The Albany Rollers were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Albany, Oregon Albany ( ) is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the 11th most populous city in the state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton count ...

. In 1904, the Rollers became members of the Class D level Oregon State League during the season, hosting home games at the Albany Base Ball Park. The Albany Rollers came into existence when the Vancouver Soldiers were forced to relocate to Albany after a territory dispute with the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

History

The 1904 Albany Rollers became members of the Class D level Oregon State League after the season had begun. The four–team league began play on April 8, 1904. The charter teams beginning the season were the

Eugene Blues The Eugene Blues were a minor league baseball club based in Eugene, Oregon. In 1904, the Blues played as members of the short lived Class D (baseball), Class D level Oregon State League. The 1904 Blues ended the shortened season in second place. Th ...

, Roseburg Shamrocks, Salem Raglans and Vancouver Soldiers. League salaries were capped at $600. After their first season began play, the Oregon State League had not officially been admitted to minor league baseball by the National Association governing body. The Oregon State League had not vacated the

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

franchise after the National Association had ruled Vancouver was within the territorial limit of the

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

franchise of the

. To meet the requirement, the Vancouver Soldiers franchise moved to Albany, Oregon on May 18, 1904, and became the "Albany Rollers." Vancouver had a record of 3–8 at the time of the move. Prior to the move, on May 12, 1904, it was reported that E. P. Preble, the owner/manager of Vancouver, had visited Albany and spoke with residents about the possibility of the move. Albany residents, who had earlier supported the prospect of an Albany team in the Oregon State League when the league was formed, began a pledge drive to raise money to support the potential franchise, but were met with some resistance from local businesses before the move to Albany was ultimately made. The "Rollers" moniker corresponds to the timber industry, which was a strong local industry in the era. As the Oregon State League continued regular season play, both the Eugene Blues and Roseburg Shamrocks franchises disbanded on July 6, 1904. Travel costs were cited as a reason for folding. The loss of the two franchises caused the Oregon State League, Albany included, to immediately disband. The Albany Rollers were in third place in the Oregon State League standings when the league permanently folded on July 6, 1904. The Vancouver/Albany team ended the Oregon State League season with an overall record of 17–24, playing under managers Fred Gregory and E.P. Preble. The Vancouver/Albany team finished 9.5 games behind the first place Salem Raglans. In the final standings, Albany finished behind first place Salem (27–13), second place Eugene Blues (22–19) and ahead of the fourth place Roseburg Shamrocks (15–25). The Oregon State League never reformed as a minor league. Albany, Oregon has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Albany Rollers hosted minor league home games at the Albany Base Ball Park. In the era, the ballpark was adjacent to the gymnasium on the campus of the Albany Collegiate Institute. After the college relocated, the former campus grounds became the site of the

Albany Research Center The Albany Research Center, now part of National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory staffed by Federal employees and contractors located in Albany, Oregon. Founded in 1943, the laboratory initially speci ...

, operated by the

U.S. Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear we ...

Timeline

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

*No Vancouver/Albany players played in the major leagues.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Albany - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Oregon Baseball teams established in 1904 Baseball teams disestablished in 1904 Albany, Oregon Linn County, Oregon Benton County, Oregon Oregon State League teams 1904 disestablishments in Oregon