The Crowley Millers were a Minor League Baseball team based in

Crowley, Louisiana Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Acadia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 United States census, Crowley had a population of 11,710. Crowley is the principal city of the Crowley micropolitan ...

, that played in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

in 1950 and the

Evangeline League The Evangeline League began in 1934 as a six–team Class D level minor league with teams based in Louisiana, United States, later adding Mississippi and Texas based franchises. In 1935, the league was expanded to eight teams and ceased operation ...

from 1951 to 1957. They were affiliated with the

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

in 1956 and 1957. They won the league championship in 1952 with an 81–59 record.

, has been a steppingstone for athletes in many sports, but especially baseball.

Gaylon H. White Gaylon Hooper White is the author of four baseball books -- ''The Best Little Baseball Town in the World: The Crowley Millers and Minor League Baseball in the 1950s,'' to be released in March 2021, ''Left On Base in the Bush Leagues: Legends, Near G ...

, author of five books about minor league baseball players and their teams, wrote a book about the Crowley Millers, the excitement and the tragedies surrounding many of the players. One tragic event took place in June 1951, when Andy Strong, playing centerfield for Crowley in a game against the

Alexandria Aces The Alexandria Aces were a baseball team based in Alexandria, Louisiana. The last version of the Aces played in the United League Baseball in 2013. The Aces have played their home games at historic Bringhurst Field, which was built in 1933 for the ...

at Bringhurst Field, was struck and killed by lightning. Among the players who played for them was

Al Silvera Aaron Albert Silvera (August 26, 1935 – July 24, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder who played parts of two seasons for the Cincinnati Redlegs of Major League Baseball in –. Early and personal life Silvera was b ...

References

Millers A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

Baseball teams established in 1950 Defunct minor league baseball teams Kansas City Athletics minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Louisiana Evangeline Baseball League teams 1950 establishments in Louisiana 1957 disestablishments in Louisiana Baseball teams disestablished in 1957 Defunct baseball teams in Louisiana {{Louisiana-baseball-team-stub