Piedmont League

From BR Bullpen

A long-standing minor league based in the Carolinas, the Piedmont League operated from 1920 to 1955, not even stopping for World War II when many minor leagues closed up shop. The widespread death of minor leagues in the 1950s (the dark ages of baseball) ended the Piedmont's long run. It was a 4th-tier class B league for much of its existence (1932-1955), after being a class D league for its first year and class C for ten years after that (1921-1931). It was home to many up-and-coming players over the decades.

Contents 1 1920 Class "D" 2 1921-1931 Class"C" 3 1932-1955 Class "B" 4 League Records 1920-1955 5 Cities Represented 6 Hall of Fame Alumni 7 Related Sites 8 Source

[edit] 1920 Class "D"

Year	Champion	W	L	PCT		Runner-up	W	L	PCT	GB
1920	Greensboro Patriots	69	51	.575		Raleigh Nats	67	53	.558	2

[edit] 1921-1931 Class"C"

Year	Champion	W	L	PCT		Runner-up	W	L	PCT	GB
1921	Raleigh Red Birds	68	52	.567		High Point	66	55	.542	3
1922	High Point	70	55	.560		Durham Bulls	69	58	.543	2
1923	Danville Tobacconists	73	50	.593		Greensboro Patriots	66	57	.537	7
1924	Durham Bulls	74	46	.617		High Point Pointers	71	52	.577	4.5
1925	Winston-Salem Twins	77	49	.611		Durham Bulls	68	58	.540	9
1926	Greensboro Patriots	86	60	.589		High Point Pointers	85	61	.582	1
1927	Rocky Mount	84	60	.583		Salisbury-Spencer	83	63	.572	1.5
1928	Winston-Salem Twins	82	51	.617		High Point Pointers	83	52	.615	0
1929	Durham Bulls	85	51	.625		Greensboro Patriots	83	54	.606	2.5
1930	Henderson Gamecocks	78	63	.553		Durham Bulls	71	68	.511	6
1931	Charlotte Hornets	100	37	.730		Raleigh Capitals	86	50	.630	13.5

[edit] 1932-1955 Class "B"

Year	Champion	W	L	PCT		Runner-up	W	L	PCT	GB
1932	Charlotte Hornets	80	53	.602		Greensboro Patriots	76	59	.563	5
1933	Greensboro Patriots	90	48	.652		Charlotte Hornets	80	61	.567	11.5
1934	Norfolk Tars	89	49	.645		Charlotte Hornets	87	51	.630	2
1935	Asheville Tourists	75	62	.547		Wilmington Pirates	69	65	.515	4.5
1936	Norfolk Tars	93	50	.650		Durham Bulls	79	63	.556	13.5
1937	Asheville Tourists	89	50	.640		Norfolk Tars	83	53	.610	4.5
1938	Norfolk Tars	84	52	.618		Charlotte Hornets	84	53	.613	.5
1939	Asheville Tourists	89	55	.618		Durham Bulls	75	65	.536	12
1940	Richmond Colts	77	59	.566		Asheville Tourists	75	60	.556	1.5
1941	Durham Bulls	84	53	.613		Portsmouth Cubs	75	65	.536	10.5
1942	Greensboro Red Sox	78	53	.595		Portsmouth Cubs	80	55	.593	0
1943	Portsmouth Cubs	90	40	.692		Richmond Colts	72	57	.558	17.5
1944	Lynchburg Cardinals	80	60	.571		Portsmouth Cubs	72	67	.518	7.5
1945	Norfolk Tars	83	57	.593		Richmond Colts	76	60	.559	5
1946	Roanoke Red Sox	89	51	.636		Portsmouth Cubs	83	57	.593	6
1947	Roanoke Red Sox	90	49	.647		Norfolk Tars	69	70	.496	21
1948	Lynchburg Cardinals	80	58	.580		Newport News Dodgers	72	67	.518	8.5
1949	Lynchburg Cardinals	77	62	.554		Portsmouth Cubs	74	66	.529	3.5
1950	Portsmouth Cubs	83	54	.606		Roanoke Red Sox	81	58	.583	3
1951	Norfolk Tars	81	58	.583		Richmond Colts	77	63	.550	4.5
1952	Norfolk Tars	96	36	.727		Portsmouth Cubs	71	64	.526	26.5
1953	Norfolk Tars	81	51	.614		Hagerstown Braves	78	53	.595	2.5
1954	Norfolk Tars	87	53	.621		Newport News Dodgers	76	63	.547	10.5
1955	Newport News Dodgers	77	52	.597		Lancaster Red Roses	72	54	.571	3.5

[edit] League Records 1920-1955

Batting
Player	Team	Stat	Tot	Yr		Player	Team	Stat	Tot	Yr
Jule Mallonee	Durham	GA	149	26		Dan Boone	High Point	BA	.419	28
Jimmy Brown	Greensboro	AB	596	33		Jack Lindley	Durham	RUNS	149	30
Dan Boone	High Point	Hits	214	26		Tom Wolfe	Durham	RBI	154	30
Bobby Goff	Henderson	2B	52	30		Carr Smith	Raleigh	3B	25	30
Dan Boone	High Point	HR	46	29		Fred Tauby	Durham	EBH	96	30
Jack Lindley	Durham	EBH	96	30		Jack Lindley	Durham	TB	379	30
Sam Crane	Greensboro	SAC	50	14		Dave Mann	York	SB	88	54
Nick Purchia	Richmond	BB	163	51		Edward Jabb	Portsmouth	SO	127	36

