Current season, competition or edition: 2025 Pecos League season | |
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Andrew Dunn |
| First season | 2011 |
| Owner | Andrew Dunn |
| CEO | Andrew Dunn |
| Commissioner | Andrew Dunn |
| Divisions | 2 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion | Tucson Saguaros (2025) |
| Most titles | Roswell Invaders (4), Tucson Saguaros (4) |
| Streaming partner | Meridix |
| Official website | pecosleague |
ThePecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs is anindependent professionalbaseball league headquartered inHouston, which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughoutCalifornia,New Mexico,Arizona,Colorado,Kansas,Oklahoma,Missouri, andTexas. The league plays in cities that do not haveMajor League Baseball orMinor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either.
The Pecos League season is a highly condensed one. Schedules vary, but teams have played as many as 70 games in 72 days, or 80 games in three months.[1][2]
The Pecos League operated six teams in the 2011[3] and 2012 seasons and expanded to eight teams for 2013. Continued growth saw the league reach a high of 10 teams for 2014.
The Pecos League also operates a spring developmental league, which is a one-month showcase beginning in March for recent college graduates and free agents looking to catch on to a full season league.
In May 2014,Fox Sports 1 aired a six-part documentary about life in the Pecos League, mostly based on theTrinidad Triggers.
In August 2014,Jon Edwards made his major league debut with theTexas Rangers becoming the first player in Pecos League history to play inMajor League Baseball.
In September 2016,Chris Smith was called up to theToronto Blue Jays becoming the second player from the Pecos League to make a major league roster, though he did not appear in a game that season. Smith would eventually make his debut for the Blue Jays on June 27, 2017, against theBaltimore Orioles.
For 2016, theLas Vegas Train Robbers moved toTopeka, Kansas.Expansion teams were added inGreat Bend, Kansas[4] andTucson, Arizona.[5][6][7]
On February 25, 2016 it was announced that theLas Cruces Vaqueros would sit out the 2016 season due to severe damage to their home stadium.[8] Expansion teamSalina Stockade[9] was added to the league and played a limited 11-game home schedule in 2016.
Following the 2016 season, a drastic shift in the Pecos League landscape occurred as two Kansas teams, the Salina Stockade and Great Bend Boom, both folded, while a third, the Topeka Train Robbers, moved toBakersfield, California, taking the place of the formerBakersfield Blaze, who folded following the 2016California League season.
The Train Robbers were joined in California for 2017 by three expansion teams: theHigh Desert Yardbirds (replacing the California League'sHigh Desert Mavericks), theMonterey Amberjacks, andCalifornia City Whiptails. The league also announced a travel team, theHollywood Stars, who played a handful of home games inLos Angeles.
For 2019, theRuidoso Osos were replaced by theWasco Reserves, and the league reduced the number of divisions from three to two.
For 2020, the Martinez Sturgeon and Santa Cruz Seaweed were announced as expansion teams, and theSan Rafael Pacifics were added from thePacific Association. They joined the all-California Pacific Division, and replaced theCalifornia City Whiptails andHigh Desert Yardbirds in the circuit. TheTucson Saguaros moved to the Mountain Division, taking the place of theWhite Sands Pupfish. Interdivisional games would not be played to cut down on travel and other expenses.[10] Later, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that the Mountain Division teams would not play at their home stadiums, and that 4 of the 6 teams would play a condensed 36-game season beginning on July 1, 2020.[11] All games were played at Coastal Baseball Park inHouston, Texas. The Pacific Division originally planned on enacting a similar format, but due to the ongoing pandemic, were unable to compete in 2020.
For the 2021 season, theSalina Stockade returned and the league announced the addition of theColorado Springs Snow Sox as an expansion team. On April 4, the league announced its final division alignment for the season, which did not include California City and High Desert after previously indicating each would return.[12] On August 3, the league announced the Bay Series between theSan Rafael Pacifics,Monterey Amberjacks, Martinez Sturgeon, and Santa Cruz Seaweed after theBakersfield Train Robbers tested positive forCOVID-19 and had to cancel their final home series.[13] The Pecos League operated the Houston Apollos in the American Association as a travel team.
