The Sanford Spinners were a professional minor league baseball team based in

Sanford, North Carolina Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 30,261 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lee County. History Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroad civil engineer i ...

. The Spinners played as members of the Class D level

Bi-State League The Bi-State League was an American baseball minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often ...

in 1941 and 1942 and the

Tobacco State League The Tobacco State League was a Class D level American minor baseball league that played for five seasons (1946–1950) in Organized Baseball in the state of North Carolina. The Red Springs Red Robins won two league championships. History The T ...

from 1946 to 1950, winning league championships in 1942 and 1946. The Spinners hosted minor league home games at Temple Park. Today, the nickname has been revived by the "Sanford Spinners" amateur

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team, who have played as members of the Old North State League from 2021 to Present.

History

The Sanford Spinners began minor league play in 1941, when the Spinners became members of the six–team 1941 Class D level

. The Danville-Schoolfield Leafs,

Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor League Baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina (now Eden, Rockingham County, No ...

Martinsville Manufacturers The Martinsville Manufacturers were a Bi-State League baseball team based in Martinsville, Virginia, United States that played from 1934 to 1941. They were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1936 to 1939 Philadelphia Phillies The P ...

, Mayodan Millers and Mt. Airy Graniteers joined Sanford in league play. The Sanford use of the "Spinners" moniker corresponded to local industry in the era. Beginning in 1915, Sanford was home to the Seaboard Milling Company. In their first season of play, the Sanford Spinners won the Bi-State League championship. Sanford finished their first season with a regular season record of 58–54, placing fourth in the six–team Bi-State League standings, playing under manager Zeb Harrington. Sanford finished 7.0 games behind the first place

in the final standings. In the playoffs, Stanford won 4 games to 3 over the Martinsville Manufacturers. In the Finals Sanford defeated the Danville-Schoolfield Leafs 4 games to 2 to win the championship. Sanford pitcher, Dave Odom led the Bi-State League with 16 wins and 190 strikeouts. The Sanford Spinners continued play in the 1942 Bi-State League, reaching the finals of the eight–team league. With a record of 62–59, Sanford placed second in the regular season standings, finishing 6.5 games behind the first place Wilson Tobos, playing under manager Frank Rogers. In the first round of the playoffs, Sanford defeated the Burlington Bees 4 games to 1 to advance. In the finals, the

Rocky Mount Rocks ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess ...

defeated Sanford 4 games to 1. The Bi–State permanently folded following the 1942 season, with the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The 1946 Sanford Spinners resumed play and won the league pennant joining a new league. Sanford became charter members of the six–team Class D level

. The Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls, Clinton Blues, Dunn-Erwin Twins,

Smithfield-Selma Leafs The Smithfield–Selma Leafs were a minor league baseball team based in Smithfield, North Carolina, in partnership with Selma, North Carolina. From 1946 to 1950, the Smithfield–Selma Leafs teams played exclusively as members of the Class D lev ...

and

Wilmington Pirates The Wilmington Pirates were a minor league baseball team located in Wilmington, North Carolina. From 1928 to 1929, they played in the Class D Eastern Carolina League. From 1932 to 1935, they played in the Class B Piedmont League. From 1946 to 1950 ...

joined Sanford in league play. The Spinners finished the 1946 Tobacco State League regular season with a 71–48 record to place first, finishing 0.5 game ahead of the second place Clinton Blues. Playing under managers Gaither Riley and Zeb Harrington, Sanford lost in the first round of the Tobacco State League playoffs as Angier-Fuquay defeated Sanford 4 games to 2. Orville Nesselrode of Sanford led the Tobacco State League with 30 home runs and 150 RBI. Pitcher George Bortz led the league with 193 strikeouts. In 1947, it was reported that L.D. Isenhour, Jr. was president of the Sanford Spinners, with Sam Allen serving as business manager for the franchise. The 1947 Sanford Spinners were Tobacco State League champions. Playing in the eight–team league, Sanford ended the regular season in first place with a 86–39 record under Zeb Harrington, who would manage the team for the remainder of its existence. Sanford finished 12.5 games ahead of the second place Lumberton Cubs. In the playoffs, Sanford first defeated the Wilmington Pirates 4 games to 2. The Spinners won the championship by defeating Lumberton 4 games 3 in the finals. Sanford's John McFadden led the league with a 15–5 record and 2.44 ERA. Jimmy Wilson of Sanford, led the league in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, hitting .385 and Orville Nesselrode again led the Tobacco State League with 32 home runs and 166 RBI. In 1948, the Sanford Spinners won the Tobacco State League pennant and advanced to the league finals. With an 80–56 record under manager Zeb Harrington, Sanford finished 5.0 games ahead of the second place Wilmington Pirates. In the first round of the playoffs, Sanford defeated the Smithfield-Selma Leafs 4 games to 1. In the finals, the

