The Manistee Champs were a minor league baseball team based in Manistee, Michigan. The Champs played from 1912 to 1914, after an earlier Manistee team played in 1890, followed by the 1911 Manistee "Colts." The Manistee teams played exclusively as members of the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

, winning three consecutive league titles from 1911 to 1913, leading to the "Champs" nickname. Manistee was expelled from the Michigan State League in 1914 and moved to Belding, Michigan. Mainstee hosted minor league home games at the Parkdale Grounds.

History

Organized baseball began in Manistee as early as 1876, when the Manistee town team hosted home games at the Canfield's Ravine ballpark. Admission was free. Minor league baseball began in Manistee, Michigan in 1890, when the Manistee team became members of the six–team

Independent 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 * Independ ...

level

. The 1890 Michigan State League folded during the season, with Manistee in second place. Manistee had compiled a record of a 16–6 record when the league folded on June 13, 1890. The Michigan State League folded one day after the first place

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(17–6) left to join the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. The Manistee team was managed by John Murphy. In 1911, minor league baseball returned to Manistee, Michigan, with the team winning a championship. The Manistee Colts returned to play as members of the reformed six–team Class D level

. The Manistee Colts and

Boyne City Boosters The Boyne City Boosters were a minor league baseball team based in Boyne City, Michigan. From 1911 to 1914, the Boosters teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Michigan State League, hosting home minor league games at Maple Par ...

franchises joined four returning 1910 Western Michigan League teams, the

Cadillac Chiefs The Cadillac Chiefs were a minor league baseball team based in Cadillac, Michigan. In 1910, Chiefs became as charter members of the Class D level Western Michigan League, winning the 1910 league championship. Cadillac then continued play, with ...

Holland Wooden Shoes The Holland Wooden Shoes were a minor league baseball team based in Holland, Michigan. In 1910 and 1911, the Wooden Shoes played as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Western Michigan League and its successor, the 1911 Michigan State ...

Muskegon Reds The Muskegon Reds was the primary name of the minor league baseball franchise in Muskegon, Michigan that existed on-and-off from 1890 to 1951. History Muskegon played in the Michigan State League (1890–1902, 1911–1914, 1926, 1940–1941), Cen ...

and

Traverse City Resorters The Traverse City Resorters were a professional minor league baseball team located in Traverse City, Michigan, United States, playing in the Class D Michigan State League and the precursor West Michigan League from 1910 to 1914. The Resorters p ...

in beginning Michigan State League play on May 23, 1911. The Manistee Colts ended the 1911 Michigan State League season with the league championship. With a record of 74–45, the Colts ended the season just 0.5 game ahead of the second place Cadillac Chiefs and Muskegon Reds, who had identical 73–45 records. Managed by Ed R. Somerlott, Earl Zook and Connie Lewis, the Colts won the championship in the league, which did not have playoffs in 1911. Pitcher Ray Williams of Manistee led the league with 25 wins and 169 strikeouts. In 1912, Manistee won their second consecutive Michigan State League championship. The renamed Manistee "Champs" finished in first place with a record of 83–35. Playing under returning manager Connie Lewis, Manistee finished 4.5 games ahead of the second place Traverse City Resorters in the six–team league final standings. Pitcher Omer Benn of Manistee led the league with 22 wins. Continuing Michigan State League play, the 1913 Manistee Champs won a third consecutive championship. With a final record of 73–47, the team placed first, playing again under the direction of manager Connie Lewis. Manistee finished 10.5 games ahead of the second place Traverse City Resorters in the six–team league. No playoffs were held in 1913. Grover Prough of Manistee led the league with 14 home runs, while teammate John Radloff led the Michigan State with both 18 wins and 235 strikeouts. In their final season of play, the Manistee Champs relocated during the season amidst controversy. On September 9, 1914, the Manistee franchise was expelled from the Michigan State League and the team moved to Belding, Michigan with a 56–51 record. The relocated team finished the remainder of the season playing as the Belding Champs. After a 1–13 record while based in Belding, the team placed fourth in the 1914 Michigan State League final standings. The league began the season as a six–team league. On September 1, 1914, the Boyne City Boosters and Traverse City Resorters franchises folded. The Champs ended the season with a record of 57–64 overall record, playing under manager Louis Haidt in both locations. The Manistee/Belding team finished 18.5 games behind the first place and champion Muskegon Speeders in the final league standings. The Michigan State League folded after the 1914 season with the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. When the league resumed play in 1926, Manistee did not field a franchise. Manistee, Michigan has not hosted another minor league team. In 1934, the Manistee "Saints" began play as a semi–professional team and have continued uninterrupted play. Today, the Manistee Saints continue play as members of the Great Lakes UBL.

The ballpark

The Manistee, Michigan minor league teams hosted minor league teams home games at the Parkdale Grounds. The ballpark was located within the Parkdale Fairgrounds, North of Manistee and Manistee Lake.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

* Henry Benn (1911–1912) * Hub Hart (1912) * Gene Layden (1914) *

Frank Killen Frank Bissell "Lefty" Killen (November 30, 1870 – December 3, 1939) was a professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher over parts of ten seasons (1891–1900) with the Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Senators (NL), Pittsburgh Pi ...

(1890) *

Jack McMahon John Joseph McMahon (December 3, 1928 – June 11, 1989) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'1" guard from St. John's University, McMahon was selected by the Rochester Royals in the 1952 NBA draft. He played eight seas ...

(1890) * Earl Smith (1913) * Bill Stellberger (1890)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Manistee - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1912 Baseball teams disestablished in 1914 Michigan State League teams Manistee County, Michigan