The Marshalltown Ansons were a minor league baseball team that played in the

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty yea ...

from 1914 to 1917 and in the

Mississippi Valley League The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...

from 1922 to 1928. They were located in

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

History

The team was named for Henry Anson and his son,

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 ...

inductee

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

(b. 1852). Henry Anson helped lay out the city of Marshalltown in its inception and is recognized as the patriarch of the city. Cap Anson was a legendary baseball figure who was born and raised in Marshalltown. The Ansons were key in the growth of baseball in the city, as Cap, his father Henry and his brother Sturgis Anson all played for the local team, the Marshalltown Stars. At the age of 15, Cap played second base, with Henry Anson at third base, Adrian's brother Sturgis in center field, as the Marshalltown Stars won the Iowa state championship in 1868. In 1871, the Rockford Forest City club with pitcher,

Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

( Spalding Sporting Goods), came to Marshalltown to play the Marshalltown Stars. After the series, all three of the Ansons were offered professional contracts by Rockford and while Henry and Sturgis turned Rockford down, Cap accepted and began his storied professional baseball career. The Marshalltown Ansons played in the

(1914-1917) after being preceded by the Marshalltown Grays, Brownies and Snappers of the

Iowa State League The Iowa State League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1904 to 1907 and in 1912. The Class D level league had franchises based in Illinois and Iowa. The Ottumwa Snappers won league championships in 1904 and 1905. The Iowa Stat ...

(1904–1907). The Ansons won Central Association Championships in 1916 and 1917 before the league folded after the 1917 season. The Marshalltown Ansons were founding members of the

in 1922, joining the

Cedar Rapids Bunnies Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

, Dubuque Climbers, Ottumwa Cardinals,

Rock Island Islanders The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the Illinois–Iowa League (1892), Western Asso ...

and

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

in the new six-team league. The league added the

Moline Plowboys The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (1 ...

and

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Basebal ...

in 1924. After finishing 2nd in 1922, with a 73-55 record, the Ansons finished 4th, 6th twice, 7th twice and 8th in their remaining seasons. The Marshalltown Ansons folded after the 1928 season and were replaced by the

Davenport Blue Sox The Davenport Blue Sox was the name given to three minor league baseball teams based in Davenport, Iowa. The first version of the Blue Sox played in the Class B Three-I League from 1913–1916. The second played in the Class D Mississippi Valle ...

in the 1929 Mississippi Valley League.

The ballpark

The Marshalltown Ansons played their home games at the Marshall County Fairgrounds with the ballpark located off of East Main Street in Marshalltown. Today, the fairgrounds are called the Central Iowa Fairgrounds, located at 1308 East Olive Street, Marshalltown, Iowa, 50158.

Year-by-year record

Notable alumni

Andy Bednar Andrew Jackson Bednar was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930 and 1931 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

(1926) * Como Cotelle (1927) *

Ferd Eunick Fernandas Bowen Eunick (April 22, 1892 – December 9, 1959) was a Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians. He played in one game on August 29, 1917 during the 1917 Cleveland Indians season. He played for the class ...

(1916-1917) * Frank Gregory (1922) * Frank Jude (1914) * Frank Harter (1914) *

Owen Kahn Owen Earle Kahn (June 15, 1903 - January 17, 1981) was a Major League Baseball player. He played in one game for the Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves in , serving as a pinch runner and scoring a run in his only major league appearance. Kah ...

(1927) *

Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for four teams, most notably the Philadelphia Philli ...

(1916-1917) *

Buzz Murphy Robert Sylvester "Buzz" Murphy (April 26, 1895 – May 11, 1938) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played two seasons in the majors, playing in nine games for the Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball fran ...

(1915, 1917) * George Payne (1917) *

Ken Penner Kenneth William Penner (April 24, 1896 – May 28, 1959) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 1916 and the NL-Pennant winning Chicago Cubs in 1929; he did not appear in the World S ...

(1916) * Ray Pepper (1927) *

Goldie Rapp Joseph Aloysius "Goldie" Rapp (February 6, 1892 - July 1, 1966) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies from 1921–1923. In 276 games over ...

(1915) * Jack Richardson (1914-1915) * Brad Springer (1925-1926) * Ray Shook (1914) *

Phil Slattery Philip Ryan Slattery (February 25, 1893 – March 2, 1968) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1915.

(1914-1916) *

Ray Starr Raymond Francis Starr (April 23, 1906 – February 9, 1963) was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1932 to 1945. Starr was named to the All-Star team in 1942. He would play for the New York Giants, St. Lo ...

(1927) * George Tomer (1927-1928) * Red Torkelson (1916-1917)

References

{{Reflist Defunct baseball teams in Iowa Marshalltown, Iowa Defunct minor league baseball teams Central Association Central Association teams Mississippi Valley League teams