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{{Infobox Minor League Baseball
{{Infobox Minor League Baseball
| name = Carlsbad Potashers
| name =Carlsbad Potashers
| firstseason = 1953
| firstseason =1953
| lastseason = 1961
| lastseason =1961
| allyears =
| allyears =
| city = Carlsbad, New Mexico
| city =Carlsbad, New Mexico
| logo =
| logo =
| uniformlogo =
| uniformlogo =
| past class level = Class D (1958-1961) Class B (1956-1957) Class C (1953-1955)
| class level =[[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] (1953–1955)<br />[[Class B (baseball)|Class B]] (1956–1957)<br /> [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] (1958–1961)
| past league = [[Sophomore League]] (1958-1961)
| league =[[Longhorn League]] (1953–1955)<br />[[Southwestern League]] (1956–1957)<br /> [[Sophomore League]] (1958–1961)
⚫
| majorleague =[[Chicago Cubs]] (1958–1961)
[[Southwestern League]] (1956-1957) [[Longhorn League]] (1953-1955)
| nickname ='''Carlsbad Potashers''' (1953–1961)
⚫
| pastmajorleague = [[Chicago Cubs]] (1958-1961)
⚫
| ballpark =Montgomery Field (1953–1961)

| nickname =Potashers (1953-1961)
| classnum =
⚫
| ballpark =Montgomery Field
| classchamps =
| classchamps =
| leaguenum =1
| leaguechamps =1953
| leaguechamps =1953
| confnum =
| conferencechamps =
| conferencechamps =
| divnum =
| divisionchamps =
| divisionchamps =
| wildcardnum =3
| wildcardberths ={{hlist|1954|1955|1959}}
}}
}}
The '''Carlsbad Potashers''' was a [[minor league baseball]] franchise in [[Carlsbad, New Mexico]] played in three leagues in its existence from 1953-1961. Carlsbad was an affiliate of the [[Chicago Cubs]] (1958-1961). The team moniker derives from potash mining.
The '''Carlsbad Potashers''' were a [[minor league baseball]] team based in [[Carlsbad, New Mexico]]. Carlsbad teams played as members of the [[Longhorn League]] from 1953 to 1955, [[Southwestern League]] in 1956 and 1957 and [[Sophomore League]] from 1958 to 1961, winning the 1953 league championship. Carlsbad played as a minor league affiliate of the [[Chicago Cubs]] from 1958 to 1961 and hosted home games at Montgomery Field.

In 1959, at Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, Potasher player Gil Carter hit a home run claimed have traveled 733 feet, possibly the longest in professional baseball history.


==History==
==History==
Carlsbad played in the Class D [[Sophomore League]] (1958-1961), the Class B [[Southwestern League]] (1956-1957) and the Class C [[Longhorn League]] (1953-1955).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Carlsbad, New Mexico Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>
The Carlsbad Potashers began minor league play in 1953. Carlsbad teams played as members of the Class C level [[Longhorn League]] (1953–1955), the Class B level [[Southwestern League]] (1956–1957) and Class D level [[Sophomore League]] (1958–1961) during their nine seasons of play.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Carlsbad, New Mexico Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="encyc">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1=Lloyd Johnson |editor2=Miles Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=[[Baseball America]] |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}</ref>


In their first season, the 1953 Potashers went 80-52 and captured the Longhorn League Championship. The 1954 and 1959 teams lost in the league Finals.<ref name="baseball-reference.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Carlsbad_Potashers|title=Carlsbad Potashers - BR Bullpen|website=www.baseball-reference.com}}</ref>
In their first season, the 1953 Potashers finished with a record of 80–52 and captured the Longhorn League Championship. The 1954 and 1959 teams lost in the league Finals<ref name="encyc"/>


The Potashers attendance was 83,462 in their first season of 1953, an average of 1,265 per game. In their last season, 1961, they drew 14,974 an average of 236 per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-425|title=Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, NM history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>
The Potashers attendance was 83,462 in their first season of 1953, an average of 1,265 per game. In their last season, 1961, they drew 14,974 an average of 236 per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-425|title=Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, NM history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>


