 | |
| Former names | Fordyce Field; Holder Field |
|---|---|
| Location | 847 Whittington Ave Hot Springs, Arkansas  United States |
| Coordinates | 34°30.905′N93°4.393′W / 34.515083°N 93.073217°W /34.515083; -93.073217[1] |
| Owner | Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1912 |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Closed | 1952 |
| Main contractors | Hot Springs Park Company |
| Tenants | |
| Major League Spring Training Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (1912) Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) (1921–1923, 1926) Negro League Spring Training Kansas City Monarchs (1928) Homestead Grays (1930–1931) Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1935) ) Minor League Spring Training Indianapolis Indians (American Association) (1926–1927) Milwaukee Brewers (American Association) (1927–1931) Montreal Royals (IL) (1932) St. Paul Saints (American Association) (1934–1935) Baseball Schools Ray Doan Baseball School (1933–1938) George Barr Umpire School (1935–1952) Rogers Hornsby Baseball College (1939–1952).[2] | |
Fogel Field was abaseball park located inHot Springs, Arkansas, utilized forspring training games and baseball camps between 1912 and 1952. The site was also known asFordyce Field andHolder Field.[3][4] Fogel Field was built in 1912 as aspring training site forMajor League Baseball teams. The field was named forHorace Fogel, President of thePhiladelphia Phillies. Fogel Field hosted the Phillies (1912) and thePittsburgh Pirates (1921–1923, 1926). TheKansas City Monarchs (1928),Homestead Grays (1930–1931) andPittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1935) ofNegro league baseball also used Fogel Field as their spring training site.
Severalminor league baseball teams from theAmerican Association used Fogel Field as well:Indianapolis Indians (1926–1927),Milwaukee Brewers (1927–1931) andSt. Paul Saints (1934–1935). TheMontreal Royals of theInternational League (1932) trained at Fogel Field.
Beginning with spring 1886, when the Chicago White Stockings' (today'sChicago Cubs) PresidentAlbert Spalding, the founder ofA.G Spalding, and player-managerCap Anson brought their players to Hot Springs, Arkansas, the concept was for players to have training and improved fitness before the start of the regular season. This move gave credit to Hot Springs being called the "birthplace of spring training baseball".[3][5][6]
After the White Stockings had a successful season in 1886, winning the National League Pennant, other teams began bringing their players to Hot Springs.[6][7] TheSt. Louis Browns,New York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,Cleveland Spiders,Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,New York Highlanders,Brooklyn Dodgers andBoston Red Sox were among the early squads to arrive in Hot Springs. Needing venues to play,Whittington Park,Majestic Park and Fogel Field (1912) were all built in Hot Springs specifically to host Major League teams.[8] Later, Sam Guinn Field was built in 1933 at 497 Crescent Avenue to host Negro league spring training teams.[9][10]
After the Hot Spring Baseball Grounds were used for other purposes, that left Whittington Park and Majestic Park as the only two fields in Hot Springs. Fogel Field was then built by the Hot Springs Park Company in 1912 to meet the demand. Philadelphia Phillies' president and owner Horace Fogel secured the field for his franchise and the field was named after him. The Phillies used the field for the1912 season.
Located directly across the street from Whittington Park, Fogel Field had a small grandstand. Besides the Phillies and Pirates, the park was used by teams using Whittington Park, due to its convenient proximity.Hall of famers such asBabe Ruth,Cy Young,Honus Wagner,Grover Cleveland Alexander andPie Traynor were among the roster of players to play at the site.[3][11] Fogel was banned from baseball after the 1912 season for saying that umpires favored theNew York Giants and were treating the Phillies unfairly. Thereafter, the park was calledFordyce Field for a time, renamed after the nearbyFordyce Bathhouse, just as Majestic Park had a namesake in the Majestic Hotel.[12][13][14]
OnSt. Patrick's Day, 1918, Babe Ruth played the field for the first time in a spring training game. Playing at Whittington Park with theBoston Red Sox, Ruth hit a home run that traveled an estimated 573 feet. The home run sailed over Whittington Avenue, landing in theArkansas Alligator Farm, which still exists, mostly unchanged. Fogel Field sits just adjacent to the Alligator Farm. At the time, Ruth had exclusively been a successful left-handed pitcher, but in part due to his home run that day, he soon switched to hitting. Today, the Alligator Farm has a marker recognizing the Ruth home run, near the marker for Fogel Field.[15][16][17]
After the Phillies, withHall of Fame pitcherGrover Cleveland Alexander, in 1912, the Pirates followed at Fogel Field in 1921, having utilized Whittington Park for many years. The Pirates (1921–23, 1926) trained with rosters that included Baseball Hall of FamersRabbit Maranville,Kiki Cuyler,Charlie Grimm,Joe Cronin,Paul Waner, Pie Traynor andMax Carey.
