Moline Plowboys
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass C (1947–1948)
Class B (1937–1941; 1919–1923; 1914–1917)
Class D (1924–1932)
Class A (1894)[1]
Previous leagues
Central Association (1947–1948)
Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1937–1941)
Mississippi Valley League (1924–1932)
Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1914–1917, 1919–1923)
Western Association (1894)
Illinois-Iowa League (1892)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 4 1894, 1915, 1921, 1937
Team data
Previous names
  • Moline A's (1947–1948)
  • Moline Plowboys (1914–1917, 1919–1932, 1937–1941)
  • Rock Island-Moline Islanders (1894)
  • Rock Island-Moline Twins (1892)
Previous parks
  • Browning Field (1920–1932, 1937–1941, 1947–1948)
  • Athletic Park/Three-I Park (1914, 1917, 1919)
  • Twin Cities Park (1892, 1894)

The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (1924–1932), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1914–1923, 1937–1941) and Central Association (1947–1948), winning four league championships. The franchise played as the "Moline A's" in 1947–1948.

Moline was an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers (1932), Chicago Cubs (1937–1940) and Philadelphia Athletics (1947–1948).

Moline's home minor league ballpark from 1920 to 1948 was Browning Field.[2]

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Warren Giles was President of the Plowboys franchise from 1919 to 1922.[3]

Warren Giles, National League President, 1962

History

Tracing back to 1879, Quad City professional baseball includes Minor League teams in Davenport, Iowa, Moline, Illinois and Rock Island, Illinois, as well as nearby Kewanee, Illinois. The 1879 Davenport Brown Stockings played one season in the Northwestern League and the Rock Island Islanders began play in 1883. Moline began play in 1914. The Davenport team was the foundation of today's Quad City River Bandits, the surviving franchise of the three.[4]

Moline and Rock Island partnered with two early teams. In 1892, the Rock Island-Moline Twins played in the final season of the Illinois-Iowa League.[5] In 1894, the Rock Island-Moline Islanders played as a member of the Western Association and captured the Western Association championship with a record of 72–50.[6][7]

The Quad Cities area was able to support two teams, with the Davenport Blue Sox and the Rock Island Islanders. In July 1914, a third Quad City team was added when the Danville Speakers relocated to Moline and the Moline Plowboys were established.[8] The name "Plowboys" corresponds to Moline's local industry of plow production. Moline was home to companies such as Deere, Moline Plow Company, and Minneapolis-Moline in the era.[9][10]

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Warren Giles was team President of the Plowboys from 1919 to 1922. Giles later became president and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds (1937–1951) and president of the National League (1951–1969).[3] From 1920 to 1922, the Plowboys were managed by Earle Mack, son of Baseball Hall of Fame owner/manager Connie Mack.[11]

Moline won Three-I Championships in 1915, 1921 and 1937. The Plowboys were an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in 1932 and the Chicago Cubs from 1937 to 1940.

The franchise reemerged as the Moline A's in 1947–1948, playing in the Central Association as an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics.[12] Moline moved to Kewanee, Illinois, on June 18, 1948, becoming the Kewanee A's and winning the Central Association Championship in 1949, the year the league folded. Moline has not hosted another minor league baseball franchise.[6][1]

The ballparks

The 1892 and 1894 Rock Island-Moline teams played at Twin City Park. The ballpark was located at 5th Avenue & 43rd Street in Rock Island, Illinois.[13]

From 1914-1919, the Plowboy teams played at Athletic Park, also nicknamed "Three-I Park". The ballpark was located at 4th Avenue and 37th Street Moline, Illinois.[14][15][16]

The Plowboys' ballpark from 1920 to 1948 was Browning Field. The 5,600 capacity park had dimensions (LF-CF-RF) of 550-440-377. The first night game at the park was July 11, 1930. Located at 16th Street & 23rd Avenue Moline, Illinois, Browning Field and the adjacent Wharton Field House are still in use today by the athletic teams of Moline High School.[17][15][18]