Pitching
Player	Team	Stat	Tot	Yr		Player	Team	Stat	Tot	Yr
Vernon Gray	Lynchburg	GA	62	55		Bill Harris	Winston-Salem	CG	32	22
Ray Phelps	High Point	CG	32	26		Rube Eldridge	High Point	W	26	22
Garland Braxton	Norfolk	Era	0.74	43		Gene Rumple	Winston-Salem	L	24	33
Bill Yocke (18-1)	Norfolk	Pct	.947	21		Hank Gornicki	Ashville	IP	308	38
Jake Levy	Portsmouth	ShO	7	43		Stan Williams	Newport News	SO	301	55
Edward Frenick	High Point	BB	264	23

[edit] Cities Represented

• Asheville, NC: Asheville Tourists 1931-1932; Asheville Tourists 1934-1942
  • The first Tourists team disbanded on July 7, 1932; the second Tourists team moved from Columbia June 7, 1934
• Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Hornets 1931-1935; Charlotte Hornets 1937-1942
• Colonial Heights-Petersburg, VA: Colonial Heights-Petersburg Colts 1954
• Columbia, SC: Columbia Sandlappers 1934
  • The team moved to Asheville on June 7, 1934
• Danville, VA: Danville Tobacconists 1920-1924; Danville Leafs 1925-1926
  • The Leafs moved from High Point on June 18, 1925, but returned less than a year later on May 12, 1926
• Durham, NC: Durham Bulls 1920-1933; Durham Bulls 1936-1943
• Greensboro, NC: Greensboro Patriots 1920-1926; Greensboro Patriots 1928-1934; Greensboro Red Sox 1941-1942
• Hagerstown, MD: Hagerstown Braves 1953; Hagerstown Packets 1954-1955
• Henderson, NC: Henderson Bunnies 1929; Henderson Gamecocks 1930-1931
• High Point, NC: High Point Furniture Makers 1920-1922; High Point Pointers 1923-1925; High Point Pointers 1926-1931; High Point Pointers 1932; High Point Pointers 1932
  • The first Pointers team moved to Danville on June 18, 1925, that team returned to High Point on May 12, 1926 as the second interation of the Pointers. The third Pointers team disbanded on July 7, 1932 and were replaced by the fourth Pointers club which moved from Winston-Salem on August 20, 1932.
• Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Red Roses 1954-1955
• Lynchburg, VA: Lynchburg Cardinals 1943-1955
• Newport News, VA: Newport News Dodgers 1944-1955
• Norfolk, VA: Norfolk Tars 1934-1955
  • The Tars disbanded on July 14, 1955.
• Portsmouth, VA: Portsmouth Truckers 1935; Portsmouth Cubs 1936-1952; Portsmouth Merrimacs 1953-1955
• Raleigh, NC: Raleigh Nats 1920; Raleigh Red Birds 1921; Raleigh Capitals 1922-1928; Raleigh Capitals 1930-1932
• Richmond, VA: Richmond Colts 1933-1953
• Roanoke, VA: Roanoke Red Sox 1943-1950; Roanoke Ro-Sox 1951-1953
  • The Ro-Sox disbanded on July 24, 1953.
• Rocky Mount, NC: Rocky Mount Buccaneers 1927; Rocky Mount Red Sox 1936-1940
• Salisbury, NC: Salisbury Colonials 1925-1926
• Salisbury-Spencer, NC: Salisbury-Spencer Colonials 1927-1929
• Sunbury, PA: Sunbury Red Legs 1955
• Wilmington, NC: Wilmington Pirates 1932-1935
• Winston-Salem, NC: Winston-Salem Twins 1920-1932; Winston-Salem Twins 1933; Winston-Salem Twins 1937-1942
  • The first Twins club moved to High Point on August 20, 1932.
• York, PA: York White Roses 1953-1955

[edit] Hall of Fame Alumni

• Yogi Berra, 1943 Norfolk Tars
• Whitey Ford, 1948 Norfolk Tars
• Jimmie Foxx, 1944 Portsmouth Cubs
• Hank Greenberg, 1930 Raleigh Capitals
• Tony Lazzeri, 1942 Portsmouth Cubs
• Heinie Manush, 1940 Rocky Mount Red Sox; 1941-1942 Greensboro Red Sox; 1943 Roanoke Red Sox
• Johnny Mize, 1930-1931, 1933 Greensboro Patriots
• Phil Rizzuto, 1938 Norfolk Tars
• Brooks Robinson, 1955 York White Roses
• Red Schoendienst, 1943 Lynchburg Cardinals
• Duke Snider, 1944-1945 Newport News Dodgers
• Early Wynn, 1938-1940 Charlotte Hornets

[edit] Related Sites

• A list of the league's teams and their major-league affiliates

[edit] Source

The Encyclopedia Of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition