The Midland Indians were a minor league baseball team based in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

. Between 1937 and 1959, Midland teams played as members of

West Texas-New Mexico League West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

(1937–1940),

Longhorn League The Longhorn League was the name of a Minor league baseball circuit that operated from through in the Southwestern United States. In , it was renamed the Southwestern League and operated through before changing its name to the Sophomore Leag ...

(1947–1955),

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

(1956–1957) and

Sophomore League The Sophomore League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1958 in sports, 1958 through 1961 in sports, 1961. League franchises were located in New Mexico and Texas. The league evolved from the Sou ...

(1958–1959), while hosting minor league games at City Park and then

Christensen Stadium Christensen Stadium is a stadium in Midland, Texas. It has been used for baseball and was home of the Midland RockHounds until they moved to Momentum Bank Ballpark in 2002. The ballpark has a capacity of 5,000 people and opened in 1952. I ...

. Midland teams played as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals (1937–1938),

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

(1958–1959) and Washington Senators (1957).

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 ...

member Travis Jackson was manager of the 1958 Midland Indians. The Midland Indians set the foundation for today's Class AA Midland Rockhounds of the Texas League.

History

The Indians were preceded in Midland by the Midland Colts, who played the 1928 and 1929 seasons as members of the West Texas League. The Colts were followed by the Midland Cardinals (1937–1938) and Midland Cowboys (1939–1940), who played as members of the

. The Midland Cardinals were an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937 and 1938. The Midland Indians were members of the Class C level Longhorn League from 1947 to 1955, and remained in the league as it evolved into both the Class B level Southwestern League in 1956 and Class D level Sophomore League in 1958. Midland was a minor league affiliate of the Washington Senators in 1957 and the

in 1958 and 1959, changing its moniker to match the Braves. In 1947, the Midland Indians became charter members of the

. The Indians joined the new six–team league with fellow members

Ballinger Cats The Ballinger Cats were a Longhorn League baseball team based in Ballinger, Texas, United States that played from 1947 to 1950. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds in 1948. As well, they played their home games at Ballinger Rec. Park that ...

Big Spring Broncs Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

, Odessa Oilers, Sweetwater Sports and Vernon Dusters. The 1947 Midland Indians finished with a record of 75–55 to place 2nd in the regular season standings. In the playoffs, the Ballinger Cats defeated Midland 4 games to 3. The 1948 Midland Indians captured the Longhorn League Championship. Midland finished with a record of 79–60 to place 3rd in the regular season standings. In the playoffs, Midland defeated the Odessa Oilers 4 games to 0 in a sweep. In the Finals, the Midland Indians defeated the Vernon Dusters 4 games to 3 and captured the championship. The team drew 51,865 for home games, an average of 746. Midland finished with a 66–87 record and in 7th place in 1950. The 1951 Midland Indians finished 69–70, and in 5th place. The Indians missed the playoffs in both seasons. In 1952, the Midland Indians won their second Longhorn League Championship. In the 1952 regular season, Midland finished in 3rd place with a 85–55 record. In the playoffs, the Midland Indians defeated the Big Spring Broncs 4 games to 0. In the Finals, the Indians defeated the Odessa Oilers 4 games to 2 to secure the championship. The Midland season attendance was 64,188, an average of 917 per game. The 1953 Indians advanced to the Longhorn State League Finals. Midland finished with a record of 73–58 to place 3rd in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Midland Indians defeated the San Angelo Colts 4 games to 3. In the league Finals, the Carlsbad Potashers defeated the Midland Indians 4 games to 2. Season attendance was 52,035, an average of 794. Midland finished in 4th place in 1954 with a record of 80–59. In the playoffs, the Artesia Numexers, behind

Joe Bauman Joe Willis Bauman (April 16, 1922 – September 20, 2005) was an American first baseman in professional baseball who played primarily in the low minor leagues. He is best remembered for his time with the Roswell Rockets of the Class C Longhorn Lea ...

, who hit .400 with 72 home runs and 224 RBI, defeated Midland 4 games to 2. Season home attendance was 43,109 in 1954. In their final Longhorn State Season, the Midland Indians finished with a record of 62–72 in 1955. Placing 5th, the team missed the playoffs. Playing in the Class B level

in 1956, the Indians placed 8th with a record of 63–81. The Longhorn State League had reorganized to become the Southwestern League, expanding to ten teams. Attendance was 77,601, an average of 1,078. The Midland Indians became an affiliate of the Washington Senators in 1957, as the Southwestern League played with eight teams. However, near the end of the season, the franchise moved to

Lamesa, Texas Lamesa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,674 at the 2020 census, down from 9,952 at the 2000 census. Located south of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado, Lamesa was founded in 1903. Mo ...

on August 1, 1957, and finished the 1957 season as the Lamesa Indians. The team drew 19,212, finished 45–79 and were 4th of the remaining teams, as the Clovis Redlegs,

El Paso Texans EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

Pampa Oilers The Pampa Oilers were a West Texas–New Mexico League (1940–1942, 1946–1955) and Southwestern League (1956–1957) minor league baseball team based in Pampa, Texas, USA. They were affiliated with the Oklahoma City Indians in 1953 an ...