Major League teams eventually migrated to the warmer climates ofFlorida andArizona for spring training. Fogel Field became then the spring training site for Negro league and Minor League teams. The Negro leagueKansas City Monarchs (1928),Homestead Grays (1930–31) andPittsburgh Crawfords (1932–35) utilized the site. Later, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Montreal were Minor League franchises that utilized Fogel Field for spring training.[2] From 1938 to 1941 theHot Springs Bathers used the field for batting practice and other practices, as their Whittington Park home field was just across the street.[18]
ThePittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro leagues utilized Fogel Field for spring training from 1932 to 1935. The 1935 Crawfords team has been called one of the greatest teams ever assembled, eventually winning the 1935Negro National League Pennant. With a roster full of stars and future Hall-of Fame players, the 1935 Crawfords were nicknamed "the best team money could buy," as many of their players came from other clubs. Their 1935 roster contained Baseball Hall of Fame InducteesCool Papa Bell,Josh Gibson,Oscar Charleston andJudy Johnson.[19][20][21]
The Negro leagueHomestead Grays, which represented the borough ofHomestead, Pennsylvania, located 7 miles from Pittsburgh, held spring training at the Field in 1930 and 1931. On their roster were numerous Hall of Fame players: Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston,Jud Wilson,Bill Foster,Judy Johnson, Smokey Joe Williams andWillie Wells. Franchise ownerCum Posey was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.[22]
The 1928Kansas City Monarchs who used Fogel Field had Baseball Hall of Fame InducteesAndy Cooper and Bullet Rogan.[23]
Among other minor league teams, the 1935 St. Paul Saints trained at the site. A pitcher for the squad wasMonty Stratton. Stratton was portrayed byJimmy Stewart inThe Stratton Story. An All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Stratton lost his leg in an accident during the height of his career and pitched afterwards with a prosthetic leg.[24][25][26]
From 1933 to 1938, the annualRay Doan Baseball School was held in Hot Springs, with Fogel Field utilized as one site for the hundreds of campers. Doan's school drew hundreds of younger players annually, with 1938 drawing 450 players. Doan had many noteworthy players on his instructional staff, including Rogers Hornsby, Grover Cleveland Alexander,Red Faber,Dizzy Dean,George Sisler,Bob Feller, Tris Speaker andBurleigh Grimes.[3][27] Legendary female athleteBabe Didrickson, attended in 1933. At the time Didrickson was the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist hurdler in the1932 Summer Olympic Games and she went on to major success in professionalgolf.[28]
In 1939, Rogers Hornsby took over for Doan in Hot Springs and created theRogers Hornsby Baseball College which operated until the 1950s, continuing to utilize Fogel Field.[11]
The first recognized Umpire School was held in conjunction with both baseball schools, starting in 1935. Drawing aspiring umpires, theGeorge Barr Umpire School was the first of its kind and was operated by Major League umpireGeorge Barr. Future Major League UmpiresBill McKinley andScotty Robb were attendees, as was war hero Harry Ladner.[29][30]
TheNational Baseball Hall of Fame library has a series of photos of the baseball schools and Cassidy Lent, Reference Librarian at the Hall of Fame, wrote the featureSchool Days in Arkansas, highlighting the baseball schools with mention of their use of Fogel Field.[3]
Memorabilia from the Umpire School, baseball schools and George Barr's umpiring career are on display at theOklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. The items were donated by George Barr.[31]
The George Barr Umpire School and the Hornsby Baseball School were featured in the March 10, 1947 issue ofLife.[32][33]
Fogel Field is featured inThe First Boys of Spring, a 2015 documentary on Hot Springs Spring Training produced by Larry Foley. The film is narrated by Hot Springs area native, actorBilly Bob Thornton.[34][35][36] The documentary began airing nationally on theMLB Network in February, 2016.[37]
The grass field still exists at the site and is used by the Arkansas Alligator Farm for overflow parking.[38]
There are two plaques at the site. The plaques are part of theHot Springs Baseball Historic Trail and recognize Fogel Field and Babe Ruth. The ballpark plaque reads:
This field, also known as Fordyce Field, was constructed in 1912 by the Hot Springs Park Company to meet the demand of over 250 major leaguers training in Hot Springs. The Philadelphia Phillies’ owner Horace Fogel, leased the field for his team. The Phillies’ roster included pitching legend Grover Cleveland Alexander and slugging outfielders Gavvy Cravath and Sherwood Magee. The training ground was also later used by the Pittsburgh Pirates.[4][12]
The plaque for Babe Ruth says the following:
Ruth trained here nine times and became a very familiar face around Hot Springs. He hiked the mountains, took the baths, played golf, patronized the casinos, and visited the racetrack. On March 17, 1918 (St. Patrick’s Day), he launched a mammoth home run from Whittington Park that landed on the fly, inside the Arkansas Alligator Farm. It has been measured at 573 feet, — baseball’s first 500-foot-plus drive.[39]
