The McAllen Packers were a minor league baseball franchise based in

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

. In 1938, the Packers played as members of the Class D level

Texas Valley League The Texas Valley League was a minor league baseball league that played in three different periods. The league was an Independent league from 1901 to 1908 and a Class D level league from 1927 to 1928 and in 1938. In every season of play, the Texas ...

, hosting home games at Legion Park.

History

The Packers were preceded by the 1931 McAllen Palms, who played one season as members of the Class D level

Rio Grande Valley League The Rio Grande Valley League was a minor league baseball league, with franchises based exclusively in Texas. The Rio Grande Valley League had two incarnations, playing in 1931 and 1949 to 1950. History In 1931, the league initially featured th ...

, winning the league championship in a shortened season, as the league folded following the season. The McAllen "Packers" began minor league play as members of the 1938

. After a nine–season hiatus, the Texas Valley League reformed as a six–team Class D level league, with the Brownsville Charros, Corpus Christi Spudders, Harlingen Hubs, Refugio Oilers and Taft Cardinals joining McAllen as league members, beginning play on April 14, 1938. The "Packers" nickname ties to the local agriculture industry in McAllen and the surrounding region. In the era, numerous packing facilities were in operation to pack produce for distribution to other regions. The Packers finished the regular season in fifth place in the overall final standings. During the season, the Texas Valley League adopted a split–season schedule. McAllen was in fifth place with a 28–40 record on June 24, 1938, in the final first–half standings, following first place Corpus Christi, second place Harlingen, third place Taft and fourth place Refugio. McAllen placed fifth and ended the 1938 regular season with an overall record of 65–72, playing the season under managers Ray Friday and Wally Kopp. The Packers finished 27.5 games behind the first place Corpus Christi Spudders in the final regular season standings. McAllen did not qualify 1938 four–team Texas Valley League playoffs. The final Texas Valley League regular season standings were led by the Corpus Christi Spudders (92–44), who finished 8.5 games ahead of the second place Harlingen Hubs (84–53), with Taft (68–67) and Refugio (67–67) finishing in third place and fourth place to qualify for the four–team playoffs. Corpus Christi had won the first-half of the split–season schedule and tied with Harlingen for the second–half championship. The McAllen Packers (65–72) and Brownsville Charros (30–103) finished in fifth and sixth place, missing the playoffs. In the league finals, Harlingen defeated Corpus Christi to win the title. Both Harlingen (

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

) and Corpus Christi (

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

) were major league affiliate teams, the only two affiliated teams in the league. Following the 1938 season, the Texas Valley League permanently folded. McAllen next hosted minor league baseball, with the 1949 McAllen Giants, who resumed play in the Class D level Rio Grande Valley League.

The ballpark

The McAllen Packers hosted minor league home games at Legion Park.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

* Leonardo Alanís (1938)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

McAllen - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Texas Defunct baseball teams in Texas Baseball teams established in 1938 Baseball teams disestablished in 1938 Texas Valley League teams McAllen, Texas