New York-Penn League (1977-1993)
Tombstone
Born: 1977
Moved: October 12, 1993 (Vermont Expos)
First Game:
Last Game:
New York-Penn League Champions: 1989 & 1991
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: Montreal Expos
Major League Affiliation: Montreal Expos
Attendance
Tap (mobile) or mouse over chart for figures. Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (3rd ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 2007
Background
The Jamestown Expos were the short-season Class A farm club of the Montreal Expos for seventeen season from 1977 to 1993. Montreal also operated an earlier New York-Penn League farm club out of Jamestown’s Russell Diethrick Park from 1971 to 1973, known as the Jamestown Falcons/Expos.
Jamestown was a typical stop for first and second year minor leaguers in the Expos’ farm system. Teenage high school draft picks and recent college players transitioned to the pro game via the NYPL’s abbreviated 72-game season that ran from late June to early September each summer. Those who advanced up the rungs of Montreal’s farm system to High A ball in places like Burlington, Iowa and West Palm, Beach Florida soon found themselves grinding out 140 games a summer.
Notable Names
Making the Majors out of the New York-Penn League was an extreme long shot. For example, just three players who played for the Jamestown Expos from 1982 to 1984 went on to play a single Major League game. Nevertheless, several future All-Stars came through Russell Diethrick Park, including
- First baseman Andres Galarraga (Jamestown ’81)
- Future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Randy Johnson (Jamestown ’85)
- Outfielder Marquiss Grissom (Jamestown ’88)
- Shortstop Mark Grudzielanek (Jamestown ’91)
The End
Montreal sold the Jamestown club to Burlington, Vermont businessman Ray Pecor in October 1993 and allow him to move the franchise to that college town. The Vermont Expos remained a Montreal farm club until the parent club’s demise in 2004. The New York-Penn League immediately placed a new team at Russell Diethrick Park to replace the Expos in 1993. The Jamestown Jammers went on to play 21 seasons before leaving town at the end of 2014.
Trivia
In 1988, 22-year old pitcher Dan Freed had one of the greatest debut seasons in professional baseball history. In 15 starts for Jamestown, Freed posted a 13-1 record with a 0.67 earned run average. The right-hander enjoyed a superb overall minor league career (54-27, 2.44 ERA) working primarily as a starter, but his climb stalled at Class AA and he pitched his final inning in 1992 at age 26.
Jamestown Expos Shop
Links
New York-Penn League Media Guides
###
