The Topeka Golden Giants, also known as Goldsby's Golden Giants, was a 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...

 team located in Topeka, Kansas

Topeka, Kansas

Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...

. The team, which lasted for just one season, played in the Western League.

The Golden Giants posted a 90-25 record (.783) in their one season of operation, winning the Western League title by 15 games over the second-place Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska

The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....

 Tree-Planters. On April 10, 1887, the Golden Giants also won an exhibition game from the defending World Series

1886 World Series

The 1886 World Series was won by the St. Louis Browns of the American Association over the Chicago White Stockings of the National League, four games to two. It was played on six consecutive days, from October 18 to October 23, in Chicago and St...

 champions, the St. Louis Browns

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 (the present-day Cardinals), by a score of 12-9.

Notable players

The Western League of that era is classified as a minor league circuit, but the Golden Giants' players were mostly major league

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...

rs. The roster included the player-manager Walt Goldsby

Walt Goldsby

Walton Hugh Goldsby was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of three seasons in the majors, between and , for five different teams....

, an outfielder who played in the majors in 1886 and returned to the majors for the 1888 season (with the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (19th century)

The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...

).

First baseman Dan Stearns led the league in hits, and Jimmy Macullar

Jimmy Macullar

James F. "Jimmy" Macullar , also known as "Little Mac", was an American Major League Baseball player from Boston, Massachusetts. He played mostly at shortstop, but did play many games in the center field, for three different teams in two leagues...

 led the league in batting average. Both Stearns and Macullar had previously played for the Baltimore Orioles through 1885, and had also teamed up on the championship 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

.

A number of other players had major league experience including: outfielder Bug Holliday

Bug Holliday

James Wear "Bug" Holliday was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, from through , plus the 1885 World Series. He holds the distinction of being the first player to make his major league debut in post-season play, with the Chicago White Stockings in 1885...

, who led the league in home runs; pitcher Tom Sullivan

Tom Sullivan

Thomas, Tom, or Tommy Sullivan may refer to:*Thomas Sullivan , American author of short stories and novels*Thomas Crook Sullivan , American general during the American Civil War...

, who led the league in wins with 36; Jim Conway

Jim Conway (baseball)

James P. "Jim" Conway was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Brooklyn Atlantics, Philadelphia Athletics and Kansas City Cowboys, over the course of three seasons – and . His brother Pete Conway, was a major league pitcher as well, most notably for the Detroit...

; Perry Werden

Perry Werden

Percival Wheritt Werden born in St. Louis, Missouri was a First Baseman for the St. Louis Maroons , Washington Nationals , Toledo Maumees , Baltimore Orioles , St...

; Joe Gunson

Joe Gunson

Joseph Brook Gunson , was a Major League Baseball catcher between and . He played for the Cleveland Spiders, Washington Nationals, Kansas City Cowboys, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Browns.-External links:...

; Joe "Old Hoss" Ardner

Joe Ardner

Joseph A. "Old Hoss" Ardner was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played 2 non-consecutive seasons for Cleveland teams - the Cleveland Blues in and the Cleveland Spiders in .-Sources:...

; and Buster Hoover

Buster Hoover

William James "Buster" Hoover was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Philadelphia Keystones, Philadelphia Quakers, Baltimore Orioles, and Cincinnati Reds between 1884 and 1892...

.

External links

• Team history at Baseball Reference.