Melbourne Twins

Last updated
Melbourne Twins
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes Rookie (1964, 1972)
Previous leagues
Cocoa Rookie League (1964)
Florida East Coast League (1972)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams Minnesota Twins (1964, 1972)
Minor league titles
League titles 1964
Team data
Previous parks
Cocoa Expo Sports Center (1964)

The Melbourne Twins were a minor league baseball team based in Melbourne, Florida, that played in the 1964 and 1972 seasons. The Melbourne Twins played as members of the Rookie level Cocoa Rookie League in 1964 and Florida East Coast League in 1972, with both leagues folding after one season of play. The Twins were a minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in both seasons and won the 1964 league championship. Baseball Hall of Fame member Rod Carew played for the 1964 Melbourne Twins.

Contents

History

The Cocoa Rookie League began play in the 1964 season, with all games based in Cocoa, Florida. The Melbourne "Twins" became charter members of the four–team Rookie level Cocoa Rookie League. The Cocoa Colts, Cocoa Mets and Cocoa Tigers joined the Twins in beginning league play on July 1, 1964. [1] [2]

Melbourne Twins' pitchers threw two no–hitters during the 1964 season. On July 4, 1964, Jerry Lyscio and Gene Melton threw a combined 7–inning no-hitter in a 2–0 victory over the Cocoa Tigers. On August 30, 1964, Lyscio and Melton combined for a second no–hitter in defeating the Cocoa Colts 2–1 in a 5–inning victory. [3] [4]

The Twins played in 1964 as members of the four team Cocoa Rookie League, playing under manager Fred Waters. The four teams, operated by the Detroit Tigers, Houston Colt .45s, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, played a league schedule of over 50 games. The Twins ended the season with a 34–18 record and were led by 19—year-old Rod Carew, a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. [5] The Twins won the Cocoa Rookie League championship, finishing 5.0 games ahead of the second place Mets' club. Total attendance for the year was only 1,683 for the entire league. [6] The Cocoa Rookie League folded after the season, while the Sarasota—based circuit became the basis for the Gulf Coast League, which still plays today. [7]

In 1972, a successor to the Cocoa Rookie League, the Florida East Coast League, operated for one season, with the four league teams based in Cocoa and Melbourne. [2] [7]

The 1972 Melbourne Twins were a charter member of the rookie-level Florida East Coast League. During the only season of Florida East Coast league play, the Twins posted a 35–22 record, which gave them second place in the league. The Twins finished 8.0 games behind the first place Melbourne Reds in the final standings. [7] [8]

Notable alumni

See also

Melbourne Twins players

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Complex League</span> American minor baseball league

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Carew</span> Panamanian–American baseball player/coach

Rodney Cline Carew is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels. The most accomplished contact hitter in Twins history, he won the 1977 AL Most Valuable Player Award, setting a Twins record with a .388 batting average. Carew appeared in 18 straight All-Star Games and led the AL in hits three times, with his 239 hits in 1977 being the twelfth most in a season at the time. He won seven AL batting titles, the second most AL batting titles in history behind Ty Cobb, and on July 12, 2016, the AL batting title was renamed to the Rod Carew American League batting title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">César Tovar</span> Venezuelan baseball player (1940-1994)

César Leonardo Tovar, nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 to 1976, most notably as the leadoff hitter for the Minnesota Twins teams that won two consecutive American League Western Division titles in 1969 and 1970. He later played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees.

Several different minor league baseball teams have called the city of Orlando, Florida home from 1919–2003. Most have played in the Florida State League.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2006 throughout the world.

Prior to spring training, the 1996 Minnesota Twins were projected to be a contending team. The team's chances significantly worsened on March 28, 1996. Kirby Puckett, the team's franchise player, had been tattooing the Grapefruit League for a .360 average, but that morning woke up without vision in his right eye. He was eventually diagnosed with glaucoma. Several surgeries over the next few months could not restore vision in the eye. Puckett announced his retirement from baseball on July 12. After beginning the season under the melancholy cloud of the Puckett situation, Manager Tom Kelly's team finished the year with a 78-84 record, which put it in fourth place in the American League Central.

The Minnesota Twins complied a record of 69–93 during the 2000 Major League Baseball season. It was the team's last of a consecutive string record of eight losing seasons and it was characterized with weak hitting but slightly better pitching. The team was managed by Tom Kelly and contained the nucleus of future manager Ron Gardenhire's team that would reach the postseason only two years later.

Led by new manager Billy Martin, the 1969 Minnesota Twins won the newly formed American League West with a 97–65 record, nine games over the second-place Oakland Athletics. The Twins were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the first ALCS.

After winning 91 games the previous two seasons, the 1964 Minnesota Twins slumped to 79–83, a disappointing tie for sixth with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, 20 games behind the AL champion New York Yankees.

The 1967 Minnesota Twins finished 91–71, tied for second in the American League with the Detroit Tigers. The Twins had a one-game lead on the Red Sox with two games remaining in Boston, but lost both games. A total of 1,483,547 fans attended Twins games, the second highest total in the American League.

The 1968 Minnesota Twins season was a season in American baseball. The team finished 79–83, seventh in the American League.

The 1972 Minnesota Twins finished 77–77, third in the American League West.

The 1973 Minnesota Twins finished 81–81, third in the American League West.

The 1975 Minnesota Twins finished 76–83, fourth in the American League West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Minnesota Twins season</span> Major League Baseball team season

The 2009 Minnesota Twins season was the 49th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 109th overall in the American League. It was their final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with their new stadium, Target Field, opening in 2010. They ended the regular season as American League Central champions after defeating the Detroit Tigers in a one game tie-breaker. They were then swept in the ALDS by the New York Yankees. The team's star catcher and Minnesota native Joe Mauer won the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

The Florida East Coast League was the name of two American minor league baseball circuits based on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The first edition of the league operated as a Class D level league from 1940 to 1942. The league reformed for the 1972 season as a Rookie level league before folding.

The Cocoa Rookie League, based in Cocoa and Melbourne, Florida, was an American minor professional baseball league that operated for one season, 1964. One of the first spring training-complex-based circuits, it was graded at the Rookie-league level, which is the lowest level of minor league baseball.

The Cocoa Mets were a minor league baseball team based in Cocoa, Florida in 1964. The Cocoa Mets played exclusively as members of the four–team Rookie level Cocoa Rookie League, placing 2nd in the league standings, with all league games played at the Cocoa Expo Sports Center. The Cocoa Mets were a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets in 1964.

The Cocoa Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Cocoa, Florida in 1964. The Cocoa Colts played exclusively as members of the four–team Rookie level Cocoa Rookie League, placing 3rd in the standings, with all league games played at the Cocoa Expo Sports Center. The Cocoa Colts were so named as the team was a minor league affiliate of the Houston Colt .45's in 1964.

The Cocoa Tigers were a minor league baseball team based in Cocoa, Florida in the 1964 season. The Cocoa Tigers played exclusively as members of the four–team Rookie level Cocoa Rookie League, with all league games played at the Cocoa Expo Sports Center. The Cocoa Tigers were a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in 1964 and placed fourth in the standings.

References

  1. "1964 Cocoa Rookie League (CRL) minor league baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. 1 2 "1964 Cocoa Rookie League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "Minor League No Hitters". Google Docs.
  4. "Searching for missing Minors no-hitters". MiLB.com.
  5. "1964 Twins Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd ed. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007, page 527
  7. 1 2 3 Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN   978-1932391176.
  8. "1972 Melbourne Twins Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.