Florida State League
From BR Bullpen
The first Florida State League was in 1892. Cities were St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Tampa and Ocala. The second FSL was a Class "D" circuit which ran from 1919 to 1928.
The more durable Florida State League was a minor league that began play in 1936 and except for four years during World War II (1942 to 1946), operated every year until 2019. Originally designated a Class "D" league, it became an "A" league when the minors reorganized in 1963. The league currently operates as a twelve team circuit, with two divisions of six teams each. In 2009 the league announced the creation of the Florida State League Hall of Fame.
Many of the teams that competed in the league's final season transferred to the Low-A Southeast section of the Professional Development League in 2021. The name was revived in 2022 when the Low-A Southeast rebranded itself as the Florida State League.
Current Teams, Managers, and Affiliations[edit]
League Champions[edit]
* 2001; co-champions were named after the remainder of the championship series games were cancelled on September 12, 2001 due to the attacks on the United States occurring on the previous day. 2004; the championship series was cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan, so co-champions were named. 2017; the championship series was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma and the two semi-final winners were declared co-champions. 2019; the entire post season was cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian.
League Award Winners[edit]
Hall of Fame Alumni[edit]
35 Florida State League alumni have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame:[1]
- Sparky Anderson, 1966 Manager St. Petersburg Saints
- Jeff Bagwell, 1989 Winter Haven Red Sox
- Adrian Beltre. 1997, 2001 Vero Beach Dodgers
- Johnny Bench, 1965 Tampa Tarpons
- Bert Blyleven, 1969 Orlando Twins
- Rod Carew, 1965 Orlando Twins
- Gary Carter, 1972 West Palm Beach Expos
- Bobby Cox, 1971 Manager Ft. Lauderdale Yankees
- Rollie Fingers, 1965 Leesburg Athletics
- Vladimir Guerrero, 1996-1997 West Palm Beach Expos
- Roy Halladay, 1996, 2001 Dunedin Blue Jays
- Catfish Hunter, 1964 Daytona Beach Islanders
- Ferguson Jenkins, 1962-1963 Miami Marlins
- Derek Jeter, 1994 Tampa Yankees
- Randy Johnson, 1986 West Palm Beach Expos
- Al Lopez, 1925-1926 Tampa Smokers
- Pedro Martinez, 2009 Clearwater Threshers
- Joe Mauer, 2003-2004, 2007, 2009, 2011 Fort Myers Miracle
- Eddie Murray, 1974 Miami Orioles
- Stan Musial, 1940 Daytona Beach Islanders
- David Ortiz, 1997 Fort Myers Miracle
- Jim Palmer, 1967-1968 Miami Marlins
- Mike Piazza, 1990 Vero Beach Dodgers
- Tim Raines, 1978 West Palm Beach Expos
- Jim Rice, 1972 Winter Haven Red Sox
- Cal Ripken Jr., 1979 Miami Orioles
- Mariano Rivera, 1992 Fort Lauderdale Yankees, 1994 Tampa Yankees
- Ivan Rodriguez, 1990 Port Charlotte Rangers
- Scott Rolen, 1995 Clearwater Phillies
- Nolan Ryan, 1967 Winter Haven Mets
- Lee Smith, 1976-1977 Pompano Beach Cubs
- John Smoltz, 1986 Lakeland Tigers
- Bruce Sutter, 1974 Key West Conchs
- Frank Thomas, 1989 Sarasota White Sox
- Joe Tinker, 1921 Orlando Tigers
- Larry Walker, 1986 West Palm Beach Expos
- Early Wynn, 1937 Sanford Lookouts
Cities Represented[edit]
1919-1928[edit]
- Bartow, FL and Winter Haven, FL: Bartow-Winter Haven Polkers 1919
- Bartow, FL: Bartow Polkers 1920
- Bradenton, FL: Bradenton Growers 1919-1920, 1923-1924, 1926
- Clearwater, FL: Clearwater Pelicans 1924
- Daytona Beach, FL: Daytona Beach Islanders 1920-1924, 1928
- Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale Tarpons 1928
- Fort Myers, FL: Fort Myers Palms 1926
- Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville Scouts 1921; Jacksonville Indians 1922
- Lakeland, FL: Lakeland Highlanders 1919-1926
- Miami, FL: Miami Hustlers 1927-1928
- Orlando, FL: Orlando Caps 1919-1920; Orlando Tigers 1921; Orlando Bulldogs 1922-1924; Orlando Colts 1926-1928
- St. Petersburg, FL: St. Petersburg Saints 1920-1928
