Baseball player. Williams played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1903 season. In four games, he had five hits in 15 at-bats, with one walk. He was born in Covington, Kentuck ...

(1902) * Bobby Byrne (1904) *

Bill Carney William John Carney (March 25, 1874 – July 31, 1938) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Bill played two games in his career in 1904, with the Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in C ...

(1904) *

Harry Cheek Harry Gordon Cheek (April 23, 1879 – August 25, 1927) was a Major League Baseball player. Cheek played for the Philadelphia Phillies in . In 2 games, Cheek had 2 hits in 4 at-bats, with a .500 batting average. Cheek was born in Kansas City, M ...

(1903) *

Red Downs Jerome Willis "Red" Downs (August 23, 1883 – October 19, 1939), was a Major League Baseball player, who gained notoriety later in life as an armed robber during the Great Depression. Early life and MLB career Downs was born and raised in Neo ...

(1903) * Blaine Durbin (1904) *

(1902, MGR) * Bob Groom (1904) * Harry Huston (1902-1903) *

Tex Jones William Roderick "Tex" Jones (August 4, 1885 – February 26, 1938) was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago White Sox in the 1911 season. In nine games, he had six hits in 31 at-bats, with four RBIs. He batted and threw right-handed. H ...

(1904) *

Owen Shannon Owen Dennis Ignatius Shannon (December 22, 1879 – April 10, 1918) was a professional baseball catcher. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team tha ...

(1902) * Bill Shipke (1903) *

Lon Ury Louis Newton Ury (1877 – March 4, 1918), nicknamed "Old Sheep", was a Major League Baseball first baseman during the end of the 1903 season. He played in two games for the St. Louis Cardinals on September 9 and September 12, both at Robison Fie ...

(1902) * Fort Scott Giants players

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Fort Scott - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Kansas Defunct Missouri Valley League teams Baseball teams established in 1902 Baseball teams disestablished in 1906 Kansas State League teams Bourbon County, Kansas