Memphis Chicks (Southern League)

History

Memphis got its first professional baseball team in 1877, the Memphis Reds of the League Alliance. A different Reds squad was a charter member of the original Southern League in 1885. Over the next decade, the city's Southern League clubs went by many names: the Grays in 1886 and 1888, the Browns in 1887, simply Memphis in 1889, the Giants in 1892 and 1894, the Fever Germs in 1893, and the Lambs/Giants in 1895. The longest-running team in Memphis began in 1901 as the Memphis Egyptians, a charter member of the Southern Association.

After being called the Turtles from 1909 to 1911, the club adopted its most famous name, the Chickasaws—often shortened to Chicks—in 1912. This original Chicks team stayed in the league until 1960, winning eight pennants, one playoff championship, and one Dixie Series title. Their home, Russwood Park, burned down in April 1960. Building a new ballpark was too expensive, so the team folded after that season.

For seven years, Memphis had no professional baseball. Then, in 1968, the Memphis Blues arrived as a Double-A team in the Texas League. They played at Blues Stadium, a converted American Legion field that opened in 1963 at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds. After six seasons, the Blues moved up to the Triple-A International League in 1974, but financial troubles led the league to revoke the franchise after the 1976 season.

In 1978, a new Memphis Chicks team was born as an expansion franchise in the Double-A Southern League's Western Division, affiliated with the Montreal Expos. The Expos shifted their Double-A affiliation from the Québec Metros in Quebec City to Memphis, lured by the warmer climate. The Chicks played at Blues Stadium, which was renamed Tim McCarver Stadium to honor the Memphis native, former Chickasaw, and major league catcher.

Season-by-season results

The Memphis Chicks hit their peak in 1996 with an 81-58 record, their best in a single season. Their worst came in 1989, when they went 59-84. Over two decades, the team served as a Double-A affiliate for four different Major League clubs. Their strongest partnership was with the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 1996, where they posted a combined 149-132 mark. They made the playoffs both years but went just 3-6 and never won a league title. In contrast, their lone season with the Seattle Mariners produced a 67-72 record and no postseason appearance. Across their entire 20-year run, the Chicks claimed two division titles, in 1980 and 1990, and captured one Southern League championship in 1990.

Achievements

Four players and two executives from the Memphis Chicks earned Southern League year-end honors. Three of those players received All-Star Game MVP awards. Among the 27 Chicks named to the Southern League Postseason All-Star Team, only four were selected more than once: Phil Hiatt (1992 and 1994), Bryan Little (1991 at two positions), Dan Rohrmeier (1996 at two positions), and Matt Winters (1987 and 1988). Additionally, three players and one manager from the Chicks have been inducted into the Southern League Hall of Fame.

Managers

Over 20 seasons, the Memphis Chicks were managed by 16 different skippers across 2,858 regular-season games, posting a 2,858–1,419 record (.497). They reached the postseason seven times, going 15–21 (.417). Jeff Cox holds the franchise record for most wins (193) and longest tenure (431 games from 1989 to 1991), yet his .448 winning percentage is the lowest among managers who led the team for at least a full season. Ed Romero posted the highest such percentage, .583, during the 1996 campaign.