Minor League History: Naugatuck Valley League
In today’s episode of Minor League History, we pay attention to a 19th century league that lasted only one season before transforming into another league: The Naugatuck Valley League.
The Naugatuck Valley League was a non-signatory league, meaning it did not subscribe to the National Agreement of 1883 and thus it was an independent league. The league lasted the 1896 season before allegedly turning into the Connecticut League in 1897. The Naugatuck Valley is located at the basin of the Naugatuck River that flows from the Stillwater Pond near Torrington to the confluence with the Housatonic River in Derby, CT.
The league consisted of six teams solely from the state of Connecticut.
Cities represented:
Ansonia, CT: Ansonia Welcomes
Bridgeport, CT: Bridgeport Victors
Derby, CT: Derby Angels
New Haven, CT: New Haven Edgewoods
Torrington, CT: Torrington Tornados
Winsted, CT: Winsted Blues
The league was founded by Hall of Famer Jim O’ Rourke, who was owner/player/manager for the Bridgeport Victors. O’ Rourke guided the club to a first-place finish with a 25-15 record. He led the league with a .437 batting average, and stil played catcher at the age of 46.
The president of the league was D.W. Porter. Another Hall of Famer, Candy Cummings, managed the Torrington Tornados to a second-place finish with a 24-16 record.
For that one season in 1896, the Naugatuck Valley League proved to be a stable league. All teams that started the season finished the 40-game schedule.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport Victors | 25 | 15 | .625 | – | Jim O’Rourke |
| Torrington Tornados | 24 | 16 | .600 | 1 | T.M. Burns / Candy Cummings |
| Derby Angels | 22 | 18 | .550 | 3 | William Callahan / Joseph Veitch |
| New Haven Edgewoods | 22 | 18 | .550 | 3 | T.R. Greist |
| Winsted Welcomes | 15 | 25 | .375 | 10 | Eugene McCarthy W.A. Parsons / James Eaton |
| Ansonia Blues | 12 | 28 | .300 | 13 | Thomas Houlihan |
What happened after the 1896 season is not quite clear. Some sources say the league folded after that one season and that the Bridgeport, Derby, Torrington and Winstead teams continued play in the Connecticut (State) League. But other sources say that the Naugatuck Valley League was renamed Connecticut League. A Wikipedia page about the Connecticut League stated about the 1896 edition that it was also known as the Naugatuck Valley League. This would mean that the NVL was nothing more that a continuation of the Connecticut State League before being renamed into the Connecticut State League again. In my own contribution about the Connecticut League, the league was renamed from Connecticut State League in 1901.
An internet page dedicated to former MLB player and Hall of Famer Jim O’ Rourke states that he was the founder of the Naugatuck Valley League and left the league after one season with his team, the Bridport Victors to join the Connecticut State League.
The New Haven Edgewoods were the fourth professional baseball team of that town, as they were preceded by the New Haven Elm Citys in 1875, followed by the New Haven Blues in 1887, and the New Haven Nutmegs in the early 1890s.
All late 19th century teams called Hamilton Park home. This was a multifunctional facility that was also suitable for horse racing. It was also home to the sports teams of Yale University until Yale Field was constructed in the 1890s.
The Torrington Tornados was the first professional ball club in Torrington. The club was named after the local weather patterns. There have been around fifty recorded tornados in Torrington, CT. After finishing second in the standings in 1896, the club moved to the Connecticut League (or Connecticut State League) and played under the Torrington Demons moniker. After the 1987 season in the Connecticut (State) League, professional baseball left Torrington, only to return in 1950.
The Winsted Blues lasted only one season. After the 1896 season, the club disbanded.
But it would not be the last time, pro ball would call Winsted home. In 1978, the Winsted Whalers of the Tri-State League would call the town its home.
Ansonia was home to a pro ball team in the 1896 season of the Naugatuck Valley League. The Ansonia Welcomes were preceded by the Ansonia Big Gorhams, a Negro League team that called Ansonia home 1891. After 1896 Ansonia was passed by by minor league / professional baseball.
Nowadays, a local 16-team high school athletic league (not only baseball) has adopted the name Naugatuck Valley League.