- Sanford, FL: Sanford Celeryfeds 1919-1920, 1925-1928
- Sarasota, FL: Sarasota Gulls 1926; Sarasota Tarpons 1927
- Tampa, FL: Tampa Smokers 1919-1927
- West Palm Beach, FL: West Palm Beach Sheriffs 1928
1936-2019[edit]
- Bradenton, FL: Bradenton Marauders 2010-2019
- Clearwater, FL: Clearwater Phillies 1985-2003; Clearwater Threshers 2004-2019
- Cocoa, FL: Cocoa Indians 1951-1958; Cocoa Astros 1965-1972; Cocoa Astros 1977
- Davenport, FL: Baseball City Royals 1988-1992
- Daytona Beach, FL: Daytona Beach Islanders 1936-1941, 1946-1966; Daytona Beach Dodgers 1968-1973; Daytona Beach Islanders 1977; Daytona Beach Astros 1978-1984; Daytona Beach Islanders 1985-1986; Daytona Beach Admirals 1987; Daytona Cubs 1993-2014; Daytona Tortugas 2015-2019
- Deerfield Beach, FL: Deerfield Beach Sun Sox 1966
- DeLand, FL: DeLand Reds 1936-1938; DeLand Red Hats 1939-1941, 1946-1954; DeLand Sun Caps 1970
- Dunedin, FL: Dunedin Blue Jays 1978-1979, 1987-2019
- Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale Yankees 1962-1992; Fort Lauderdale Red Sox 1993
- Fort Myers, FL: Fort Myers Royals 1978-1987; Fort Myers Miracle 1992-2019; Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 2020 (did not play)
- Gainesville, FL: Gainesville G-Men 1936-1941, 1946-1952; Gainesville G-Men 1955-1958
- Jacksonville Beach, FL: Jacksonville Beach Sea Birds 1952-1954
- Jupiter, FL: Jupiter Hammerheads 1998-present; Palm Beach Cardinals 2003-2019
- Key West, FL: Key West Padres 1969; Key West Sun Caps 1971; Key West Conchs 1972-1974; Key West Cubs 1975
- Kissimmee, FL: Osceola Astros 1985-1994; Kissimmee Cobras 1995-2000; Florida Fire Frogs 2017-2019
- Lakeland, FL: Lakeland Pilots 1953-1955; Lakeland Indians 1960; Lakeland Giants 1962; Lakeland Tigers 1963-1964; Lakeland Tigers 1967-2006; Lakeland Flying Tigers 2007-2019
- Leesburg, FL: Leesburg Gondoliers 1937-1938; Leesburg Anglers 1939-41, 1946; Leesburg Pirates 1947-1948; Leesburg Dodgers 1949; Leesburg Packers 1950-1952; Leesburg Lakers 1953; Leesburg Braves 1956-1957; Leesburg Orioles 1960-1961; Leesburg Athletics 1965-1968
- Miami, FL: Miami Marlins 1962-1970; Miami Orioles 1971-1981; Miami Marlins 1982-1988; Miami Miracle 1989
- North Port, FL: Florida Fire Frogs 2020 (did not play)
- Ocala, FL: Ocala Yearlings 1940-1941
- Orlando, FL: Orlando Gulls 1937; Orlando Senators 1938-1941, 1946-1953; Orlando C.B.s 1954-1955; Orlando Seratomas 1956; Orlando Flyers 1957-1958; Orlando Dodgers 1959-1961; Orlando Twins 1963-1972
- Palatka, FL: Palatka Azaleas 1936-1939; Palatka Azaleas 1946-1953; Palatka Tigers 1956; Palatka Redlegs 1957-1961; Palatka Cubs 1962
- Pompano Beach, FL: Pompano Beach Mets 1969-1973; Pompano Beach Cubs 1976-1978; Miami Miracle 1990-1991
- Port Charlotte, FL: Charlotte Rangers 1987-2002; Charlotte Stone Crabs 2009-2019
- Port St. Lucie, FL: St. Lucie Mets 1988-2019
- St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Saints 1936-1941, 1946-1950; St. Augustine Saints 1952
- St. Petersburg, FL: St. Petersburg Saints 1955-1965; St. Petersburg Cardinals 1966-1996; St. Petersburg Devil Rays 1997-2000
- Sanford, FL: Sanford Lookouts 1936-1939; Sanford Seminoles 1940-1941; Sanford Celeryfeds 1946-1947; Sanford Giants 1948-1951; Sanford Seminole Blues 1952; Sanford Cardinals 1953; Sanford Cardinals 1955; Sanford Greyhounds 1959-1960
- Sarasota, FL: Sarasota Sun Sox 1961-1965; Sarasota White Sox 1989-1993; Sarasota Red Sox 1994-2004; Sarasota Reds 2005-2009
- Tampa, FL: Tampa Tarpons 1957-1987; Tampa White Sox 1988; Tampa Yankees 1994-2017; Tampa Tarpons 2018-2019
- Vero Beach, FL: Vero Beach Dodgers 1980-2006; Vero Beach Devil Rays 2007-2008
- Viera, FL; Brevard County Manatees 1994-2016
- West Palm Beach, FL: West Palm Beach Indians 1955; West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs 1956; West Palm Beach Braves 1965-1968; West Palm Beach Expos 1969-1997
- Winter Haven, FL: Winter Haven Sun Sox 1966; Winter Haven Mets 1967; Winter Haven Red Sox 1969-1992
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