Palmetto League
Class D level baseball league
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The Palmetto League was a Class D level baseball minor league that played in 1931. The four–team Palmetto league had teams based in South Carolina and Georgia. The Palmetto League permanently folded midway through the 1931 season with the Augusta Wolves in first place.
| Classification | Class D (1931) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1931 |
| Folded | July 23, 1931 |
| President | Charles H. Garrison (1931) |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 1 Augusta Wolves (1931) |
| Related competitions | Georgia–Alabama League |
History
The Palmetto League formed for the 1931 season as a Class D level minor league. Under the direction of league president Charles H. Garrison, the Palmetto League began play as a four–team league, hosting franchises from Anderson, South Carolina (Anderson Electrics), Augusta, Georgia (Augusta Wolves), Florence, South Carolina (Florence Pee Deans) and Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville Spinners). The Palmetto League played a split–season schedule, with the winners of each portion meeting in a playoff final. After the first half of the season was completed, the Anderson Electricians moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina and played as the Spartanburg Spartans.[1][2][3]
The Palmetto League's first season of play began on Monday, April 27, 1931. After the season began, Anderson (14–40) moved to Spartanburg on June 29, 1931, playing their first home game in Spartanburg on July 2, 1931. The Augusta Wolves won the first half of the season's split schedule.[4]
On July 23, 1931, the Palmetto League folded with Augusta in first place of the second half standings. The Augusta Wolves led the final overall Palmetto League standings with a 53–23 record, finishing 9.0 games ahead of the second place Florence Pee Deans (44–32), followed by the Greenville Spinners (37–39) and the Anderson Electrics/Spartanburg Spartans (28–58) who finished 30.0 games behind. Notably, Bill McGhee of Augusta hit .405 for the season, to lead the league.[5][4][1][6]
When the Palmetto League permanently folded on July 23, 1931, the league cited "financial difficulties" as the contributing factor.[7][4]
Palmetto League teams
| Team name | City represented | Ballpark | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Electricians | Anderson, South Carolina | Unknown[8] | 1931 |
| Augusta Wolves | Augusta, Georgia | Municipal Stadium[9] | 1931 |
| Florence Pee Deans | Florence, South Carolina | Unknown[10] | 1931 |
| Greenville Spinners | Greenville, South Carolina | Spinner's Park[11] | 1931 |
| Spartanburg Spartans | Spartanburg, South Carolina | Duncan Park[12] | 1931 |
Standings and statistics
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta Wolves | 53 | 23 | .697 | – | Cat Milner |
| Florence Pee Deans | 44 | 32 | .579 | 9 | Frank Walker / Carl East |
| Greenville Spinners | 37 | 39 | .487 | 16 | Nelson Leach / Sherry Smith |
| Anderson Electrics / Spartanburg Spartans | 28 | 58 | .326 | 30 | Joe Guyon/ Ken McNeill / Frank Walker |
Anderson (14–10) moved to Spartanburg on June 29, 1931. First home game July 2, 1931.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill McGhee | Augusta | BA | .405 | Jinx Harris | Augusta | W | 17 | |
| Zachery Smith | Augusta | Runs | 85 | Jinx Harris | Augusta | SO | 119 | |
| Bill McGhee | Augusta | Hits | 133 | Jim D. Ryan | Augusta | Pct | .846; 11–2 | |
| Bill McGhee | Augusta | RBI | 73 | |||||
| Charlie English | Florence | HR | 11 |