The Kokomo Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Kokomo, Indiana, between 1955 and 1961. After playing the 1955 season as the Kokomo Giants, a New York Giants, the 1956 "Dodgers" became charter members of the Midwest League, as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, as the changed Mississippi–Ohio Valley League names following the 1955 season. The Dodgers were an affiliate of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1956 to 1961. The Kokomo teams hosted minor league home games at Highland Park Stadium.
| Kokomo Dodgers | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Class D (1955–1961) |
| League | Midwest League (1956–1961) |
Previous leagues | Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1955) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
|
| Team data | |
Previous names |
|
Previous parks | Highland Park Stadium (1955–1961) |
Baseball Hall of Fame member Orlando Cepeda played for the 1955 Kokomo Giants.
History
editIn 1955, Kokomo replaced the Danville Dans in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, playing as the Kokomo Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.[1][2] The next season, the Kokomo Dodgers became an charter member of newly formed Midwest League, which grew out of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. The other seven Midwest League charter franchises were the Clinton Pirates, Dubuque Packers, Decatur Commodores, Michigan City White Caps, Paris Lakers, Lafayette Red Sox and Mattoon Phillies.[3][4][5]
Former Dodger Pete Reiser was the team's manager during the 1956 and 1957 seasons.[6][7] The team won the Midwest League pennant in 1957, but lost in the playoffs.[8][9][10]
The Ballpark
editThe team played at Highland Park Stadium.[10]
Notable alumni
editBaseball Hall of Fame alumni
edit- Orlando Cepeda (1955) Inducted, 1999
Notable alumni
edit- Mike Brumley (1957)
- Tommy Davis (1957) 3x MLB All–Star; 2× NL Batting Champion (1962, 1963); 1962 NL RBI Leader
- Tim Harkness (1957)
- Clarence Jones (1961)
- Bill Kelso (1961)
- Don Miles (1956)
- Rod Miller (1959)
- Ed Palmquist (1956)
- Pete Reiser (1956–1957, MGR) 3x MLB All–Star; 1941 NL Batting Champion; 2× NL Stolen Base Leader (1942, 1946)
- Nate Smith (1956)
- Hector Valle (1960)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "1955 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1954 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1956 Midwest League".
- ^ "1955 Kokomo Giants Statistics".
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ (27 October 1981). Reckless Reiser Dead at 62, Windsor Star, Retrieved December 10, 2010 ("for two years managed the Kokomo Dodgers in the Class D Midwest League")
- ^ (24 January 1956). Sports in short, Milwaukee Journal, Retrieved December 10, 2010
- ^ Cox, Don (29 November 1957). Sports salutes, The Gadsden Times, Retrieved December 10, 2010
- ^ Cox, Don. (15 March 1958). Sports salutes, The Gadsden Times, Retrieved December 10, 2010
- ^ a b Boyle, Robert H. (2 September 1957). Pete In The Bush, Sports Illustrated, Retrieved December 10, 2010 (detailed article profiling Reiser at Kokomo)