Florida State League

Florida State League

Florida State League logo
Sport Baseball
Founded 1919
No. of teams 12
Country United States
Most recent champion(s) Fort Myers Miracle
Official website www.fslbaseball.com

The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues.[1] Each team in the league is affiliated with a Major League Baseball team, and most play in their affiliate's spring training facility.

The league was founded in 1919, and has continued almost entirely uninterrupted to the present day. Most players in the Florida State League do not reach this level until their third or fourth year of professional play. Attendance averages around 500–1,000 per game.

History

The league originated in 1919 with teams in Bartow, Bradenton, Lakeland, Orlando, Sanford, and Tampa, Florida. The league closed down in 1928 and resumed play in 1936. It has continued uninterrupted, except for a four-year (1942–1945) suspension during World War II.

In 2009, the Florida State League established a Hall of Fame commemorating the league's great players, managers, owners, and umpires. The awards and ceremonies for the inaugural class will take place at the FSL's winter meetings in Daytona Beach in November.

The Tampa Yankees defeated the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 3–2, in the 2010 Florida State League Championship Series. In the 2011 championship, the Daytona Cubs swept the St. Lucie Mets, 3–0, and claimed their fourth title in 11 years.

Competition format

The League is composed of two divisions—North and South—with six teams in each division. The League's regular season schedule runs from April to August with teams playing roughly 120 regular-season games, with the playoffs in September. The twelve member teams play a 140 game schedule with 70 games at home and 70 games on the road (20 against geographically closest division opponent, 18 against each of the other four division teams, 8 against each of the six non-division opponents). The six team divisions play a split season with the first half ending in June and the second half ending in September. The league has played this format since 2008.

Four teams participate in the play-offs. Winners of both halves within each division play each other in a best-of-three game series for the Division Championships. If there is a repeat division winner, a wild card team will qualify for the play-offs. The Division Champions will move on to the League Championship Series and play a best-of-five game series.

Current teams

Division Team MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
North Brevard County Manatees Milwaukee Brewers Viera Space Coast Stadium 8,100
Clearwater Threshers Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater Bright House Field 8,500
Daytona Tortugas Cincinnati Reds Daytona Beach Jackie Robinson Ballpark 4,200
Dunedin Blue Jays Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin Florida Auto Exchange Stadium 5,509
Lakeland Flying Tigers Detroit Tigers Lakeland Joker Marchant Stadium 8,500
Tampa Yankees New York Yankees Tampa George M. Steinbrenner Field 11,026
South Bradenton Marauders Pittsburgh Pirates Bradenton McKechnie Field 8,500
Charlotte Stone Crabs Tampa Bay Rays Port Charlotte Charlotte Sports Park 7,000
Fort Myers Miracle Minnesota Twins Fort Myers Hammond Stadium 7,500
Jupiter Hammerheads Miami Marlins Jupiter Roger Dean Stadium 6,871
Palm Beach Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Jupiter Roger Dean Stadium 6,871
St. Lucie Mets New York Mets Port St. Lucie Tradition Field 7,347

All-time teams

Teams of the early FSL (1919–28)

Teams of the modern FSL (1936–present)

League champions

Since 1979, the winner of the League Championship Series has become the holder—until the following season's championship—of the Watson Spoelstra Florida State League Championship Trophy.[2]

Hall of fame

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Standings | MiLB.com Standings | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  2. ↑ "Championship Trophy". Florida State League official website. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved 2012-01-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Florida State League.