West Palm Beach Indians
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West Palm Beach Indians 1940–1956 (1940–1942, 1946–1956) West Palm Beach, Florida | |
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| Minor league affiliations | |
| League | Florida State League (1955–1956) |
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| Major league affiliations | |
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| Team data | |
Previous names |
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Previous parks | Connie Mack Field |
The West Palm Beach Indians were a minor league baseball team based in West Palm Beach, Florida. The team played its home games at Connie Mack Field.[1]
History
Through its existence, the Indians were mostly an independent team playing in the Florida East Coast League from 1940 to 1942, the Florida International League from 1946 to 1954, and the Florida State League in 1955. In between, they were affiliated with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950, Havana Sugar Kings in 1954, and Milwaukee Braves in 1955.[1]
Year-by-year record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 52-60 | 4th | Cecil Downs / Joe Murff | Lost in First Round |
| 1941 | 84-55 | 1st | Harry Hughes | Lost League Finals |
| 1942 | 9-18 | 6th | Al Reitz | League disbanded May 14 |
| 1946 | 58-64 | 4th | Herb Thomas (6-21) / Shaw Buck (14-11) / Harry Hughes (38-32) | Lost League Finals |
| 1947 | 68-86 | 6th | Harry Hughes | |
| 1948 | 70-83 | 6th | Rudy Laskowski / Michael Schemer | |
| 1949 | 74-78 | 5th | Lou Finney | |
| 1950 | 67-85 | 6th | Clyde Smoll / Rudy Laskowski | |
| 1951 | 64-75 | 7th | Rudy Laskowski / Herschel Held | |
| 1952 | 68-85 | 6th | Billy Holm / Bubba Harris | |
| 1953 | 57-80 | 5th | Whitey Platt / Bubba Harris | |
| 1954 | 47-51 | 3rd | Gil Torres | League disbanded July 27 |
| 1955 | 71-68 | 5th | Bill Steinecke | none |
West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs
In 1956, the franchise name was changed to the West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs and were affiliated to the Cincinnati Redlegs.[3]
The Sun Chiefs were managed by Walt Novick and posted an 81-58 record to finish in third place, 8 1⁄2 games out of the first place spot. The team included on its roster future big leaguers as Dave Bristol, Duane Richards and Cookie Rojas, but did not return for the following season.[4]
West Palm Beach was without a professional team until 1965, when the West Palm Beach Braves joined the league as an affiliate club for the Milwaukee Braves.[1]