The Middletown Middies were a minor league baseball team based in Middletown, New York. In 1913 and 1914, the Middies played as members of the

New York–New Jersey League The New York–New Jersey League was a class D level minor league baseball league that played in the 1913 season. With the New York State League and International League among others occupying the territory, the 6–team league had no large cities ...

in 1913 and Atlantic League in 1914, hosting home minor league games at Watts Field.

History

Minor league baseball play began in Middletown, New York in 1913, when the Middletown "Middies" became members of the six–team Class D level

. The

Danbury Hatters The Danbury Hatters were a minor league baseball team that was located in Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2 ...

Kingston Colonials The Kingston Colonials were an American basketball team based in Kingston, New Jersey Kingston is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin T ...

Long Branch Cubans The Long Branch Cubans (also known as the Newark Cubans and the Jersey City Cubans) were a professional baseball team that played from 1913 to 1916. It was the first U.S. minor league baseball team composed almost entirely of Cubans. Figueredo 20 ...

, Newburgh Hillclimbers and

Poughkeepsie Honey Bugs Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

teams joined Middletown in league play. Middletown ended the 1913 season with a record of 42–51, placing fourth in the New York–New Jersey League as Jack Lawlor served as manager. Middletown finished 22.5 games behind the first place Long Branch Cubans. Long Branch (65–29) was followed by the Poughkeepsie Honey Bugs (48–49), Kingston Colonials (45–46), Middletown Middies (42–51), Danbury Hatters (43–55) and Newburgh Hilltoppers (41–54) in the final league standings. The 1914 Middletown Middies continued play in a new league. Middleton joined the eight–team Class D level Atlantic League. The league had been known as the New York–New Jersey League a season earlier. The Atlantic League president was Rosslyn M. Cox, who had also presided over the New York–New Jersey League. Cox would later serve as the mayor of Middletown, New York. The league began play on May 20, 1914, and concluded the season with Middletown as a member on September 7, 1914. The Middletown Middies ended the 1914 season in third place in the Atlantic League standings. The Middies ended the season with an overall record of 44–49, playing under returning manager Jack Lawlor. Middleton finished the season 16.0 games behind the first place

in the final standings. Poughkeepsie finished in 1st place with a record of 65–31, followed by the Newark Cubans/Long Branch Cubans (59–32), Middletown Middies (47–45), Danbury Hatters (49–48), Perth Amboy Pacers (44–49), Newburgh Hill Climbers (40–48), Paterson Silk Citys (32–54) and Bloomfield-Long Branch Cubans/ Asbury Park Sea Urchins (30–59) in the final standings. The league had no playoff system and folded after the 1914 season. Middletown, New York has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Middletown Middies teams hosted their minor league home games at Watts Field. Today, the site is known as "Watts Memorial Park" and is still in use as a public park with ballfields. The park is located at 120 Watkins Avenue in Middletown, New York.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

No alumni of the Middletown Middies reached the major leagues. 1913 Middleton player James O'Rourke went on to play with the 1914

Newark Indians The Newark Sailors, later known as the Newark Indians, were a minor league baseball team in the early twentieth century. The team played its games at Wiedenmayer's Park in Newark, New Jersey. Newark played in the Eastern League between 1908 and 1 ...

of the International League, batting .321. O'Rourke was killed fighting in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

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 ...

in 1918.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Middletown - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Baseball teams established in 1914 Baseball teams disestablished in 1914 Defunct baseball teams in New York (state) Middletown, Orange County, New York Defunct Atlantic League teams