The Winona A's (or interchangeable "Athletics") were a

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 competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

baseball team based in

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

. In 1958, the A's played a partial season in Winona as an affiliate of the

Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...

in the Class B level

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Class B level Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymo ...

("Three-I League"). The team came into existence during the season, when the newly formed Rochester A's team relocated to Winona on June 29, 1958. The team ended the season in fifth place. Winona hosted home minor league games at Gabrych Park.

History

Winona first hosted minor league baseball in 1877, when the Winona "Clippers" were a member of the

League Alliance The League Alliance was the first semi-affiliated minor league baseball league. Proposed by Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of p ...

. Winona, Minnesota previously hosted minor league baseball from 1909 to 1915, with the Winona Pirates teams of the

Minnesota–Wisconsin League The Minnesota–Wisconsin League, known as the "Minny" League, was a professional minor baseball league that existed from 1909 to 1912. It was a Class D league in 1909, 1910 and 1912 and a Class C league in 1911. As its name suggests, it featured ...

and Northern League. Before moving to Winona, the 1958 Rochester A's began play as a new team in the six-team Class D level

. The A's were a minor league affiliate of the

. The

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...

, Cedar Rapids Braves, Davenport DavSox,

Fox Cities Foxes Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

and Green Bay Bluejays teams joined the Rochester A's in beginning Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League play on April 27, 1958. On June 29, 1958, during the season, the Rochester A's franchise relocated to Winona. The A's had compiled a record of 20–37 at the time of the move. The team continued the season playing as the "Winona A's," compiling a 37–36 record while based in Winona. With an overall record of 57–73, the A's placed fifth in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. Playing the season under managers Burl Storie, Leverette Spencer and Lew Krausse, the A's finished 20.0 games behind the first place Cedar Rapids Braves (77–53) in the final regular season standings. The A's did not qualify for the playoff, where Cedar Rapids defeated the second place Davenport DavSox in the Finals. A's pitcher Stan Horvatin led the league with 210 strikeouts. Overall, the A's had a strong offense and led the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League with both 761 runs scored and 147 home runs. The A's also pitchers also surrendered 764 total runs, most in the league. Richard Rogers led the A's team with 27 home runs. While based in Rochester, the A's drew 27,364 fans, playing home games at Mayo Field and 12,495 based in Winona for a total of 39,589 for the season. The Winona A's played home games at Gabrych Park. Winona did not return to play in the 1959 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, as the league expanded to eight teams. Winona has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Winona A's hosted minor league home games at Gabrych Park. Today, the ballpark is still in use, located at 950 East 7th Street in Winona. The ballpark was named for Gene Gabrych.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

* Dave Hill (1958) *

Dick Howser Richard Dalton Howser (May 14, 1936 – June 17, 1987) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach, and manager who was best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s and for guiding them to the franchise's first ...

(1958)

Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team was founded as an expan ...

* Lew Krausse (1958, MGR) * Gordon Mackenzie (1958) * Dan Pfister (1958) * Leo Posada (1958) * Hal Raether (1958)

References

External links