Atlantic Association
| Classification | Independent (1889–1890) Class D (1908) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1889 1908 |
| Ceased | 1890 (1st iteration) 1908 (2nd iteration) |
| President | James M. Braden (1889–1890) Hugh McBreen (1908) |
| No. of teams | 14 (Total – 1st iteration) 7 (Total – 2nd iteration) |
| Country |  United States |
| Most titles | 1 Worcester (1889) New Haven Nutmegs (1890) Portland Blue Sox (1908) |
| Related competitions | New England League |
The Atlantic Association was a minor league baseball organization that operated between 1889 and 1890 and again in 1908 in the Northeastern United States.
History
First Demise
In each of the two seasons 4 or more teams failed to finish the season and with three teams remaining folded after the 1890 season. Only the New Haven Nutmegs survived after the demise of the league by transferring to another league.[1]
Second Demise
A smaller league in 1908 was also like the first league and plagued by teams failing to finish the season.[1] Despite being the best team, Portland folded with the demise of the league and disbanded with its association with the Maine State League.
Cities represented
- Attleboro, Massachusetts: Attleboro Angels (1908) – team moved from Taunton
- Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Orioles (1890) – not to be mistaken for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association
- Easton, Pennsylvania: Easton (1889) – unnamed club failed to complete season and folded in June 1889
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Athletics (1890) – former Harrisburg Ponies from the Pennsylvania State League and replaced the Jersey City Gladiators July 1890
- Hartford, Connecticut: Hartford Baseball Club (1889); Hartford Nutmeggers (1890): team disbanded August 1890
- Jersey City, New Jersey: Jersey City Skeeters (1889) Jersey City Gladiators (1890): replaced the Skeeters and then replaced by Harrisburg Athletics July 1890
- Lebanon, Pennsylvania: Lebanon (1890) – unnamed team disbanded August 25, 1890
- Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston (1908)
- Lowell, Massachusetts: Lowell (1889) – unnamed team disbanded after 1889
- New Haven, Connecticut: New Haven (1889) – unnamed team disbanded?; New Haven Nutmegs 1890: best team in the AA in 1892 but transferred to Eastern Association after end of season and last played as Eastern League's New Haven Bulldogs in 1932
- Newark, New Jersey: Newark Little Giants (1889–1890) – formerly with Eastern League, International League and Central League; club folded 1889
- Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Ponies (1908) – disbanded May 19
- Norwalk, Connecticut: Norwalk (1889) – unnamed team disbanded after single season
- Pawtucket, Rhode Island: Pawtucket Colts (1908) – originally with New England League in 1899
- Portland, Maine: Portland Blue Sox (1908) – best team in the AA in 1908, moved from Maine State League and appears to have joined New England League in 1919
- Washington D.C.: Washington Senators (1890): disbanded July 1890
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons (1889) – disbanded August 1889
- Wilmington, Delaware: Wilmington Peach Growers (1890) – disbanded August 1890
- Taunton, Massachusetts: Taunton Angels (1908) – team moved to Attleboro, MA as Angels
- Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Woonsocket Trotters (1908) – disbanded May 1908
- Worcester, Massachusetts: Worcester (1889–1890) – best team in the AA in 1889
Standings & statistics
1889 Atlantic Association
schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester | 58 | 35 | .624 | - | Walt Burnham |
| Newark Little Giants | 54 | 40 | .574 | 4.5 | Sam Trott |
| Hartford | 52 | 44 | .542 | 7.5 | John Henry |
| New Haven | 40 | 52 | .435 | 17.5 | Harry Spence / Jack Burdock |
| Lowell | 35 | 59 | .373 | 23.5 | John Cosgrove/ Nate Kellogg / Dan Sullivan |
| Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons | 32 | 20 | .605 | NA | John Irwin / M.H. Bergunder |
| Jersey City Skeeters | 33 | 23 | .589 | NA | Patrick Powers |
| Easton | 10 | 26 | .378 | NA | Henry Putnam |
| Norwalk | 2 | 17 | .105 | NA | Jim Donnelly / George Moolic |
Norwalk disbanded September 2.
