Grand Rapids (baseball)

The Grand Rapids Baseball Club was a minor league baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that played under several different names at various times between 1883 and 1951. In the 1890s, they played in the Western League, a minor league precursor to what is now the American League of Major League Baseball, before moving to Cleveland in 1900 and becoming the present-day Cleveland Guardians. Later Grand Rapids teams played mostly in the Central League but also in various other Michigan-based leagues.

After a long minor league hiatus in Grand Rapids, the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League began play in Comstock Park, Michigan, just outside Grand Rapids, in 1994.

The ballparks
Early Grand Rapids teams played at Recreation Park for weekdays games and at Alger Park on Reeds Lake for the weekends. Later, the teams played at Bigelow Field on South Division Avenue. A McDonald's restaurant occupies a portion of the site today.

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

 * Burleigh Grimes (1940, MGR) Inducted, 1964
 * Rube Waddell (1899) Inducted, 1946
 * Sam Crawford (1899) Inducted, 1957

Notable alumni

 * Nick Altrock (1899)
 * Theodore Breitenstein (1891) ERA Leader


 * Hal Carlson (1915)
 * Bud Clancy (1923)
 * Josh Devore (1920-1921, 1923-1924)
 * Red Donahue (1895)
 * Red Dooin (1899)
 * Pat Duncan (1916)
 * Pretzels Getzien (1883-1884)
 * Charlie Hemphill (1899)
 * Joe Heving (1924)
 * Dave Hoskins (1948)
 * Bert Humphries (1909)
 * Frank Killen (1901)
 * Bobby Lowe (1908)
 * Jeff Pfeffer (1913)
 * Dusty Rhodes (1950)
 * Lance Richbourg (1920)
 * Milt Shoffner (1926)
 * Sherry Smith (1913)
 * Ed Summers (1906)
 * Lee Tannehill (1917)
 * Jack Taylor (1909) ERA Leader
 * Maurice Van Robays (1934)
 * Stan Wasiak (1941)
 * Al Wickland (1911)