The St. Louis Whites (or White Stockings) were a minor league baseball team based in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. In 1888, the St. Louis "Whites" played briefly as members of the Class A level

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Wester ...

. The Whites were created as an early version of a farm team for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

, who evolved to become today's

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. The St. Louis Whites hosted their home games at

Sportsman's Park Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on t ...

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

member

Jake Beckley Jacob Peter Beckley (August 4, 1867 – June 25, 1918), nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New ...

played for the St. Louis Whites and Hall of Famer

Charles Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "the Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager, and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League and was als ...

was a 25% owner of the team.

History

The St. Louis Whites team was founded by

owner Chris Von der Ahe, who formed the Whites to serve as a farm team for the Browns. The new franchise joined the Class A level Western Association, the highest level of minor leagues in the era. Von der Ahe had signed no fewer than twenty–nine players to 1888 contracts for the Whites by December 1887. Von der Ahe owned 50% of the franchise, with Whites' manager Tom Loftus and St. Louis Browns player/manager Charlie Comiskey splitting the remaining 50% of the St. Louis Whites ownership. In the 1888 season, the newly formed St. Louis Whites began minor league play as members of the eight–team Class A level Western Association. The Whites joined with the

Chicago Maroons The Chicago Maroons are the intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Chicago. They are named after the color maroon. Team colors are maroon and gray, and Phil the Phoenix is their mascot. They now compete in the NCAA Division III, mos ...

Des Moines Prohibitionists Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (disambiguation), severa ...

, Kansas City Blues,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

Omaha Omahogs Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...

and St. Paul Apostles teams in Western Association league play. The St. Louis Whites played their first exhibition game in a contest against the major league St. Louis Browns on March 25, 1888, at

in St. Louis. The Whites opened the season, beginning Western Association league play on April 28, 1888, playing against the Milwaukee Brewers at Sportsman's Park. The St. Louis Whites played their first 11 games at home, hosting home games when the St. Louis Browns played games on the road as to avoid conflicts. St. Louis later was soon forced to fold from the Western Association during the season, after the team owners sought to sell the franchise. On June 20, 1888, St. Louis disbanded with a record of 10–18, playing their partial season under manager Tom Loftus. After the team folded, their roster of players were sold off or transferred to other teams. The St. Louis franchise was eventually replaced in the Western Association play by the Sioux City Cornhuskers, who began play July 4, 1888, before that franchise folded on October 1, 1888.

member

played for the 1888 St. Louis Whites. Playing for the team at age 20, Beckley batted.319 in 38 games for St, Louis, before making his major league debut after the Whites folded. Following the demise of the team, Beckley was purchased for $4,500 (along with

Harry Staley Henry Eli Staley (November 3, 1866 – January 12, 1910) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from 1888 to 1895. He played for the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates, Pittsburgh Burghers, ...

) by the

Pittsburgh Alleghenys The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Franchise beginnings (1870s–1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association An early mention of "base ball" in the region is found in an issue of t ...

midway through the 1888 season.

The ballpark

The 1888 St. Louis Whites played their home games at

, home of the

. The ballpark was located at Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the north side of St. Louis, later becoming home of the

until 1966. The field portion of the ballpark is still in use today for youth activities.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

(1888), Inducted

, 1971 *

(1888, part-owner) Inducted

, 1939 *

Tug Arundel John Thomas "Tug" Arundel (June 30, 1862 – September 5, 1912) was an American Major League Baseball catcher born in Romulus, New York. He played in parts of four seasons between and with four teams. Career He made his debut at the age of 19 ...

(1888) * Ernie Burch (1888) *

Bart Cantz Bartholomew L. Cantz (January 29, 1860 – February 12, 1943) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. Early life and career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cantz started his professional baseball career in 1884, playing for the ...

(1888) * Jack Crooks (1888) *

Tom Dolan Thomas Fitzgerald Dolan (born September 15, 1975) is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Dolan grew up in Arlington, Virginia. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, w ...

(1888) * Pete Galligan (1888) * Joseph Herr (1888) * Hunkey Hines (1888) *

Parson Nicholson Thomas Clark "Parson" Nicholson (April 14, 1863 – February 28, 1917) was an American baseball player whose career spanned from 1887 to 1899. He played principally as a second baseman and in the minor leagues. He did play three seasons in Majo ...

(1888) *

(1888) * Chris von der Ahe (1888, owner) * St. Louis Whites players

References

{{Reflist Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Missouri Defunct baseball teams in Missouri Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1888 Baseball teams in St. Louis Defunct Western Association teams