| Classification | Class D (1940–1942) Rookie (1972) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1940 |
| Folded | 1972 |
| President | Judge Gordon Lynn (1940) J. B. Lemon (1941–1942) |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | 1 Fort Lauderdale Tarpons (1940) Miami Beach Flamingos (1941) Orlando Nationals (1942 Melbourne Reds (1972) |
| Related competitions | Gulf Coast League |
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.
History
The first incarnation of the FECL was as a Class D circuit that played from 1940 through May 14, 1942. It shut its doors, along with many other minor leagues, a few months after the United States entered World War II, and, despite the postwar baseball boom, it was not revived.[1]
The second Florida East Coast League was a Rookie-class "complex league" owned and operated by Major League Baseball clubs. It existed for one season — 1972 — and was intended to provide a second Florida-based league for 18- and 19-year-old players, along with the established Gulf Coast League, which was then concentrated along the west coast of Florida. The FECL of 1972 featured four teams based at minor league training complexes in Cocoa and Melbourne.
FECL teams, 1940–1942
FECL teams, 1972
- Cocoa Astros
- Cocoa Expos
- Melbourne Reds (champions)
- Melbourne Twins[2]
Standings & statistics
1940 to 1942
1940 Florida East Coast League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft. Lauderdale Tarpons | 69 | 40 | .623 | -- | Herb Thomas |
| Hollywood Chiefs | 62 | 47 | .569 | 7 | Jiggs Donahue |
| Miami Beach Tigers | 60 | 51 | .541 | 10 | Fred Heimach |
| West Palm Beach Indians | 52 | 60 | .464 | 18½ | Cecil Downs / Joe Murff |
| Ft. Pierce Bombers | 49 | 65 | .430 | 22½ | Lance Richbourg / Ray Phelps |
| Miami Wahoos | 42 | 71 | .372 | 29 | Max Carey |
Playoffs: Ft. Lauderdale 3 games, West Palm Beach 1; Miami Beach 3 games, Hollywood 0.
Finals: Ft. Lauderdale 4 games, Miami Beach 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Westley | Ft. Laud/Hollywood | BA | .377 | Chet Covington | Hollywood | W | 21 | |
| Jack Westley | Ft. Laud/Hollywood | Runs | 96 | Chet Covington | Hollywood | SO | 212 | |
| Pecky Engel | West Palm/Ft.Pierce | Hits | 158 | Gene Bearden | Miami Beach | ERA | 1.63 | |
| Jack Westley | Ft. Laud/Hollywood | RBI | 98 | Oliver Kelly | Miami | HR | 11 | |
| Jack Westley | Ft. Laud/Hollywood | HR | 11 | Dale Lynch | Miami Beach | HR | 11 |
1941 Florida East Coast League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Palm Beach Indians | 84 | 55 | .604 | -- | Harry Hughes |
| Miami Beach Flamingos | 81 | 58 | .583 | 3 | Max Rosenfeld |
| Ft. Pierce Bombers | 75 | 64 | .540 | 9 | Jim Poole |
| Ft. Lauderdale Tarpons | 66 | 73 | .475 | 18 | Herb Thomas / Buster Kinard |
| Miami Wahoos | 63 | 76 | .453 | 21 | Archie Martin |
| Cocoa Fliers | 48 | 91 | .345 | 36 | Jesse Cleveland / Bill Doak |
Playoffs: Miami Beach 3 games, Fort Pierce 1; West Palm Beach 3 games, Ft. Lauderdale 2.
Finals: Miami Beach 4 games, West Palm Beach 2.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Douglas | Miami | BA | .385 | Gibbs Miller | Ft. Lauderdale | W | 23 | |
| John Douglas | Miami | Runs | 111 | Milt Rosenstein | Miami Beach | SO | 238 | |
| Buster Kinard | Ft. Lauderdale | Hits | 210 | Chet Covington | Ft. Pierce | ERA | 1.90 | |
| Buster Kinard | Ft. Lauderdale | RBI | 123 | Joe Murff | Ft.Pierce | HR | 21 |
1942 Florida East Coast League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Nationals | 19 | 9 | .679 | -- | Robert Overstreet |
| Miami Beach Flamingos | 17 | 10 | .630 | 1½ | Max Rosenfeld |
| DeLand Red Hats | 13 | 13 | .500 | 5 | Bill Cates |
| Ft. Pierce Bombers | 12 | 14 | .462 | 6 | Russ Maxcy |
| Miami Seminoles | 12 | 15 | .444 | 6½ | Harry Hughes |
| West Palm Beach Indians | 9 | 18 | .333 | 9½ | Al Reitz |
| Ft. Lauderdale Tarpons | 4 | 3 | .571 | NA | Herb Thomas |
| Cocoa Fliers | 0 | 4 | .000 | NA | Burl Munsell |
Cocoa folded April 21; Ft. Lauderdale folded May 14.
League folded May 14.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Hansen | Ft. Pierce | BA | .370 | Larry Baldwin | Miami | W | 6 | |
| John Morris | Orlando | Runs | 27 | Scott Carey | Orlando | SO | 45 | |
| Jim Milner | Miami Beach | Hits | 38 | Williard Eckenroth | DeLand | ERA | 1.65 | |
| William Tracy | DeLand | RBI | 23 | Fred Leonhardt | DeLand | HR | 2 | |
| Pete Burnette | West Palm Beach | HR | 2 | Armando Dominguez | Orlando | HR | 2 |
1972
1972 Florida East Coast League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Reds | 44 | 15 | .746 | -- | Dave Pavlesic |
| Melbourne Twins | 35 | 22 | .614 | 8 | Fred Waters |
| Cocoa Astros | 26 | 30 | .464 | 16½ | Leo Posada |
| Cocoa Expos | 9 | 47 | .161 | 33½ | Pat Daugherty |
Total league attendance, 966
No playoffs held.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Edwards | Twins | BA | .313 | Kevin Cooney | Twins | W | 8 | |
| Randy Bass | Twins | Runs | 47 | Paul Howlend | Reds | W | 8 | |
| Dave Covert | Reds | Hits | 62 | Gary Myers | Reds | SO | 58 | |
| Randy Bass | Twins | RBI | 41 | Forrest Clemmons | Reds | ERA | 1.86 | |
| Randy Bass | Twins | HR | 10 |
References
- "Miami at bat: A history of baseball in the Magic City". The New Tropic. May 4, 2021.
- "1972 Florida East Coast League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- Lloyd Johnson; Miles Wolff, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3d edition. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 2007.