Easton disbanded June 22.
Jersey City disbanded July 25.
Wilkes-Barre disbanded August 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Hamilton | Lowell | BA | .341 | Jesse Burkett | Worcester | W | 30 | |
| Ted Scheffler | Worcester | Runs | 87 | Henry Dooms | Newark | W | 30 | |
| Robert Hamilton | Lowell | Hits | 117 | Jesse Burkett | Worcester | SO | 240 | |
| William Campion | Worcester | HR | 8 | Bill Daley | Jersey City | Pct | .750; 18-6 |
1890 Atlantic Association
schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven Nutmegs | 82 | 36 | .695 | 0 | Walt Burnham |
| Worcester / Lebanon |
60 | 51 | .541 | 18.5 | Jim Cudworth |
| Newark Little Giants | 60 | 61 | .496 | 23.5 | Sam Trott |
| Jersey City Gladiators / Harrisburg Athletics |
58 | 72 | .446 | 30 | Steve Brady / Jack Burdock / James Harrington |
| Baltimore Orioles | 77 | 24 | .762 | NA | Billy Barnie |
| Washington Senators | 38 | 47 | .447 | NA | Ted Sullivan |
| Wilmington Peach Growers | 29 | 66 | .305 | NA | Barney Stephenson / Joe Simmons / Bill Wehrle |
| Hartford Nutmeggers | 22 | 60 | .268 | NA | John Henry / Ezra Sutton / Tom Forster |
Jersey City (27-46) disbanded July 22.
Harrisburg, from the disbanded Interstate League, applied for the vacant franchise and joined the league July 24.
Worcester (37-31) moved to Lebanon July 28; Washington disbanded August 2; Hartford disbanded August 25; Wilmington disbanded August 27.
Baltimore left the league to join the American Association August 27.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Sommer | Baltimore | BA | .347 | Les German | Baltimore | W | 35 | |
| Reddy Mack | Baltimore | Runs | 120 | John Doran | New Haven | SO | 241 | |
| Danny Long | Baltimore | Runs | 120 | John Doran | New Haven | ERA | 1.12 | |
| Dan Lally | New Haven | Hits | 159 | Mike O'Rourke | Baltimore | Pct | .923; 12-1 | |
| Dan Lally | New Haven | HR | 12 |
1908 Atlantic Association
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Blue Sox | 8 | 3 | .727 | 0 | F. Driscoll |
| Lewiston | 8 | 4 | .667 | .5 | George Beede / Ed McDonough |
| Pawtucket Colts | 6 | 3 | .667 | 1 | William Conners |
| Newport Ponies | 5 | 5 | .500 | 2.5 | Ben Anthony / George Reed |
| Taunton / Attleboro Angels |
1 | 12 | .077 | 8 | Mike McDermott / Bill Wilson / McEleney |
| Woonsocket Trotters | 0 | 1 | .000 | NA | John Leighton / Buster Burrill |
Taunton moved to Attleboro; Woonsocket disbanded May 4; Pawtucket disbanded May 19.
The league started May 2 and disbanded May 21.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Lush | Taunton/Attleboro | BA | .418 | Sandy Burk | Pawtucket/Attleboro | W | 4 | |
| Bob Black | Pawtucket | Runs | 13 | Sandy Burk | Pawtucket/Attleboro | SO | 40 | |
| Pat Sullivan | Lewiston | Runs | 13 | Joe Burns | Taunton/Attleboro | Hits | 16 | |
| Pat Sullivan | Lewiston | Hits | 16 | Pat Sullivan | Lewiston | HR | 4 |
Hall of Fame alumni
- Jesse Burkett, 1889 Worcester
- Frank Grant, 1890 Harrisburg Athletics
See also
References
- ^ a b c Lloyd Johnson; Miles Wolff, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.