Grand Rapids Jets

The "Jets" were preceded in minor league baseball by the 1941 Grand Rapids Colts, who were members of the Class C level Michigan State League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1941 Grand Rapids Colts Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1-first=Lloyd |editor1-last=Johnson |editor2-first=Miles |editor2-last=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}

In 1948, minor league baseball resumed in Grand Rapids, when the Grand Rapids Jets joined the six–team, Class A level Central League, which was reforming following World War II. In the era, Class A was the highest level of the minor leagues. The Dayton Indians, Flint Arrows, Fort Wayne Generals, Muskegon Clippers, and Saginaw Bears teams joined the Jets in beginning league play on April 28, 1948. The Jets were the only team in the 1948 Central League that did not have a major league affiliation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-CENL5/y-1948|title=1948 Central League (CL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=a93eddca|title=1948 Central League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

In their first season of play, the 1948 Jets finished in last place in the Central League regular season, missing the four–team playoffs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-gj11764/y-1948|title=1948 Grand Rapids Jets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} Grand Rapids ended the Central League regular season with a record of 52–86, placing sixth in the final standings. Milt Galatzer and Jack Knight served as managers and Knight would manage the team in each of their four seasons of play. Grand Rapids finished 37.0 games behind the first place Flint Arrows in the standings. The Dayton Indians won the playoffs.

The Jets rebounded in 1949 to win the Central League championship.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1949 Grand Rapids Jets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Grand Rapids placed third in the Central League regular season with a record of 70–66, finishing 9.5 games behind the Dayton Indians, as Jack Knight again served as manager. In the first round of the playoffs, Grand Rapids beat the Flint Arrows 3 games to 2 and advanced. In the finals, the Jets won the championship by defeating the Charleston Senators 4 games to 2.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-gj11764/y-1949|title=1949 Grand Rapids Jets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=2f8a1fb3|title=1949 Central League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The Jets became a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in 1950 and qualified for the Central League playoffs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1950 Grand Rapids Jets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} The Grand Rapids Jets ended the Central League regular season with a record of 64–68, placing fourth in the standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=f23261b5|title=1950 Central League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Jack Knight returned as manager. The Jets finished 15.5 games behind the first place Flint Arrows, who then defeated Grand Rapids in the first round of the playoffs 3 games to 1.

In their final season as the Jets, Grand Rapids placed fifth in the 1951 Central League standings, as the league held no playoffs in its final season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1951 Grand Rapids Jets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Continuing as a Chicago Cubs affiliate, Grand Rapids ended the 1951 season with a record of 53–82, as Jack Knight and Everett Robinson served as managers. The Jets finished 33.0 games behind the champion Dayton Indians in the final standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=2d76b834|title=1951 Central League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Jets pitcher Calvin Howe led the Central League with a 2.33 ERA.

The Central League permanently folded following the 1951 season. Grand Rapids was without minor league baseball until 1994, when the city began hosting the West Michigan White Caps in their tenure as members of the Class A level Midwest League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1994 West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The Grand Rapids Jets hosted home minor league games at Bigelow Field. The ballpark had dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of: 298–530–298 and a seating capacity of 8,000, reduced from 12,000. Bigelow Field was located at 39th Street & South Division Street.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-1010|title=Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids, MI minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://grpmcollections.org/Detail/objects/152694|title=Grand Rapids Public Museum Collections : Artifact : Baseball Schedule, Bieglow Field, 1951, Grand Rapids Chicks And Grand Rapids Jets Central League Class A|website=grpmcollections.org}} Beginning in 1950, the Jets shared Bigelow Field with the Grand Rapids Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.{{Cite web|title=AAGPBL Teams: Grand Rapids Chicks|url=https://www.aagpbl.org/teams/grand-rapids-chicks|access-date=2021-06-02|website=www.aagpbl.org|language=en}} The 1940 Grand Rapids Dodgers and 1941 Grand Rapids Colts had previously hosted home games at the ballpark.{{Cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/west-michigan/ballpark/history|title=History|website=MiLB.com}}

The ballpark was destroyed by fire in 1952 and was located at 3871 Division Avenue South in Grand Rapids, Michigan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.grpmcollections.org/Detail/objects/163850|title=Grand Rapids Public Museum Collections : Artifact : Photograph, Bigelow Field Seating [1994.45.4c]|website=www.grpmcollections.org}}

== Year–by–year records ==

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Hiram Bithorn (1949)
• Hy Cohen (1950)
• Marv Felderman (1948)
• Milt Galatzer (1948, MGR)
• Sammy Gee (1949)
• Dave Hoskins (1948–1949)
• Cal Howe (1950–1951)
• Jack Knight (1948–1951, MGR)
• George Piktuzis (1951)
• Dusty Rhodes (1950)
• Andy Varga (1951)

{{Div col end}}

• Grand Rapids Jets players

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Grand%20Rapids&state=MI&country=US Grand Rapids - Baseball Reference]
• [https://theclio.com/entry/11332 Bigelow Field photos]

Category:Defunct baseball teams in Michigan

Category:Central League teams

Category:Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates

Category:Baseball teams established in 1948

Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 1951

Category:Grand Rapids, Michigan