In an exhibition game on April 12, 1920 the Plowboys defeated the Chicago White Sox 7–1 in the first "major-league" game played at Browning Field. The Chicago Cubs played an exhibition at Browning Field against their affiliate Plowboys on April 14, 1938.[17][19]

Babe Ruth appeared at Browning Field on June 26, 1940. 2,600 were in attendance for the Plowboys exhibition game featuring Ruth. Ruth put on a batting practice exhibition as well.[15][19]

Timeline

Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliateBallpark
18921Rock Island-Moline TwinsIndependentIllinois-Iowa LeagueNoneTwin City Park
18941Rock Island-Moline IslandersClass AWestern Association
1914–1917, 1919–19239Moline PlowboysClass BIllinois–Indiana–Iowa LeagueAthletic Park
1924–19318Class DMississippi Valley LeagueBrowning Field
19321Detroit Tigers
1937–19404Class BIllinois–Indiana–Iowa LeagueChicago Cubs
19411None
1947–19482Moline A'sClass CCentral AssociationPhiladelphia Athletics

Year–by–year records

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs / notes
191420–338thConnie Walsh / William NealNo playoffs held
191575–511stGeorge HughesLeague Champions
191659–765thGeorge HughesNo playoffs held
191727–386thNed Pettigrew / Bob Tarletonseason shortened to July 8
191940–816thGeorge HughesNo playoffs held
192069–704thEarle MackNo playoffs held
192178–551stEarle MackLeague Champions
192249–898thEarle MackNo playoffs held
192345–918thBobby Coltrin / Jim ShollenbergerNo playoffs held
192459–655thJim ShollenbergerNo playoffs held
192573–522ndJim ShollenbergerNo playoffs held
192671–502ndJim ShollenbergerNo playoffs held
192763–555thFritz MollwitzNo playoffs held
192869–542ndRichard ManchesterNo playoffs held
192963–634thRichard ManchesterNo playoffs held
193063–624thRiley ParkerNo playoffs held
193168–583rdRiley ParkerNo playoffs held
193255–666thErnie LorbeerNo playoffs held
193774–412ndMike GazellaLeague Champions
193867–593rdMike Gazellalost league finals
193949–736th (t)Mike GazellaDid not qualify
194046–787thMike GazellaDid not qualify
194143–828thJoe MowryDid not qualify
194751–746thElwood Wheaton / Joe GlennDid not qualify
194817–25NAJoe GlennMoved to Kewanee June 18

[6]

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

See also

Moline A's players
Moline Plowboys players

Eddie Waitkus

References

  1. 1 2 "Moline, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ↑ "Moline, Illinois Minor League History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  3. 1 2 "Warren Giles | Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org.
  4. ↑ "Minor League Baseball History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  5. ↑ "1892 Rock Island-Moline Twins Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. 1 2 3 The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, editors (Third ed.). Baseball America. 2007. ISBN 978-1932391176.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ↑ "1894 Rock Island-Moline Islanders Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ "1914 Danville Speakers/Moline Plowboys Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. ↑ "The Rise and Fall of Moline Plow Co. - Farm Collector". www.farmcollector.com. September 7, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Moline History". The Prairie Gold Rush.
  11. ↑ "Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ↑ "1947 Central Association". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. ↑ "Twin City Park in Rock Island, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. ↑ "Three Eye Park Minor League History | Baseball-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2015-10-14.
  15. 1 2 3 Emery, Tom (25 March 2014). "From Giles to Higbe to 'The Natural,' Moline Plowboys entertained for decades". Dispatch-Argus-QCOnline.
  16. ↑ "Three-I Park in Moline, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  17. 1 2 "Browning Field Minor League History | Baseball-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2015-10-13.
  18. ↑ "Browning Field in Moline, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  19. 1 2 Green, Doug (4 October 2012). "Moline's Browning Field turns 100". The Quad-City Times.
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