Florida Collegiate Summer League
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Motto | Pure Baseball |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Sanford River Rats |
| Most titles | Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (4) |
| Official website | www.floridaleague.com |
The Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) is a six-team[1] wood bat collegiate summer baseball league located in the central Florida region of the southeastern United States. The league was founded in the fall of 2003[2] and began play in the summer of 2004. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to "advance college players toward their futures in professional baseball."[3] The league has experienced success in having players appear in Minor League Baseball. 240 players have been drafted in the first ten seasons including 27 in the 2013 MLB Draft. Major League Baseball alumni include Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon, Colorado Rockies pitcher Mike McClendon, Washington Nationals outfielder Corey Brown, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson, and Baltimore Orioles catcher Johnny Monell Jr. The FCSL is one of eleven leagues in the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.
Contents
Florida League Teams
| Team | City | Stadium[4] | Head Coach[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altamonte Springs Boom[6] | Altamonte Springs, Florida | Lake Brantley High School Stadium | Kevin Davidson |
| DeLand Suns | DeLand, Florida | Melching Field at Conrad Park (Stetson University) | Rick Hall |
| Leesburg Lightning[7] | Leesburg, Florida | Pat Thomas Stadium | Rich Billings |
| Sanford River Rats | Sanford, Florida | Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium | Ken Kelly |
| Winter Garden Squeeze | Winter Garden, Florida | West Orange High School | Ruben Felix |
| Winter Park Diamond Dawgs | Winter Park, Florida | Alfond Stadium (Rollins College) | Scotty Makarewicz |
The Florida League added the Altamonte Springs Boom for 2015[6] and the College Park Freedom ceased operations.[8]
- Timeline of Teams
League members Future members
Florida League Alumni - Top 5 Round Picks & Notables
(*) = Reached the Major Leagues
Florida League Champions
Florida League Award Winners
| Year | MVP | Cy Young | Best Pro Prospect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kyle Patrick, Sanford | Drew Shetrone, Sanford | N/A |
| 2005 | Lee Cruz, Zephyrhills | Ty Pryor, Winter Park | N/A |
| 2006 | Anthony Ottrando, Altamonte Springs | Ryan Horton, Winter Park | Jonathan Lucroy, Winter Park |
| 2007 | Tyler McCarty, Winter Springs | John Durahm, Altamonte Springs | Aaron Tullo, Winter Park |
| 2008 | Andy Mee, Belleview | Bo O'Dell, Belleview | Jeff Walters, Winter Park |
| 2009 | Anthony Figliolia, Winter Park | Trey Ferrano, Sanford | Jabari Blash, DeLand |
| 2010 | LB Dantzler, Winter Park | Bobby Bolling, Winter Park | Brandon Thomas, Sanford |
| 2011 | Ted Blackman, Winter Park | Ben Brown, Winter Park | Garrett Nuss, Orlando |
| 2012 | Michael Danner, Winter Park | Evan Incinelli, Winter Park | David Lee, Orlando |
| 2013 | Tyler Palmer, Sanford | Emilio Ogando, Winter Park | Tyler Palmer, Sanford |
Florida League Celebrity Golf Tournament
Every November, the Florida League hosts a celebrity golf tournament at Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park, FL. Money raised from the event helps fund the League throughout the year. The weekend-long event includes a hitting & pitching clinic for kids, a catered pairings dinner, a meet-and-greet with the celebrities, a silent auction and the round of golf. Celebrity appearances have been made by dozens of current and former MLB players including: Davey Johnson, Frank Viola, Hunter Pence, Jose Bautista, Ray Lankford, Gary Carter, Fred McGriff, Jeff Bagwell, B.J. Upton, Tim Wakefield, Zack Greinke, Andrew McCutchen, Tim Raines, Vince Coleman and many others.
Florida League High School Invitational
In an effort to reach out to baseball players of all levels, the FCSL also hosts multiple spring break tournaments during the month of March. All games are held at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium in Sanford, FL. These tournaments, known as the Florida High School Invitational, bring in teams from all over the United States. The 2013 tournament featured twenty-three teams from across the country. Notable prospects who have participated in the FHSI include Albert Almora (#6 overall pick, 2012, Chicago Cubs), Dante Bichette Jr. (1st round pick, 2011, New York Yankees), Francisco Lindor (#8 overall pick, 2011, Cleveland Indians), Javier Baez (#9 overall pick, 2011, Chicago Cubs), Greg Bird (5th round, 2011, New York Yankees), Tomas Nido (8th round, 2012, New York Mets), Chris Okey (All-American), and Touki Touissaint (All-American).
| Year | Champion | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | St. Cloud Bulldogs | St. Cloud, FL |
| 2009 | All Saints Academy Saints | Winter Haven, FL |
| 2010 | Timber Creek Wolves | Orlando, FL |
| 2011 (Week 1) | Timber Creek Wolves | Orlando, FL |
| 2011 (Week 2) | Bryant Hornets | Bryant, AR |
| 2012 | Palm Beach Gardens Gators | Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
| 2013 (Classic) | Lake Brantley Patriots | Altamonte Springs, FL |
| 2013 (Showcase) | Seminole Seminoles | Sanford, FL |
External links
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "About The Florida Collegiate Summer League" at floridaleague.com [1] URL accessed January 2, 2009
- ↑ FCSL Fields at floridaleague.com; URL accessed June 28, 2009
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. College Park was not included in the team list for 2015.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ LEE v. CLE Boxscore 8/3/09 at floridaleague.com, URL accessed August 4, 2009
