Classification | Single-A (2022–present) Low-A (2021) Class A-Advanced (1990–2020) |
---|---|
Sport | Baseball |
Founded | 1919 |
No. of teams | 10 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Palm Beach Cardinals (2024) |
Most titles | St. Petersburg Saints (8) |
Official website | www |
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the Low-A Southeast before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
Each league member is affiliated with a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and most play in their affiliate's spring training facility.
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.
Initially, the FSL was classified as a Class D circuit, roughly equivalent to a Rookie-level league today. It was elevated to Class C from 1921 to 1924, roughly equivalent to an Advanced Rookie league in the pre-2021 classification system and a Rookie-level league today. It reverted to Class D from 1925 to 1928. The league went dormant from 1929 to 1935, but was revived as a Class D circuit from 1936 to 1941. After another period of inactivity from 1942 to 1945, it continued at Class D from 1946 to 1962.
When the minor leagues were reconfigured in 1963, the FSL was reclassified as a Class A league, placing it three steps below the majors. There it continued until the next reorganization in 1990 when it was elevated to Class A-Advanced, remaining at the third rung on the minor league ladder. [1]
The championship series' first cancellation was in 2001, when playoffs were canceled after the September 11 attacks. Afterwards, the 2004 playoffs were canceled due to the threat of Hurricane Ivan. Years later, the 2017 FSL Championship finals were canceled on September 5, due to the threat of Hurricane Irma. The winners of the division series playoff games were named co-champions. [2] This marked the third time since 2000 that the championship series game was canceled. [3] [4] In 2019, the end of the season and playoffs were cancelled due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian. [5]
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. [6] [7] As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Florida State League was demoted to Single-A, four rungs below the majors, and temporarily renamed the "Low-A Southeast" for the 2021 season. [8] Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Low-A Southeast was renamed the Florida State League effective with the 2022 season. [9]
The Florida State League Hall of Fame began in 2009. [10]
The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lowest rung on the North American minor-league ladder.
The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Opened in 1914, the park seats 4,200 people.
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500 and opened in 1991. The park is also used as the Minnesota Twins' spring training facility.
The Sarasota Reds were a professional minor league baseball team, located in Sarasota, Florida, as a member of the Florida State League. The team originally started play in Sarasota as the Sarasota White Sox in 1989. They remained in the city for the next 21 seasons, going through a series of name changes due to their affiliation changes. They were known as the White Sox from 1989–1993, as the Sarasota Red Sox from 1994–2004, and the Reds from 2004–2009. In Sarasota, the team played in Payne Park (1989) and then Ed Smith Stadium (1990–2009). They won two division championships, in 1989 and 1992, and made playoff appearances in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, and 2007.
The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is also the spring training home of the New York Yankees and incorporates design elements from old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, including identical field dimensions. They competed at the Class A-Advanced level from 1994 to 2020 before being reclassified Low Single-A in 2021. Since their inception, the club has won five league championships, in 1994, 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2010.
The Tampa Tarpons were a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. Their home ballpark was Al Lopez Field, and they were a member of the Class A Florida State League (FSL) from 1957 until 1988, mostly as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. In 1988, they were sold, relocated, and renamed the Sarasota White Sox. During their run in Tampa, they won three FSL league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961.
Daytona Beach Islanders was a name for various minor league baseball teams that have all played in the Florida State League from 1920–1966 and in 1977 and again from 1985–1986. In 1968 through 1973, the team became the Daytona Beach Dodgers, due to their affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1977, the team once again took up the Islanders name before becoming the Daytona Beach Astros for the next seven seasons. Then, for the 1985 and 1986 seasons, they were, yet again, known as the Daytona Beach Islanders, playing as a co-op club of the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers for the first of those years and as a full affiliate of the Rangers for the 1986 season. Finally the team became the Daytona Beach Admirals in 1987, before being sold and becoming the St. Lucie Mets.
The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the Pirates' spring training facility.
Baseball in the Tampa Bay area, both amateur and professional, has had a long and storied history, even though the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the two youngest franchises in Major League Baseball, the other being the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Baseball City Royals were a farm team for the Kansas City Royals from 1988 to 1992, after moving from Fort Myers, Florida, where they were known as the Fort Myers Royals.
The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) team. They played their home games at Charlotte Sports Park and were named for the Florida stone crab, which is indigenous to the Charlotte County region.
The Fort Lauderdale Yankees, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were an American Minor League Baseball franchise that existed from 1962 through 1992. The team was a member of the Florida State League (FSL) as an affiliate of the New York Yankees and won seven FSL championships during its 31 years of existence.
The Sanford Celeryfeds were a minor league baseball team, based in Sanford, Florida that played between 1919 and 1946. In 1919, the "Celeryfeds" were a charter member of the Class D level Florida State League, winning the first championship in the league. Sanford began a decades long tenure of play in the Florida State League, winning other league championships in 1926 and 1939.
The Cocoa Indians were a minor league baseball team based in Cocoa, Florida. From 1951 to 1958 the "Indians" played exclusively as members of the Dlass D level Florida State League, winning the 1956 league championship. The Cocoa Indians were a minor league affiliate of the New York Giants in 1956 and the Cleveland Indians in 1957 and 1958.