In April 2021,Yermín Mercedes was called up to theChicago White Sox where he set a major league record as the first baseball player in modern MLB history to begin a season with eight consecutive hits.
For the 2022 season, the league announced three expansion franchises: the Santa Rosa Scuba Divers, Austin Weirdos, and Weimar Hormigas.[14] After competing in 2021, Salina was not included as a member club in 2022.
Before 2023, the league introduced 4 new teams; the Lancaster Sound Breakers,Marysville Drakes, Blackwell Fly Catchers, and Dublin Leprechauns. The Weimar Hormigas, Colorado Springs Snow Sox, Wasco Reserve, and Santa Rosa Scuba Divers folded. Tucson moved back to the Mountain Division, while the Santa Cruz Seaweed moved toVallejo, California.
For the 2024 season, theLancaster Sound Breakers andMonterey Amberjacks did not return. The Sound Breakers folded due to the city of Lancaster entering into a lease with a soccer organization to useThe Hangar, leaving the Sound Breakers without a stadium. The City of Monterey reportedly did not renew its contract with the league, but the Amberjacks plan to return in 2025.
To replace the Sound Breakers and Amberjacks, the league brought in two new teams for the season, theNorth Platte 80s and thePecos Bills. Both of which are the first time that each city has had a team in the league.
Before the 2025 season, the Amberjacks made a return while Marysville folded. A new expansion team, theKansas City Hormigas was announced. The Santa Rosa Scuba Divers returned with the relocation of the Vallejo Seaweed, but it was short lived as they moved back to Vallejo to play as the Seaweed in June, 2025.
The league will split the Mountain Division into a Mountain North and Mountain South for the 2025 season.[15]
A high number of Pecos League teams postponed their premiere seasons before they were slated to play, like the Pueblo Diablos (Bighorns) in Colorado, and Douglas Diablos, Maricopa Monsoon in Arizona and Nogales Sonorans or Skeletons.[19]
| Team | Season Proposed | Location | Homefield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg Anchors[20][21] | 2020 | Pittsburg, California | Central Park Field |
| Pecos Bills[22][23][24] | 2013 | Reeves County, Texas | Martinez Field |
| Atascadero 101s[25][26] | 2020 | Atascadero, California | Alvord Field (Proposed) |
| Clovis Pioneers[27][28] | 2012 | Clovis, New Mexico | Mike Harris Park |
| Del Rio Aviators/Gunslingers[29][30] | 2011 | Del Rio, Texas | Bank and Trust Rams Field at Roosevelt Park |
| Lubbock Hubbers[31] | 2011 | Lubbock, Texas | Lubbock City Park |
| Amarillo Lone Stars[32] | 2016 | Amarillo, Texas | Potter County Memorial Stadium |
League membersFormer Team
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Roswell Invaders | Ruidoso Osos | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2012 | Alpine Cowboys | Las Cruces Vaqueros | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2013 | Roswell Invaders | Las Vegas Train Robbers | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2014 | Santa Fe Fuego | Alpine Cowboys | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2015 | Roswell Invaders[33] | Santa Fe Fuego | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2016 | Tucson Saguaros | Trinidad Triggers | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2017 | High Desert Yardbirds | Roswell Invaders | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2018 | Bakersfield Train Robbers[34] | Alpine Cowboys | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2019 | Alpine Cowboys | Bakersfield Train Robbers | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2020 | Tucson Saguaros | Salina Stockade | 2–0 (best-of-3) |
| 2021 | Tucson Saguaros | Roswell Invaders | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2022 | Roswell Invaders | Tucson Saguaros | 2–1 (best-of-3) |
| 2023 | San Rafael Pacifics | Tucson Saguaros | 2-1 (best-of-3) |
| 2024 | Alpine Cowboys | San Rafael Pacifics | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2025 | Tucson Saguaros | San Rafael Pacifics | 2-1 (best-of-3) |
