The Monroe Drillers were a minor league baseball team based in Monroe, Louisiana. From 1924 to 1930, the Monroe "Drillers" began a tenure for Monroe as members of the Class D level Cotton States League, which continued with the Monroe "Twins" and Monroe "White Sox" teams through 1941. Monroe won Cotton States League championships in 1938 and 1941. The 1932 Monroe Twins played the season as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Monroe Drillers teams hosted home minor league games at Forsythe Park in Monroe through 1930. Beginning in 1931 the Monroe Twins and White Sox teams played Cotton States league home games at the Casino Park ballpark.
History Earlier Monroe minor league teams Monroe first hosted minor league baseball in 1903, when the Monroe "Hill Citys" began play as members of the six-team Class D level Cotton States League and had a two-season tenure in the league. The Drillers were preceded in minor league play by the 1909 Monroe Municipals, who played a partial season as members of the Arkansas State League before relocating during the season.
1924 to 1930: Monroe Drillers / Cotton States League Despite folding the season before the Cotton States League resumed play in 1924, playing as a six–team Class D level league. The Monroe Drillers joined the Brookhaven Truckers, Hattiesburg Hubman, Jackson Senators, Laurel Lumberjacks and Vicksburg Hill Billies teams in resuming league play on May 8, 1924.
The "Drillers" nickname corresponds to local history and industry in Monroe, Louisiana. In 1916, a natural gas discovery well was drilled in Monroe and a large pool of natural gas was discovered. For a decade, the Monroe pool was considered the largest natural gas producer in the world. The pool was estimated to have contained more 6.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, stretching an area of nearly 500 square miles. To a lesser degree the natural gas drilling industry is still active in Monroe today.
The Monroe Drillers began Cotton States League play, as the league reduced to six teams for the 1924 season and Monroe finished in second place. The Monroe Drillers ended the season with an overall record of 59–39, placing second in the final regular season standings of the Class D level league. Managed by Pep Ripperton and Bill Wise, Monroe ended the season 5.5 games behind of the first place Hattiesburg Hubman in the Cotton States League final standings. The league played a split season schedule, but no playoffs were held as the Hattiesburg Hubman won both halves of the season schedule.
The 1925 Monroe Drillers continued play in the eight-team Cotton States League and ended the season with a sixth-place finish. The Drillers ended the season with a record of 56–65 to place sixth in the league standings, playing under returning managers Bill Wise and Paul Trammell. The Monroe Drillers finished 13.5 games behind the first place Meridian White Ribbons in the final Cotton States League final standings. The league played a split season schedule, and Monroe did not qualify for the play playoffs as the Jackson Senators won the first half and Meridian won the second half pennants before Meridian was swept by Jackson in the playoff final.
Sam West played for the Drillers in 1925. After hitting .341 in 23 games for Monroe, West ended the season with the Longview Cannibals of the East Texas League. West became a four-time major league all Star, including appearing in the first ever 1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. West had a lifetime batting average of .299 with a .377 OBP in his sixteen-season major league career. With the beginning of World War II, West joined the U.S. Army following the 1942 season and after his discharge in 1945, he never appeared in another
The Monroe Drillers ended the 1926 season in last place in the eight-team Cotton States League. Ending the season with a record of 56–72 to place eighth in the overall league standings, the Drillers finished 23.5 games behind the first place Hattiesburg Pinetoppers. Chick Carroll and Eddie Palmer managed Monroe in 1926. With their last place finish, Monroe did not qualify for the Cotton States League final. With the league utilizing a split season schedule, Hattiesburg won the first half pennant and The Vicksburg Hill Billies, who finished seventh in the overall final standings, won the second half pennant. No playoff final was held due to second half "irregularities." George Ferrell of Monroe led the Cotton States league with 20 home runs.
On Friday, August 13, 1926, Roy Spruell of the Hattiesburg Pinetoppers threw a no-hitter against the Monroe Drillers. Spruell did not issue a walk in the game, but his player/manager Herschel Bobo committed two errors playing shortstop. Both baserunners were eliminated due to two double plays and Spruell faced the minimum of 27 batters in the game.
The Monroe Drillers continued play in the eight-team, Class D level Cotton States League, finishing in second place in 1927. With a record of 74–48 in the final overall standings, the Drillers played the season under returning manager Eddie Palmer. With their second-place finish in the eight–team league, Monroe finished 1.5 games behind the first place Jackson Red Sox and qualified for the playoff final. The Monroe Drillers won the first half championship of the split season schedule and Jackson won the second half pennant qualifying both teams for the final. In the playoff final, Jackson swept Monroe in the final 4 games to 0 to win the championship. Joe Granade 180 hits. Pitcher Phil Hensiek of Monroe led the Cotton States League with a winning percentage of .759, compiling a record of 22–7. His teammate Joe Grande of Monroe had 180 total hits to lead the league.
