The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded
United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. From 2002 to 2014, the Cats played their home games at
LaGrave Field
LaGrave Field is an abandoned baseball park in Fort Worth, Texas. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home field of the Fort Worth Cats independent minor league baseball team. Its original version was the home of the predecessor Panthers ...
.
Under the management of
Wayne Terwilliger (2005) and Stan Hough (2006–2007), the team won the
2005 Central Baseball League
The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was a independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises.
In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron P ...
championship and the
2006 and
2007 American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
championships.
History
The new Cats began play in
Fort Worth in
2001 at
Lon Goldstein Field, which was their temporary home until the new ballpark was constructed. They were named after the original
Fort Worth Cats
The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...
, who played mostly in the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
until 1964. Former Cats' owner Carl Bell commissioned a new Lagrave Field to be built directly on top of the original stadium's location.
Home plate
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
is exactly where it was in 1926 when the old facility opened. On May 23, 2002, the Cats opened up the season in their brand new home. The team's mascot was Dodger, whose namesake is a tribute to the Cats' affiliation with the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams in the 1940s and 1950s.
2005
Under the management of
Wayne Terwilliger, the Cats defeated the
San Angelo Colts
The San Angelo Colts were a professional baseball team based in San Angelo, Texas, in the United States. The Colts were most recently a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which was not affiliated with Major Leagu ...
for the
2005 Central Baseball League
The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was a independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises.
In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron P ...
championship after beating the
Pensacola Pelicans
The Pensacola Pelicans were a minor league baseball team based in Pensacola, Florida. In various incarnations, they played in three different independent baseball leagues (leagues unaffiliated with Major League Baseball) from 2002 to 2010. They ...
in the first round of the playoffs. It was
Fort Worth's first championship since
1948. They won both halves of the season with identical 30-17 records, which was a franchise record for wins in a season. The Cats also made the playoffs in
2003, which was Terwilliger's first season as manager.
Stan Hough was named the Cats' new manager on December 6, 2005, taking over for Terwilliger, who remained with the club as Hough's first base coach in 2006. Prior to being named the manager, Hough was the team's hitting instructor from 2004-05. Prior to the Cats' job, his last managerial job was with the
Delmarva Shorebirds
The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...
, which is a Class-A affiliate of the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, in 2003. He also managed the Triple-A
Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...
in 2001.
2006
In 2006, the Cats changed leagues and joined the new
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
. They won their second straight title and their first title in the new league by beating the
St. Paul Saints 3 games to 2 in the championship series. The 2006 regular season record was 56-39 with a 0.589 winning percentage. The total season attendance was 177,894 for 46 games, which was an average of 3,867 per game.
Luke Hochevar
Luke Anthony Hochevar (; born September 15, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played college baseball at the University of Tennessee, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2007 thro ...
pitched for the Cats in
2006,
making four starts (1-1, 2.38 ERA) prior to being drafted
#1 overall in the 2006
Major League Baseball Draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
by the
Kansas City Royals.
2007
On September 8, 2007, the Cats defeated the St. Paul Saints 4-1 in the fifth game of the American Association Championship playoffs to capture a second straight American Association Championship and third straight overall. The Cats had won 6 straight decisive Game 5's and were 13-0 in games in which they faced elimination the last 3 seasons. They had been down 2 games to 1 in 5 of the last 6 series following a pattern of winning the first game, losing the next two, and then winning games 4 and 5. The only exception was when they were down 2-0 to the El Paso Diablos in the 2007 Division Series before winning 3 straight at LaGrave Field. The 2007 regular season record was 53-40 with a 0.570 winning percentage. Total season attendance was 141,330 for 34 games, which was an average of 4,157 per game.
Max Scherzer
Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...
was on the Cats roster in 2007. In 2008, he was called up to the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
.
2008-2009
The 2008 regular season record was 60-36 with a 0.625 winning percentage. Total season attendance was 185,380 for 47 games, which was an average of 3,944 per game. The team was named Organization of the Year.
The 2009 regular season record was 53-43 with a 0.552 winning percentage. Total season attendance was 177,807 for 48 games, which was an average 3,704 per game.
2010
The 2010 regular season record was 37-56 with a 0.398 winning percentage. Total season attendance was 122,062 for 41 games, which was an average of 2,707 per game.
The team was managed by Chad Tredaway, who was assisted by pitching coach James Frisbie, assistant coach Steve Maddock, and first base coach Wayne Terwilliger.