===Gil Carter: Possibly longest home run in history===
⚫
===The ballpark===
⚫
As reported in ''[[The Sporting News]]'', Potashers player Gil Carter hit a majestic home run at Montgomery Field in 1959:
⚫
The Potashers played at '''Montgomery Field'''. The ballpark is no longer in existence.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitalballparks.com/Cubs.html|title=Chicago Cubs Minor League Affiliations and Baseball Stadium History|website=digitalballparks.com}}</ref>
⚫
"On a hot August night in 1959, former heavyweight boxer Gil Carter smashed a pitch through Carlsbad's high-elevated air and out of Montgomery Field. The ball carried over the left field wall, soared past two city streets and landed in a peach tree. A newspaper reporter later took an aerial photo from a plane and used the picture to estimate the ball traveled 733 feet. Carter's hometown paper, The Topeka Capital-Journal, said "the blast is considered the longest home run in baseball history."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/baseball-longest-home-run-carlsbad-denver-oakland-sacramento-reno-mantle-mickey-mlb-minor-league/1ptgqpqcy9ior12xgsco2eo21m|title=Where was baseball's longest home run? A five-city mystery|date=11 January 2016|website=Sporting News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milb.com/milb/history/tdih.jsp?tdih=0811&sid=milb|title=This Day in History - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball|website=MiLB.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://conlasbasesllenas.com/longest-homerun-in-baseball-history/|title=The longest homerun in baseball history was measured at 733 ft|date=5 January 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efqreview.com/NewFiles/v18n1/numbersgame.html|title=Elysian Fields Quarterly - The Baseball Review|website=www.efqreview.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nbcbaseball.com/gil-carter/|title=Gil Carter}}</ref>


The official scorer estimated the home run to have traveled 650 feet. However, aerial photographs measurements put the distance at 700–733 feet, which would make it the longest home run ever hit in professional baseball. The ball itself was signed by Carter and notes the distance of 733 feet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/km/items/view/310422|title=Gil Carter home run baseball - Kansas Memory - Kansas Historical Society|website=www.kshs.org}}</ref>
==Longest Home Run? in History==

⚫
As reported in '''[[The Sporting News]]''', Potashers player Gil Carter hit a majestic shot at Montgomery Field:
Gil Carter was inducted into the [[National Baseball Congress]] Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nbcbaseball.com/about-us/club-history/hall-of-fame/|title=National Baseball Congress Hall Of Fame}}</ref>
⚫
"On a hot August night in 1959, former heavyweight boxer Gil Carter smashed a pitch through Carlsbad's high-elevated air and out of Montgomery Field. The ball carried over the left field wall, soared past two city streets and landed in a peach tree. A newspaper reporter later took an aerial photo from a plane and used the picture to estimate the ball traveled 733 feet. Carter's hometown paper, The Topeka Capital-Journal, said "the blast is considered the longest home run in baseball history."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/baseball-longest-home-run-carlsbad-denver-oakland-sacramento-reno-mantle-mickey-mlb-minor-league/1ptgqpqcy9ior12xgsco2eo21m|title=Where was baseball's longest home run? A five-city mystery|date=11 January 2016|website=Sporting News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milb.com/milb/history/tdih.jsp?tdih=0811&sid=milb|title=This Day in History - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball|website=MiLB.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://conlasbasesllenas.com/longest-homerun-in-baseball-history/|title=The longest homerun in baseball history was measured at 733 ft|date=5 January 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efqreview.com/NewFiles/v18n1/numbersgame.html|title=Elysian Fields Quarterly - The Baseball Review|website=www.efqreview.com}}</ref>

⚫
==The ballpark==
⚫
The Potashers played home minor league games at '''Montgomery Field'''. Montgomery Field had a capacity of 2,500 and dimensions of (Left, Center, Right) 340–390–340. The ballpark is no longer in existence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitalballparks.com/Cubs.html|title=Chicago Cubs Minor League Affiliations and Baseball Stadium History|website=digitalballparks.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-425| title = Minor league baseball at Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, NM on StatsCrew.com}}</ref>

