The Springfield Cubs, based in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, 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 ...

franchise that served as a

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

from 1948 to 1953. The team was a member of the Class B

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

in 1948 and 1949, and the Triple-A

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

from 1950 to 1953. The team played its home games at

Pynchon Park Pynchon Park, also known as Hampden Park and League Park, was a sports venue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1853 by the Hampden Agricultural Society and was destroyed by fire in 1966. The venue hosted various events, including h ...

History

Although the Springfield franchise of the

(NEL) had mediocre won-loss records in 1948 and 1949, the team finished second in attendance in 1948 and led the NEL in its final season of operation (1949), drawing over 102,000 fans. The 1949 team advanced to the league championship series, falling in seven games to the

Portland Pilots The Portland Pilots is the nickname for athletics at the University of Portland. The Pilots compete in the West Coast Conference (WCC) at the NCAA Division I level. History The Pilots started to gain attention when Clive Charles began coachi ...

. After the NEL folded in the autumn of 1949, Springfield received a franchise in the

(IL) when the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

transferred there for 1950. However, the Bears' parent team, the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, did not follow, and Springfield retained its affiliation with the

. It became Chicago's second Triple-A team, along with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, the Cubs' longtime franchise in 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 ...

. Springfield's first Triple-A manager was

Stan Hack Stanley Camfield Hack (December 6, 1909 – December 15, 1979), nicknamed "Smiling Stan", was an American third baseman and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago Cubs and was the Na ...

. The Triple-A Springfield franchise drew over 200,000 fans in its maiden season, and just missed the playoffs, finishing fifth in the eight-team IL. Future major league

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive, television presenter and musician, best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing b ...

won IL rookie of the year honors. However, the success of that first season could not be duplicated, on or off the field. The Cubs did not have enough depth to field two strong Triple-A clubs, and the 1951 to 1953 Springfield Cubs placed last in the IL each season, and last or next to last in attendance. The franchise folded and was replaced by the

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings () were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class Triple-A (baseball), AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cinci ...

in the 1954 IL lineup.

Records by season

References

{{reflist 1948 establishments in Massachusetts 1953 disestablishments in Massachusetts Baseball teams established in 1948 Baseball teams disestablished in 1953 Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Massachusetts Defunct International League teams Defunct minor league baseball teams New England League teams Professional baseball teams in Massachusetts Baseball teams in Springfield, Massachusetts

History

Records by season

See also

References