Tales and Topics from the Panhandle to the Keys – Florida State League Baseball – Catch Future All Stars Now and Fun Promotions
Florida State League Baseball – Catch Future All Stars Now and Fun Promotions – Volume 1, Edition 15
By Nick Gandy
Like most baseball fans, I’m locked and loaded for the Major League Baseball season from now until October.
But don’t you miss the fun we had in March during the Florida Spring Training season, when over 1.3 million fans turned out in 12 Florida communities?
You’re in luck! Eight of the 13 stadiums are still in use for the Florida State League Class A Minor League season through late August.
Throw in Daytona Beach’s historical Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach and there’s 10 teams playing in nine locations statewide.
All Major Leaguers start somewhere and there’s a good chance quite a few have spent time in the Florida State League. After all, the League dates to 1919 when Babe Ruth was a standout lefthanded pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Can you believe Bradenton, Lakeland and Tampa were among the original host cities and are still fielding teams in the Florida State League over 100 years later?
Through the years, the Florida State League has produced 35 Baseball Hall of Famers. You may have heard of a few of them; Johnny Bench, Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken, Jr., Nolan Ryan and Stan Musial.
Musial spent the1940 season with the Daytona Beach Islanders. Nolan Ryan suited up for the Winer Haven Mets in 1967, Cal Ripken, Jr. was an 18-year old on the 1979 Miami Orioles roster and Derek Jeter was a member of the 1994 Tampa Yankees.
The Florida State League of the 21st Century finds teams located in major metropolitan areas from Daytona Beach to Jupiter and Fort Myers. Along the way, there have been some interesting hometown teams.
The Key West Conchs, a Chicago Cubs affiliate. spent the 1972-74 seasons at Wicker Stadium. The Conchs finished in last place in two of their three years. Can you imagine the bus rides to Key West in the early 70s?
There were some bright spots on that team ion the Southernmost City in the U.S. Future big leaguers and one of the 17 Florida State League Hall of Famers Bruce Sutter, teamed with Donnie Moore, Mike Krukow and Dennis Lamp on the 1974 roster on their road to Wrigley Field by 1977.
The 1952 FSL Champions, the Palatka Azaleas featured 28-year old Vern Freiburger, who was in his final year on the diamond. As a 17-year old in 1941, Vern had a cup of coffee with the Cleveland Indians and shared two games in the dugout with Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Lou Boudreau.
During his cup of coffee, Freiburger played two games in Cleveland and had one hit in eight at bats. Unfortunately, this is how most professional baseball players time works out. He played 864 minor league games and his last 14 in Palatka.
These days you never know who you’ll find on the field, like when Tampa Yankees fans were treated to Aaron Judge, hitting eight home runs in 2014. Did Lakeland Flying Tigers fans realize what they were watching when Tarik Skubal started 15 games at historic Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in 2019?
A couple of things you do know is tickets will be inexpensive and there will be a long list of interesting promotions at the nine Florida State League sites.
For those seeking less expensive nights at the park, the Clearwater Threshers offer $1 Tuesdays with berm seating, hot dogs and beers, all available for $1. That’s full night at BayCare Ballpark for $10 or less.
In Dunedin, when Blue Jays fans show up at the ticket booth with a receipt from one of the downtown vendors, about a half mile from the ballpark, they are eligible to purchase buy one, get one free tickets and other concession items. It’s all a part of the “Local Friday,” promotion in the city celebrating a 50-year partnership between the team and community.
Continuing a tradition that began in 2022, the Bradenton Marauders will pay tribute to the Bradenton Nine Devils, a team that played in the Florida Negro Leagues from 1937 to 1956.
“The Bradenton Nine Devils were a team that was composed of everyday people who lived in Manatee and Sarasota County,” said Charles Williams, Judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Sarasota County, in a 2025 interview. “They played about 70 to 75 games a year, and played a circuit that involved going to Miami, to Daytona Beach, to West Palm Beach, to Orlando and Saint Petersburg.”
The Nine Devils Commemoration Game will be played on June 13.
Among the interesting giveaways include the Daytona Tortugas variety of Tortugas branded gear worn in other sports. Fans at Jackie Robinson Ballpark will receive basketball, football, hockey and soccer jerseys with the Tortugas logo on various dates of the 2026 season.
If this is the kind of thing that’s been on your to-do list for a while, the FSL regular season runs into early September. Each team plays a 132-game schedule, with 66 games at home and 66 on the road. Mondays are typically off days, giving players a consistent rest period.
Within the league’s split-season structure, the winners of the first and second halves meet in a four-team playoff bracket with a best of five championship series to determine the annual champion. The Lakeland Flying Tigers were the 2025 Florida State League Champions.
Honestly, as a baseball fan, one of my future summer vacations will be spent on a tour of Florida State League baseball parks and games. I’ll spend my days at one of the old motels on St. Petersburg Beach and venture out night to Dunedin Blue Jays, Clearwater Threshers, Tampa Tarpons and Bradenton Marauders games.
Throw in some cool baseball swag and maybe a night at a Tampa Bay Rays game and what a Florida baseball tour that would be, don’t ya think?
Nick Gandy is a 40-year sports communications professional who has worked with the Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization, since 1998.