==Timeline==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;"
! Year(s) !! # Yrs. !! Team !! Level !! League!!Affiliate!!Ballpark
|-
|1953–1955|| 3|| rowspan=3|Carlsbad Potashers ||[[Class C (baseball)|Class C]]|| [[Longhorn League]]||rowspan=2|None||rowspan=3|Montgomery Field
|-
|1956–1957|| 2 ||[[Class B (baseball)|Class B]]||[[Southwestern League]]
|-
|1958–1961|| 4 ||[[Class D (baseball)|Class D]]||[[Sophomore League]]||[[Chicago Cubs]]
|-
|}

==Year–by–year records==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Year !! Record !! Finish !! Manager !! Playoffs/Notes
|- align=center
| 1953|| 80-52 || 1st || [[Pat McLaughlin (baseball)|Pat McLaughlin]] || '''League Champions'''
|- align=center
| 1954 || 87-52 || 3rd || [[Pat McLaughlin (baseball)|Pat McLaughlin]] || Lost League Finals
|- align=center
| 1955 || 72-67 || 4th || Thurman Tucker || Lost in 1st round
|- align=center
| 1956 || 70-74 || 7th || Thurman Tucker || Did not qualify
|- align=center
| 1957 || 65-54 || 3rd || Jodie Phipps || Did not qualify
|- align=center
| 1958 || 55-65 || 5th || Tony York || Did not qualify
|- align=center
| 1959 || 72-54 || 2nd || [[Walt Dixon]] || Lost League Finals
|- align=center
| 1960 || 66-64 || 3rd || [[Verlon Walker]] || Did not qualify
|- align=center
| 1961 || 56-71 || 5th || [[Lou Klein]] / [[Walt Dixon]] || Did not qualify
|- align=center
|}<ref name="encyc"/>


==Notable alumni==
==Notable alumni==
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
⚫
* [[Billy Connors]] (1961)
*Gil Carter (1957–1959) Inducted National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame (2015)
⚫
* [[Merv Connors]] (1953)
⚫
*[[Billy Connors]] (1961)
⚫
* [[Jimmy Stewart (baseball)|Jimmy Stewart]] (1960)
⚫
*[[Merv Connors]] (1953)
⚫
* [[Thurman Tucker]] (1955-1956) MLB All-Star
*[[Walt Dixon]] (1959, MGR)
*[[Jonas Gaines]] (1956–1957)
*[[Tom Jordan (baseball)|Tom Jordan]] (1956–1957)
*[[Lou Klein]] (1961, MGR)
*[[Pat McLaughlin (baseball)|Pat McLaughlin]] (1953–1954, MGR)
*[[Bob Raudman]] (1961)
*[[René Solís]] (1954)
⚫
*[[Jimmy Stewart (baseball)|Jimmy Stewart]] (1960)
⚫
*[[Thurman Tucker]] (1955–1956, MGR) MLB All-Star
*[[Verlon Walker]] (1960, MGR)
*[[Jesse White (politician)|Jesse White]] (1954)
*[[Tony York]] (1958, MGR)
{{Div col end}}

===See also===
[[:Category:Carlsbad Potashers players|Carlsbad Potashers players]]

==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}



[[Category:Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates]]

[[Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams]]
[[Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams]]
[[Category:Sports teams in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Carlsbad, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Carlsbad, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 1961]]
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1953]]
[[Category:Defunct baseball teams in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Professional baseball teams in New Mexico]]
[[Category:1953 establishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:1961 disestablishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Longhorn League teams]]
[[Category:Sophomore League teams]]

Latest revision as of 22:52, 14 May 2024

Carlsbad Potashers
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass C (1953–1955)
Class B (1956–1957)
Class D (1958–1961)
LeagueLonghorn League (1953–1955)
Southwestern League (1956–1957)
Sophomore League (1958–1961)
Major league affiliations
TeamChicago Cubs (1958–1961)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1953
Wild card berths (3)
  • 1954
  • 1955
  • 1959
Team data
NameCarlsbad Potashers (1953–1961)
BallparkMontgomery Field (1953–1961)

The Carlsbad Potashers were a minor league baseball team based in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Carlsbad teams played as members of the Longhorn League from 1953 to 1955, Southwestern League in 1956 and 1957 and Sophomore League from 1958 to 1961, winning the 1953 league championship. Carlsbad played as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs from 1958 to 1961 and hosted home games at Montgomery Field.