Red Springs Red Robins The Red Springs Red Robins were a minor league baseball team based in Red Springs, North Carolina. From 1947 to 1950, the Red Springs Red Robins played exclusively as members of the Class D level Tobacco State League, hosting home games at Robbi ...

defeated Sanford 4 games to 1. Orville Nesselrode again led the league with 27 home runs and 159 RBI, while hitting .368. Jimmy Wilson of Sanford led the league with 145 runs and 212 hits. Orville Nesselrode had reportedly suffered frostbite in World War II and wasn't considered a major league prospect. Following his playing career, Nesselrode settled in Sanford, North Carolina, opening a service station in 1954. “Hank’s,” service station was located at the corner of Endor (Horner) and Carthage Street in downtown Sanford. Continuing play in the 1949 Tobacco State League, the Spinners placed fourth and qualified for the league playoffs. The Spinners finished the regular season with a record of 71–62 under manager Zeb Harrington and finished 9.0 games behind the first place Dunn-Erwin Twins. Sanford lost in the first round playoff series against the Red Springs Red Robins 4 games to 2. In their final season, the 1950 Sanford Spinners advanced to the Tobacco State League finals. With a 90–44 record, the Spinners placed second in the regular season standings, finishing 1.5 games behind first place Lumberton Auctioneers. Led by manager Zeb Harrington, Sanford swept the Red Springs Red Robins in four games. In the finals, the

Rockingham Eagles The Rockingham Eagles were a minor league baseball team based in Rockingham, North Carolina who won the league championship in their only season of play. In 1950, the Eagles played as members of the Class D level Tobacco State League, winning th ...

defeated Stanford 4 games to 3. Hoyt Clegg of Sanford led the league with 24 wins. The Tobacco State League permanently folded following the 1950 season. Sanford has not hosted another minor league team.

2021 - present summer collegiate baseball

The Sanford Spinners came back on April 6, 2021, and Hosted their first game at Tramway part on July 7, 2021 against the Fayetteville Chutes.

The ballpark

The Sanford Spinners teams were noted to have played minor league teams home games at Temple Park. The original ballpark has been torn down and was built as a

Works Project Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

project in the 1930s. It was located at McIver Street and Bragg Street, Sanford, North Carolina. Today, Temple Park is still in use as a public park with ballparks.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

Julián Acosta Julio "Julian" Acosta (12 August 1916 – 30 August 1983) was a minor league baseball player who won 96 games as a pitcher, collected at least 749 hits as a batter and spent time at first base and in the outfield. He also spent several years pitc ...

(1942) *

Dave Odom George David Odom (born October 9, 1942) is a retired American men's college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of the East Carolina Pirates, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and South Carolina Gamecocks. Playing career Odom began his caree ...

(1941, 1946) *

Joe Prater Joseph Claude Prater (November 19, 1922 – August 1, 2004) was an American minor league baseball player and a college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Colorado State University–Pueblo Colorado State University Puebl ...

(1942) *

Neb Stewart Walter Nesbitt "Neb" Stewart (May 21, 1918 – June 8, 1990) was a Major League Baseball left fielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They co ...

(1941)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Sanford - Baseball ReferenceCurrent Spinners websiteTeam history/photos
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in North Carolina Defunct baseball teams in North Carolina Baseball teams established in 1941 Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Bi-State League teams Tobacco State League teams