| Classification | Independent (1884) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Inaugural season | 1884 |
| Ceased | August 15, 1884 |
| President | M. H. Nichols (1884) |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 1 Springfield (1884) |
| Related competitions | New England Association |
The Massachusetts State Association was a minor league baseball league that played briefly in the 1884 season. The Non-Signatory, Independent level league consisted of franchises based exclusively in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Association was an eight–team league that permanently folded after playing a partial 1884 season.
League member Boston Reserves were owned and operated by the major league Boston Beaneaters and may have been the first true baseball farm team.
Formed for the 1884 season, the Massachusetts State Association began play on May 1, 1884, as an eight–team league, with teams scheduled for one or two games per week. The league was a Non-Signatory Independent level league under president M. H. Nichols. The league lost four teams during the season, on July 21, 1884.[1][2][3]
The Massachusetts State Association played in 1884. The charter members were the Boston Reserves and teams from Holyoke, Massachusetts, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Lynn, Massachusetts, Salem, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts, Waltham, Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts.[4]
The 1884 Boston Reserves were the first minor league baseball team to play in Boston, Massachusetts. The Reserves were owned and operated by the Boston Beaneaters of the National League and may have been the first true baseball farm team.[5][4][6][7][8][9]
On July 21, 1884, the Worcester, Waltham, Lynn and Salem teams all disbanded, leaving the Massachusetts State Association with four remaining teams. The league concluded play on August 15, 1884. The Massachusetts State Association standings were led by first place Springfield with a 12–5 record, 1.0 games ahead of the second place Boston Reserves (13–8), followed by Holyoke (7–11) and Lawrence (7–15). Lynn (4–8), Salem (2–11), Waltham (9–6) and Worcester (11–4) had previously folded.[1][4][10]
After the season, the Massachusetts State Association permanently folded, playing only the 1884 season.[1]
| Team name | City represented | Ballpark | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Reserves | Boston, MA[5] | Unknown | 1884 |
| Holyoke | Holyoke, MA[11] | Unknown | 1884 |
| Lawrence | Lawrence, MA[12] | Association Grounds[13] | 1884 |
| Lynn | Lynn, MA[14] | Unknown | 1884 |
| Salem | Salem, MA[15] | Unknown | 1884 |
| Springfield | Springfield, MA[16] | Pynchon Park[17] | 1884 |
| Waltham | Waltham, MA[18] | Unknown | 1884 |
| Worcester | Worcester, MA[19] | Driving Park[20] | 1884 |
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | 12 | 5 | .706 | – | Charles Shaw |
| Boston Reserves | 13 | 8 | .619 | 1.0 | John Morrill / S. R. Brown |
| Holyoke | 7 | 11 | .389 | 5.5 | Horace Rescott (5/8) |
| Lawrence | 7 | 15 | .318 | 7.5 | Harry Clarke / L. S. Dow / Charles Freleigh / Matthew Barry / Frank Selee |
| Worcester | 11 | 4 | .733 | NA | David McGarvey (5/21) / Matthew Barry |
| Waltham | 9 | 6 | .600 | NA | Frank Selee |
| Lynn | 4 | 8 | .333 | NA | Wallace Fessenden (7/2) / Edward Chamberlain |
| Salem | 2 | 11 | .154 | NA | F. W. Doyle |
Worcester, Waltham, Lynn and Salem disbanded July 21.[1]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Gardner | Lawrence | BA | .396 | George Fish | Waltham/Lawrence | W | 14 | |
| Timothy Brosnan | Springfield | Runs | 24 | George Fish | Waltham/Lawrence | SO | 113 | |
| Maurice Bresnahan | Waltham/Lawrence | Hits | 37 | George Fish | Waltham/Lawrence | PCT | .824 14–3 | |
| Michael Bradley Edward Chamberlain Henry Parry |
Lawrence Lynn/Boston Waltham |
HR | 1 |