Texas Winter League
Encyclopedia
The Texas Winter League was the winter professional baseball
league of the United League
. Announced on October 25, 2006, and headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
, it was an independent
baseball league. The Winter League played in Harlingen, Texas
with teams based in the lower Rio Grande Valley
: Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, and Laredo. Like the regular United League, the Winter League operated with cities not served by Major
or Minor League Baseball
teams and was not affiliated with either. The Texas Winter League offered unsigned or undrafted high school and college players, as well as some players from the ULB, a chance for extended play. The league used the designated hitter, and began play on January 19, 2007.
, featured four teams playing a 24-game schedule from mid-January through mid-February of each year. These teams were winter counterparts to the regular United League Baseball
teams, including wintertime versions of the Edinburg Coyotes
, Laredo Broncos
, and Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings
, along with a new team, the Brownsville Toros. All games were played at Harlingen Field
. Each team had a 25-player roster, and the teams play doubleheaders
each day with four days off during the regular season. A best-of-three league championship series between the top two teams was played in a two-day series shortly after the close of the regular season. This league operated as a winter counterpart to the regular United League with its own identity, teams, standings, and statistics.
In late 2007, the league folded.
** Clinched Regular Season Title
^ Clinched Playoff Spot
2007 Championship
Brownsville Toros
2, Harlingen WhiteWings 0
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
league of the United League
United League
United League may refer to one of the following sports leagues:*United League Baseball, an independent baseball league, founded in 2006, which operates in Texas...
. Announced on October 25, 2006, and headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
, it was an independent
Independent baseball
Independent baseball leagues are professional baseball organizations located in the United States and Canada. They are not operated in conjunction with either a Major League Baseball team or an affiliated minor league team. Being independent allows teams to be located close to major-league teams...
baseball league. The Winter League played in Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...
with teams based in the lower Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
: Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, and Laredo. Like the regular United League, the Winter League operated with cities not served by Major
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
or Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
teams and was not affiliated with either. The Texas Winter League offered unsigned or undrafted high school and college players, as well as some players from the ULB, a chance for extended play. The league used the designated hitter, and began play on January 19, 2007.
League format
The Texas Winter League, operationally based out of Edinburg, TexasEdinburg, Texas
Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,100 at the 2010 census. The University of Texas–Pan American, the only fully accredited four-year university in the Rio Grande Valley, is located in Edinburg.Edinburg is part of the...
, featured four teams playing a 24-game schedule from mid-January through mid-February of each year. These teams were winter counterparts to the regular United League Baseball
United League Baseball
United League Baseball was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas. It later merged with the Northern League and the Golden Baseball League to form the North American League.- History :...
teams, including wintertime versions of the Edinburg Coyotes
Edinburg Coyotes
The Edinburg Roadrunners are a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners are a member of the Eastern Division in the North American League, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League...
, Laredo Broncos
Laredo Broncos
The Laredo Broncos were a professional baseball team based in Laredo, Texas, in the United States. The Broncos are a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...
, and Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings
Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings
The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings are a professional baseball team based in Harlingen, Texas, in the United States. The WhiteWings are a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...
, along with a new team, the Brownsville Toros. All games were played at Harlingen Field
Harlingen Field
Harlingen Field is a baseball park in Harlingen, Texas that has been home to professional baseball, such as the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings and the Harlingen Giants, and high school baseball...
. Each team had a 25-player roster, and the teams play doubleheaders
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
each day with four days off during the regular season. A best-of-three league championship series between the top two teams was played in a two-day series shortly after the close of the regular season. This league operated as a winter counterpart to the regular United League with its own identity, teams, standings, and statistics.
In late 2007, the league folded.
Winter League Teams
| Texas Winter League | ||
| Team | City | Summer Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Brownsville Toros Brownsville Toros The Brownsville Toros are a professional baseball team based in Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. The Toros are a member of the Texas Winter League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2006 season to the present, the Toros have played their games at Harlingen Field,... |
Brownsville Brownsville, Texas Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of... , Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
N/A |
| Edinburg Roadrunners | Edinburg Edinburg, Texas Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,100 at the 2010 census. The University of Texas–Pan American, the only fully accredited four-year university in the Rio Grande Valley, is located in Edinburg.Edinburg is part of the... , Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
Edinburg Stadium Edinburg Stadium Edinburg Stadium is a stadium in Edinburg, Texas. It is primarily used for baseball, and was originally home to the Edinburg Roadrunners of the Texas-Louisiana League/Central Baseball League, and the UTPA Broncs of college baseball. It is currently home to the Broncs and is the home field of the... |
| Harlingen WhiteWings | Harlingen Harlingen, Texas Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley... , Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
Harlingen Field Harlingen Field Harlingen Field is a baseball park in Harlingen, Texas that has been home to professional baseball, such as the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings and the Harlingen Giants, and high school baseball... |
| Laredo Broncos Laredo Broncos The Laredo Broncos were a professional baseball team based in Laredo, Texas, in the United States. The Broncos are a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball... |
Laredo Laredo, Texas Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,... , Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
Veterans Field Veterans Field Veterans Field is a baseball venue in Laredo, Texas. Built in 1950, the park was formerly known as West Martin Field, but the field's name was changed to honor the men and women who have served defending America in the armed forces. Home to many teams over the years, it was renovated in 2002, and... |
2007 Final Standings
| Winter League | Team | W | L | Win % | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| ** Brownsville Toros Brownsville Toros The Brownsville Toros are a professional baseball team based in Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. The Toros are a member of the Texas Winter League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2006 season to the present, the Toros have played their games at Harlingen Field,... |
17 | 3 | .850 | --- | |
| ^ Harlingen WhiteWings | 10 | 10 | .500 | 7 | |
| Laredo Broncos Laredo Broncos The Laredo Broncos were a professional baseball team based in Laredo, Texas, in the United States. The Broncos are a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball... |
8 | 12 | .400 | 9 | |
| Edinburg Coyotes Edinburg Coyotes The Edinburg Roadrunners are a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners are a member of the Eastern Division in the North American League, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League... |
5 | 15 | .250 | 12 |
** Clinched Regular Season Title
^ Clinched Playoff Spot
Playoffs
When the Texas Winter League's season ended in mid-February, the top two teams in the regular season standings made the playoffs, including the regular season champion and one wild card team. Those teams then played a best-of-three league championship over two days.2007 Championship
Brownsville Toros
Brownsville Toros
The Brownsville Toros are a professional baseball team based in Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. The Toros are a member of the Texas Winter League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2006 season to the present, the Toros have played their games at Harlingen Field,...
2, Harlingen WhiteWings 0