In 1928, the Monroe Drillers placed fifth in the Cotton States League final regular season standings. Monroe placed sixth in the eight-team league final season standings with a record of 64–56, managed by the returning Eddie Palmer. The Drillers ended the season 12.0 games behind the first place Jackson Red Sox in the final overall standings. Monroe did not qualify for the playoff. In the split season schedule, the third place Hattiesburg Pinetoppers won the first half pennant, and the fourth place Vicksburg Hill Billies won the second half pennant. Vicksburg then defeated the Pinetoppers in the playoff final. Joe Granade of Monroe led the Cotton States League with both 96 runs scored and 174 total hits.
The 1929 Monroe Drillers continued their Class D level Cotton States League membership as both the Hattiesburg Pinetoppers and Meridian Mets franchises relocated during the season. The Monroe Drillers placed sixth in the eight–team league with a record of 55–63, playing the season under managers Art Ewoldt, John Kane and Tillie Metteer. The Drillers finished 16.0 games behind the first place Alexandria Reds. In the playoff final, the second place El Dorado Lions defeated the third place Jackson Senators, after each won a split season pennant. Joe Granade of Monroe won the league batting title, hitting .367. His Monroe teammate Odell Hale had 116 runs scored to lead the Cotton States League.
Monroe played their final season as the "Drillers" in 1930 and were the runner up in the eight-team Class D level Cotton States League final standings. The Drillers ended the season with a record of 67–61 and placed second in the final standings, managed by Jim Bagby and Clarence Huber. Monroe finished 13.0 games behind the first place El Dorado Lions in the final regular standings as the league ended the season with six teams. Monroe Did not qualify for the playoffs, as El Dorado and the Pine Bluff Judges won the pennants in the split season schedule. Pine Bluff won the final series. Dick Luckey, who split the Cotton States League season between the folded Alexandria Reds and Monroe, won the batting title, hitting .358.
In his final professional season at age 40, Jim Bagby Sr. pitched and managed for Monroe in 1930. A member of the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame, Bagby was the first pitcher to hit a home run in the World Series, which occurred in Game 5 the 1920 World Series. Bagby is one of the last pitchers to win over 30 games in one season, compiling a 31–12 record in 1920 for Cleveland, when he pitched 339 innings. Arm injuries after his 1920 season diminished his pitching successes and he retired for a time following the 1923 season. Following his playing career, Bagby became a minor league umpire before a stroke during a game in 1942 ended his umpiring career. His son Jim Bagby Jr. was an all-star pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Bagby and his son became the first father-and-son combination to pitch in the World Series when Jim Jr. pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the 1946 World Series. Jim Bagby Sr. had a 4–1 record with a 2.15 ERA, pitching in 6 games and 48 innings for the 1930 Monroe Drillers.
Joe Martina pitched for Monroe in 1930 at age 40. In his only major league season at age 34, Martina had a 6–8 record with 14 starts and 8 complete games, He pitched a scoreless inning in Game 3 of the 1924 World Series for the World Series Champion Washington Senators, where he was on the pitching staff with Walter Johnson. Martina had a lengthy minor league career and won 322 games in 21 minor league seasons.
1931 & 1932: Monroe Twins / Cotton States League For the 1931 season Monroe began hosting minor league games at Casino Park, which was newly constructed. Monroe shared the ballpark with its owner, the Monroe Monarchs franchise. Monroe continued membership in the Cotton States League in 1931, becoming known as the Monroe "Twins". The Twins ended the season fifth place in the six-team league, which remained a Class D level league. The Alexandria Reds and Lake Charles Newporters did not return to the league in 1931 after folding the season before, reducing the league to six teams. With their fifth-place finish, the Twins had a final regular season record 30–66 and managed by Eddie Palmer, Ted Jourdan and Frank Meyers. Monroe ended the season 23.0 games behind the first place Jackson Senators. Monroe did not qualify for the playoff, where Jackson defeated the Vicksburg Hill Billies. Monroe pitcher Abe White led the Cotton States League with both 163 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA.
The Monroe Twins became a minor league affiliate in 1932 and continued play in the Cotton States League, which folded during the season as the nation faced the Financial turmoil of The Great Depression. The Twins became a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and were in fifth place with a 30–37 record when the Cotton States folded On July 13, 1932, as minor league baseball struggled financially during the Great Depression. The Twins were managed during the season by Frank "Pop" Kitchens and finished 19.0 games behind the Baton Rouge Senators in the shortened season. The Cotton States League remained folded until the 1937 season.
A member of the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame, Wally Moses played for Monroe in 1932 at age 21. Moses became two-time major-league all-star in his major league career spanning from 1935 to 1951. Playing the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics, Moses played 17 total major league seasons and retired with 2138 hits and a .292 average and .368 OBA. Following his playing career, Moses became a coach for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1952 to 1954, the A's final three seasons in Philadelphia. He then remained in Philadelphia and coached with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1955 to 1958. He continued as a coach with the Cincinnati Reds (1959–60), New York Yankees (1961–62; 1966) and Detroit Tigers (1967–70). Moses coached with world series champion teams in 1961, 1962 and 1967. Moses hit .284 in 67 games for Monroe in 1932.
1937: Return to Cotton States League