In November 2010, the Cats again hired Stan Hough as their new team manager. Hough also managed the team from 2006-2007, was 109-79, and led the Cats to the American Association championship in each season.
2011
The 2011 regular season record was 48-52 with a 0.480 winning percentage, which placed the team in second in the Southern Division. Total season attendance was 108,020 for 50 games, which was an average of 2,160 per game.
First baseman Trent Lockwood, and catcher Kelley Gulledge were named to the American Association Postseason All-Star Team. Heading into the season's final game, Lockwood, in his first season with the team, was batting .338 with 20 HR, 90 RBI, a .621 slugging percentage, and 60 extra base hits. Gulledge was hitting .341 with 14 HR, 71 RBI, 125 hits, and 73 runs.
On December 21, 2011, it was announced that the team was sold to a group led by John Bryant and Byron Pierce, co-founders of
United League Baseball, which had merged to become part of the
North American Baseball League.
2012
In January 2012, Carl Bell and the LaGrave Reconstruction Co. declared bankruptcy, which cast doubt on the future of
LaGrave Field
LaGrave Field is an abandoned baseball park in Fort Worth, Texas. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home field of the Fort Worth Cats independent minor league baseball team. Its original version was the home of the predecessor Panthers ...
. Several months later, the debt holder, Amegy Bank of Houston, foreclosed and became the landlord of the Cats.
On the field, the team reached the United League championship game in September 2012, but were swept by the
Edinburg Roadrunners
The Edinburg Roadrunners were a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners were a member of the United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League B ...
.
2014
In March 2014, the Cats announced the hiring of their new manager in
Mike Marshall for the 2014 season. In May 2014, the Cats signed 55-year-old
Julio Franco
Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominica ...
. The 1990 All-Star MVP last played professionally in 2008. During the 2014 season, Mike Marshall resigned his duties as manager. In July of that season, the Cats assigned the managerial duties to Barrett Weaver.
Dissolution
Due to an issue between the owner of the property on which LaGrave Field sits and the city of Fort Worth, the Cats were asked to relocate to another stadium after the 2014 season. Team owner John Bryant had stated the Cats intended to play the 2015 season, but acknowledged they might have to relocate to a different city in North Texas. In December 2014, Bryant stated that if the team could not find a place to play by January, the team's future would be in doubt.
In January 2015, the Cats' league, United League Baseball (ULB) announced it had ceased operations after seven seasons. One of the glaring issues of the ULB in the 2014 season was their inability to draw fans. Brownsville and Rio Grande teams shared Harlingen Field, the Fort Worth Cats played out of LaGrave Field, and the San Angelo Colts played at Foster Field. The league drew an average of about 744 fans a game between the three venues.
The club has not been active since the end of the ULB, and their former website is no longer in operation.
2020 Potential Return
In May 2019, an agreement was reached between the Save LaGrave Foundation and the Tarrant Regional Water District to revive LaGrave Field. This agreement would open the door for the Cats to return to independent baseball by 2020 or 2021.
[https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article230398699.html ]
Modern championship titles
Retired numbers
* Number 4 worn by
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (September 19, 1926 – February 27, 2011), nicknamed "the Silver Fox" and "the Duke of Flatbush", was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he spent most of his Major League Baseball (M ...
in
1946 - Retired May 23, 2003
* Number 10 worn by
Bobby Bragan
Robert Randall Bragan (October 30, 1917 – January 21, 2010) was an American shortstop, catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball and an influential minor league executive. His professional baseball career encompassed 73 years, fro ...
who played and managed from
1948-
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
- Retired May 21, 2004
* Number 6 worn by
Maury Wills
Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 through 1966 and the latter part of ...
in
1955 - Retired June 18, 2005
* Number 1 worn by
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third ...
in
1955 - Retired June 17, 2006
* Number 42 worn by
Jackie Robinson - Retired July 25, 2007
* Number 5 worn by
Dick Williams from
1948-
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...
and again in
1955 - Retired June 6, 2008 (see note below)
References
External links
Wayne Terwilliger's Home Pageaabfan.com Fort Worth Cats Guideaabfan.com- yearly league standings & awards
{{Authority control
American Association of Professional Baseball teams
Defunct American Association of Professional Baseball teams
Professional baseball teams in Texas
Defunct Texas League teams
Baseball teams disestablished in 2014
Sports in Fort Worth, Texas
Baseball teams in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Defunct independent baseball league teams
Defunct baseball teams in Texas
Baseball teams established in 2001