/ San Angelo Colts and

Plainview Ponies Plainview or Plain View may refer to: * Plainview, Arkansas *Plainview, California *Plainview, Georgia *Plainview, Illinois *Plainview, Louisville, Kentucky *Plainview, Minnesota *Plainview, Nebraska * Plainview, New York *Plain View, North Carolin ...

all folded mid-season. There were no 1957 playoffs. The Southwestern League folded after the 1957 season. The franchise reformed as the Midland Braves in 1958 and captured the championship. Midland became an affiliate of the

and joined the newly formed six–team

. Fellow members were the

Artesia Giants Artesia is the historical Latin and Spanish name of Artois in northern France. The name ultimately derived from the Belgic tribe the Atrebates. The county gave its name to Artesian wells, which were drilled there since the 12th century. Artesia may ...

, Carlsbad Potashers,

Hobbs Cardinals Hobbs may refer to: Surname *Hobbs (surname) Fictional *Russel Hobbs of the virtual band Gorillaz *Luke Hobbs, a character from ''The Fast and the Furious'' film series *Lynne Hobbs, a character from ''EastEnders'' *Garry Hobbs, a character ...

Plainview Athletics The Plainview Athletics (or the interchangeable "A's") were a minor league baseball team based in Plainview, Texas. The Plainview Ponies played as members of the West Texas-New Mexico League from 1953 to 1955 and Southwestern League in 1956 and 195 ...

and San Angelo Pirates. The 1958 Midland Braves finished 72–48, 1st place in the regular season, as they captured the East Division. In the Finals, the Midland Braves defeated the West Division winner

3 games to 1 to win the 1958 Sophomore League Championship. Midland had a season attendance of 28,210. In 1959, Midland finished 56–70, placing 2nd in the South Division, as the Sophomore League expanded to eight teams. In the playoffs, the Carlsbad Potashers defeated the Midland Braves 2 games to 0. Midland drew 17,106, an average of 272. Midland folded after the 1959 season, as the Sophomore League reduced from eight teams to six. In 1972, the Midland Indians were succeeded by the Midland Cubs, who joined the Class AA Texas League. Midland has since remained as a member of the Texas League without interruption. IPhone Pictures 201

The ballparks

Through 1951, Midland minor league teams played home games at City Park. Beginning in 1952, Midland played at

. Christensen Stadium was home to the Midland Indians from 1952 to 1957, Midland Braves (1958–1959) and later served as home to the Midland Cubs (1972–1984),

Midland Angels Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Naga ...

(1985–1998) and the Midland Rockhounds (1999–2001). Christensen Stadium had a seating capacity of 5,000. Located at 4300 North Lamesa Road, Midland, Texas, 79705, the ballpark is still in use. Today Christensen Stadium is home to the Midland College Chaparral baseball team and is utilized by local high school baseball teams.

Notable alumni

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 ...
alumni

* Travis Jackson (1958, MGR) Inducted, 1982

Notable alumni

* Zeke Bonura (1951-1952) * Jimmy Brown (1958, MGR) MLB All–Star *

Tony Cloninger Tony Lee Cloninger (August 13, 1940 – July 24, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and ...

(1958) *

Sammy Hale Samuel Douglas Hale (September 10, 1896 – September 6, 1974) was an American baseball player and manager. He played professional baseball from 1917 to 1941, including 10 years in Major League Baseball as a third baseman for the Detroit Tigers ( ...

(1939-1940, MGR) * Denis Menke (1958) 2x MLB All-Star * Gene Moore (1929) MLB All–Star *

Phil Roof Philip Anthony Roof (born March 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in and from to , most notably for the Kansas City/Oakla ...

(1959)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Midland, Texas St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Milwaukee Braves minor league affiliates Atlanta Braves minor league affiliates Washington Senators minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Texas Baseball teams established in 1947 Baseball teams disestablished in 1957 Professional baseball teams in Texas Defunct Southwestern League teams Longhorn League teams

History

The ballparks

Notable alumni

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 ... alumni

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links

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 ...
alumni