The Texas Valley League was a minor league baseball league that played in three different periods. The league was an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

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 Valley League consisted of teams based exclusively in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

History

The Texas Valley League began play as an

league in the 1901 season and played continuously through 1908. The exact records and teams in the seasons from 1901 to 1908 are unknown. In 1927, the Texas Valley League reformed and began play as a four–team Class D level league, evolving from the 1926

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

. The 1927 Texas Valley League members were the Corpus Christi Seahawks, Edinburg Bobcats, Laredo Oilers and Mission Grapefruiters. All four teams had played the previous season as the only members of the 1926 Gulf Coast League. The Texas Valley League began play on April 5, 1927, with the Corpus Christi Seahawks winning the first–half standings. Laredo won the second–half standings. Mission had the best overall record. In the Final, Corpus Christi Swept Laredo in three games. The Texas Valley League continued play as a four–team league in 1928 before folding. The Corpus Christi Seahawks and Mission Grapefruits were joined by teams from

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...

and

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 the Class D level league, as Edinburg and Laredo had folded. The 1928 season standings are unknown. The league folded after the 1928 season. The Texas Valley League formed for a final season in 1938, playing as a six–team Class D level league. The Brownsville Charros, Corpus Christi Spudders, Harlingen Hubs, McAllen Packers, Refugio Oilers and Taft Cardinals teams made up the 1938 league franchises. The league president was Guy Airey. Corpus Christi won the regular season pennant with a 92–44 record, finishing 8.5 games ahead of second place Harlingen. In the first round of the playoffs, the Harlingen Hubs defeated the Taft Cardinals 3 games to 0 and the Corpus Christi Spudders defeated the Refugio Oilers 3 games to 2. In the Finals, the Harlingen Hubs won the championship, defeating Corpus Christi in a four–game sweep. The Texas Valley League permanently folded after the 1938 season.

Cities represented

: Brownsville (1928); Brownsville Charros (1938) *

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

: Corpus Christi Seahawks (1927–1928); Corpus Christi Spudders (1938) *

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 74,569 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2019, its estimated population was 101,170, making it the second-largest city ...

: Edinburg Bobcats (1927) *

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...

: Harlingen Hubs (1938) *

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

: Laredo Oilers (1927) *

: McAllen (1928), McAllen Packers (1938) *

Mission, Texas Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 77,058 at the 2010 census and an estimated 84,331 in 2019. Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. Geography M ...

: Mission Grapefruiters (1927–1928) *

Refugio, Texas Refugio ( ) is a town in Refugio County, Texas, Refugio County, of which it is the county seat, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,890 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 Census. Refugio is the birthplace of National Baseball H ...

: Refugio Oilers (1938) *

Taft, Texas Taft is a city in San Patricio County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. History Taft, often called the "Friendliest Cotton-Pickin' Town in Texas", is not only rich in cotton, but also gas and oil resources. Taft ...

: Taft Cardinals (1938)

Standings & statistics

1901 to 1908 Texas Valley League

The standings in the 1901 to 1908 seasons are unknown.

1927 Texas Valley League

Playoff: Corpus Christi 3 games, Laredo 0. Corpus Christi won the first half standings. Laredo won the second half standings.

1928 Texas Valley League

The 1928 Texas Valley League standings are unknown.

1938 Texas Valley League

Playoffs: Harlingen Hubs 3 games, Taft Cardinals 0; Corpus Christi Spudders 3 games, Refugio Oilers 2.
Finals: Harlingen Hubs 4 games Corpus Christi Spudders 0.

References

External links

Texas Valley League - Baseball Reference
{{Professional Baseball Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Texas Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1901 Sports leagues disestablished in 1938 1901 establishments in Texas 1938 disestablishments in Texas