The Woonsocket Speeders 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

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

. Between 1891 and 1933, Woonsocket teams played as members of the

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 ...

from 1891 to 1892,

Atlantic Association The Atlantic Association was a minor league baseball organization that operated between 1889 and 1890 and again in 1908 in the Northeastern United States. History First Demise In each of the two seasons 4 or more teams failed to finish the season ...

in 1908, Colonial League in 1914 and New England League in 1933. Woonsocket won the 1892 New England League championship. In 1933 Woonsocket was a minor league affiliate of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

History

In the 1891 season, Woonsocket first began minor league play, as the team joined the six–team Independent level

on June 10, 1891 during the season. The Lewiston franchise joined the league on the same day, as the league expanded to eight teams. The 1891 Woonsocket team finished with a 11–23 record, playing under manager Tom Rowe. Woonsocket continued play in 1892, capturing the New England League championship in the eight–team Class B level league. The 1892 Woonsocket team ended the regular season with a 63–31 record to place 1st in the standings under player/manager Thomas O'Brien. Woonsocket finished 7.0 games ahead of 2nd place Portland in the final standings.

Hi Ladd Arthur Clifford "Hi" Ladd (February 9, 1870 – May 7, 1948) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters in 1898. Arthur is the great great grandfather of current NHL player Andrew Ladd ...

of Woonsocket led the New England League in total hits with 140 and teammate Tom O'Brien led the league with 106 runs. Despite winning the championship, the Woonsocket franchise folded from the New England League following the season. The 1908 Woonsocket Trotters played very briefly as charter members of the short-lived Class D level

. Woonsocket had a reported record of 0–1 when the team folded on May 4, 1909, after playing the one game under managers John Leighton and Buster Burrell. The entire league folded on May 21, 1908. Minor league baseball returned in 1914, when the Woonsocket Speeders became charter members of the 1914 six–team Class C level Colonial League. The Fall River Spindles of the Colonial League ended the 1914 season with a record of 49–48, finishing 12.0 games behind the first place Fall River Spindles, as Roy Dickinson and Tom Walsh served as managers of the Woonsocket Speeders team. Joe Gaudette of Woonsocket led the league in hitting and total hits, batting .321 with 117 hits. The Woonsocket did not return to the 1915 Colonial League. In 1933, "Woonsocket" returned to play during the season. On July 18, 1933, Woonsocket became members the Class B level New England League when the Lawrence Weavers moved to Woonsocket. If there was a team moniker in 1933 it is not referenced. Woonsocket played as a minor league affiliate of the

. The Woonsocket team finished with a record of 12–24 in Woonsocket and 27–50 overall, placing sixth in the final standings under manager Mark Devlin. It was reported that Skinny Graham hit .409 for the season, playing for the Lawrence/Woonsocket team. The Woonsocket franchise did not return to the 1934 New England League. Woonsocket has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The name of the Woonsocket home minor league ballpark(s) is the Clinton Oval.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician who served as president of the National Rifle Association from 2024 to 2025. He previously served as a federal prosecutor and as a U.S. Representative, repr ...

(1892) * Buster Burrell (1892), (1908, MGR) * Frank Connaughton (1891–1892) * Skinny Graham (1933) * Joe Harrington (1892) *

(1892) * John Leighton (1892), (1908, MGR) * Sandy McDermott (1891) * Bill Merritt (1891) *

Hugh Mulcahy Hugh Noyes Mulcahy (September 9, 1913 – October 19, 2001), nicknamed Losing Pitcher, was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1935–40 and 1945–46) and Pittsbur ...

(1933) MLB All-Star * Tom O'Brien (1892) * Frank Sexton (1891) * John Stafford (1891–1892) * Woonsocket (minor league baseball) players

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Woonsocket - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Rhode Island Baseball teams established in 1914 New England League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1914 Colonial League teams Woonsocket, Rhode Island Sports in Providence County, Rhode Island