The Rio Grande Valley 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...

 franchise in the Double-A Texas League

Texas League

The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...

 located in Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...

, USA, from the beginning of the 1960

1960 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees ; Bobby Richardson, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3*All-Star Game , July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0...

 season through June 10, 1961. As its nickname implies, the team was affiliated with the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

.

The Texas League underwent a massive face lift in the late 1950s after three of its top franchises — Dallas

Dallas Rangers

The Dallas Rangers were a high-level minor league baseball team located in Dallas, Texas, from 1958-64. The team was known by the Dallas Rangers name in 1958-59 and 1964 and as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers from 1960-63...

, Fort Worth

Fort Worth Cats

The Fort Worth Cats are a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2002 season the Cats...

 and Houston

Houston Buffaloes

The Houston Buffaloes or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team that was founded in 1888, played in the Texas League in the years 1888-90, 1892, 1895-99, and 1907-1958 ; in the South Texas League in the years 1903-06; and in the American Association from 1959-61...

 — moved up to the Triple-A American Association

American Association (20th century)

The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

 for the 1959

1959 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox ; Larry Sherry, MVP*All-Star Game , July 7 at Forbes Field: National League, 5-4*All-Star Game , August 3 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5-3...

 season.

The Corpus Christi Giants, which joined the TL in 1958

1958 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves ; Bob Turley, MVP*All-Star Game, July 8 at Memorial Stadium: American League, 4-3-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: USC...

, finished last in attendance (61,500) in 1959, and transferred to Harlingen over the winter. Harlingen had been represented in numerous lower-level minor leagues, most recently the Big State League (1954-55).

In 1960, the Rio Grande Valley club won the regular-season pennant and finished third in attendance (75,000) in the six-team league. But the following season, a poor club on the field resulted in a severe attendance decline, and the Giants moved to Victoria, Texas

Victoria, Texas

Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...

, in mid-June. Harlingen has since had clubs in the Gulf States League

Gulf States League

The Gulf States League was a Class A American minor baseball league that existed for one season — — and was based in the American states of Texas and Louisiana. Although its teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball farm systems, the GSL was an "official" minor circuit and a member...

 and the Lone Star League

Lone Star League

The Lone Star League was the name of three American minor professional baseball leagues located in the state of Texas during the 20th century. The leagues operated from 1927–1929 , 1947–1948 and 1977 ....

of the 1970s and in independent leagues since 1994.