Hartford Bees
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Hartford Chiefs 1938–1952 Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Class-level | |
|---|---|
| Previous | A (1938–1952) |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| League | Eastern League (1938–1952) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous | Boston Bees/Braves (1938–1952) |
| Team data | |
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Previous names
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Previous parks
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Bulkeley Stadium |
The Hartford Chiefs was the final name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Hartford, Connecticut, that played in the Eastern League (then Class A) between 1938 and 1952.
The Hartford team, which played at Bulkeley Stadium, was known as the Bees from 1939–43 and in 1945; it was called the Laurels in 1938 and 1944 (although Baseball America's Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball calls the 1938 team the "Bees"); and then renamed the "Chiefs" for the final seven years of its existence, 1946–52. It was affiliated for all 15 of its seasons with the Boston Braves, and the Bees/Chiefs nickname switch for the Hartford club is probably a result of the parent team's temporary and unsuccessful rechristening as the Boston Bees from 1936–40.
The Connecticut capital had been in organized baseball since the Hartford Dark Blues were a charter member of the National League in 1876–77. After those two years in Major League Baseball, Hartford was represented in eleven different minor leagues — including three earlier versions of the "Eastern League." When the Class B Northeastern League folded after the 1934 season during the depths of the Great Depression, Hartford was without professional baseball for three seasons. Then it joined the Class A New York–Pennsylvania League of 1923–37. The arrival of franchises in Hartford and Trenton, New Jersey, caused the NYPL to change its identity to the Eastern League for 1938, with 2012 marking the 75th consecutive season the league has used the name.
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