In 1959, at Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, Potasher player Gil Carter hit a home run claimed have traveled 733 feet, possibly the longest in professional baseball history.

History

[edit]

The Carlsbad Potashers began minor league play in 1953. Carlsbad teams played as members of the Class C level Longhorn League (1953–1955), the Class B level Southwestern League (1956–1957) and Class D level Sophomore League (1958–1961) during their nine seasons of play.[1][2]

In their first season, the 1953 Potashers finished with a record of 80–52 and captured the Longhorn League Championship. The 1954 and 1959 teams lost in the league Finals[2]

The Potashers attendance was 83,462 in their first season of 1953, an average of 1,265 per game. In their last season, 1961, they drew 14,974 an average of 236 per game.[3]

Gil Carter: Possibly longest home run in history

[edit]

As reported in The Sporting News, Potashers player Gil Carter hit a majestic home run at Montgomery Field in 1959: "On a hot August night in 1959, former heavyweight boxer Gil Carter smashed a pitch through Carlsbad's high-elevated air and out of Montgomery Field. The ball carried over the left field wall, soared past two city streets and landed in a peach tree. A newspaper reporter later took an aerial photo from a plane and used the picture to estimate the ball traveled 733 feet. Carter's hometown paper, The Topeka Capital-Journal, said "the blast is considered the longest home run in baseball history."[4][5][6][7][8]

The official scorer estimated the home run to have traveled 650 feet. However, aerial photographs measurements put the distance at 700–733 feet, which would make it the longest home run ever hit in professional baseball. The ball itself was signed by Carter and notes the distance of 733 feet.[9]

Gil Carter was inducted into the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame in 2015.[10]

The ballpark

[edit]

The Potashers played home minor league games at Montgomery Field. Montgomery Field had a capacity of 2,500 and dimensions of (Left, Center, Right) 340–390–340. The ballpark is no longer in existence.[11][12]

Timeline

[edit]
Year(s) # Yrs. Team Level League Affiliate Ballpark
1953–1955 3 Carlsbad Potashers Class C Longhorn League None Montgomery Field
1956–1957 2 Class B Southwestern League
1958–1961 4 Class D Sophomore League Chicago Cubs

Year–by–year records

[edit]
Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs/Notes
1953 80-52 1st Pat McLaughlin League Champions
1954 87-52 3rd Pat McLaughlin Lost League Finals
1955 72-67 4th Thurman Tucker Lost in 1st round
1956 70-74 7th Thurman Tucker Did not qualify
1957 65-54 3rd Jodie Phipps Did not qualify
1958 55-65 5th Tony York Did not qualify
1959 72-54 2nd Walt Dixon Lost League Finals
1960 66-64 3rd Verlon Walker Did not qualify
1961 56-71 5th Lou Klein / Walt Dixon Did not qualify

[2]

Notable alumni

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Carlsbad Potashers players

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Carlsbad, New Mexico Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ a b c Lloyd Johnson; Miles Wolff, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  3. ^ "Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, NM history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. ^ "Where was baseball's longest home run? A five-city mystery". Sporting News. 11 January 2016.
  5. ^ "This Day in History - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  6. ^ "The longest homerun in baseball history was measured at 733 ft". 5 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Elysian Fields Quarterly - The Baseball Review". www.efqreview.com.
  8. ^ "Gil Carter".
  9. ^ "Gil Carter home run baseball - Kansas Memory - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org.
  10. ^ "National Baseball Congress Hall Of Fame".
  11. ^ "Chicago Cubs Minor League Affiliations and Baseball Stadium History". digitalballparks.com.
  12. ^ "Minor league baseball at Montgomery Field in Carlsbad, NM on StatsCrew.com".
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