Magic Valley Cowboys
The Magic Valley Cowboys were a minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League for a total of 17 seasons between 1952 and 1971. The team was based in Twin Falls, Idaho — the largest city within the Magic Valley region — and succeeded the Twin Falls Cowboys. The team played at Jaycee Field, located in the northeast corner of the city's Harmon Park.[1][2]
Magic Valley Cowboys | |
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| |
Minor league affiliations | |
Class | |
League | Pioneer League |
Major league affiliations | |
Team |
|
Minor league titles | |
League titles (1) | 1955 |
Team data | |
Ballpark | Jaycee Field |
History
The Magic Valley Cowboys competed at the Class C level (1952–58, 1961–62), the Class A level (1963), and the Rookie level (1964–66, 1968–71).[3] At different times, they were affiliated with four National League teams; the Chicago Cubs (1954–58), the Philadelphia Phillies (1961–63), the San Francisco Giants (1964–66), and the Atlanta Braves (1968–70).
Magic Valley's one league championship came in 1955,[4] when the Cowboys finished the regular season in fourth place, then defeated the Boise Braves and the Pocatello Bannocks in the playoffs.[5]
Season records
Season | Class | Affiliation | Record | Win % | Finish | Playoffs | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | C | none | 55–77 | .417 | 7th (tie) | [6] | |
1953 | 48–83 | .366 | 7th | [7] | |||
1954 | Chicago Cubs | 67–65 | .508 | 5th | [8] | ||
1955 | 64–67 | .489 | 4th | champions | [9][5] | ||
1956 | 69–63 | .523 | 4th (tie) | [10] | |||
1957 | 60–66 | .476 | 6th | [11] | |||
1958 | 58–74 | .439 | 6th | [12] | |||
1959 | no team | ||||||
1960 | |||||||
1961 | C | Philadelphia Phillies | 64–66 | .492 | 4th | [13] | |
1962 | 64–65 | .496 | 3rd | [14] | |||
1963 | A | 84–44 | .656 | 1st | lost in first round | [15][16] | |
1964 | Rookie | San Francisco Giants | 33–32 | .508 | 2nd | [17] | |
1965 | 33–33 | .500 | 2nd (tie) | [18] | |||
1966 | 28–38 | .424 | 4th | [19] | |||
1967 | no team | ||||||
1968 | Rookie | Atlanta Braves | 30–31 | .492 | 4th | [20] | |
1969 | 39–33 | .542 | 3rd | [21] | |||
1970 | 41–29 | .586 | 3rd | [22] | |||
1971 | none | 36–34 | .514 | 3rd (tie) | [23] |
All-stars
Season[24][25] | Name & Position |
---|---|
1954 | Charles Jorgenson, P |
1955 | Daniel Lobitz, 1B Bob Shaffer, P |
1956 | Robert Pascal, 1B Duane Hermon, OF Samual Mauney, C John Buzhardt, P |
1961 | Costen Shockley, 1B Bobby Sanders, OF Victor Baron, C Joel Gibson, P |
1962 | Harold "Hank" Allen, 1B Adolfo Phillips, OF Ferdinand Walters, C Jack Phillips, Mgr. |
1963 | Alex Johnson, OF Gene Kerns, OF Nolen Campbell, IF George Bechtold, P |
1966 | Jay Reed, OF John Harrell, C Don DeSousa, Util. Robert "Bob" Reynolds, P |
1968 | Larry LeGarde, OF Curtis Moore, Util. |
1969 | Mickey Rivers, OF |
1970 | Marc Meno, 3B |
1971 | Dominic Gaudioso, C |
Notable alumni
See also
- Magic Valley Cowboys players
References
- Matthews, Mychel (January 28, 2016). "Hidden History: Twin Falls' 1st Baseball Team, the Irrigatiors". magicvalley.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- Matthews, Mychel (March 23, 2017). "Hidden History: The Cowboys baseball team". magicvalley.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- "Magic Valley, Idaho". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- "Pioneer League Champions". milb.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- "Magic Valley Wins Pioneer Loop Playoff Series". Independent Record. Helena, Montana. AP. September 14, 1955. Retrieved August 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "1952 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1953 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1954 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1955 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1956 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1957 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1958 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1961 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1962 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1963 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "Yanks, Ponies Gain Finals In PL Playoffs". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello, Idaho. AP. September 5, 1963. Retrieved August 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "1964 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1965 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1966 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1968 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1969 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1970 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "1971 Magic Valley Cowboys". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- "All-Star Teams 1939-1963". milb.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- "All-Star Teams 1966-1979". milb.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
Further reading
- Crump, Steve (June 18, 2010). "Twin Falls' all-time baseball team? You might be surprised". magicvalley.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.