Arkansas Travelers

From BR Bullpen

• Location: Little Rock, AR
• League: International League 1963; Pacific Coast League 1964-1965; Texas League 1966-present
• Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies 1963-1965; St. Louis Cardinals 1966-2000; Anaheim Angels 2001-2004; Los Angeles Angels 2005-present
• Ballpark: Ray Winder Field (Travelers Field until 1966) 1963-2006; Dickey-Stephens Park 2007-present

The Arkansas Travelers are the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Texas League, based in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have been affiliated with the Angels since 2001.

Prior to 1961, the Travelers were known as the Little Rock Travelers and played in the Southern Association, winning championships in 1920, 1937, 1942, and 1951. The Southern Association folded after the 1961 season, taking the Travelers with it. In 1963, the city was awarded a new franchise in the AAA International League as an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies; in 1964, the team moved to the Pacific Coast League. For 1966, a series of franchise moves and swaps lead to the Travelers' relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals as their AA Texas League affiliate; this relationship lasted until 2000, when the Cardinals and Travlers parted ways. The Travs have won Texas League championships in 1971, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1989, 2001, and 2005.

For most of their existence, the Travelers have played their home games in the same stadium -- called Travelers Field until 1966, when it was renamed Ray Winder Field in honor of longtime Travelers' executive Ray Winder. In 2007, the club moved into new Dickey-Stephens Park, named after two pairs of brothers: former major leaguers Bill and George Dickey, and local businessmen Jack and Witt Stephens.

Some of the most notable names to wear a Travelers uniform include Tris Speaker, Bill Dickey, Jim Bunning, Ferguson Jenkins, Dick Allen, Keith Hernandez, and J.D. Drew.

[edit] Year-by-Year Record

[edit] External Links

• Official Home of the Arkansas Travelers

• Travelerocity blog