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 through May 14, . 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.
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 — — 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
Cocoa Beach Fliers DeLand Red Hats Fort Lauderdale Tarpons (champions, 1940) Fort Pierce Bombers Hollywood Chiefs Miami Beach Flamingos (champions, 1941)
Miami Beach Tigers Miami Seminoles Miami Wahoos Orlando Senators West Palm Beach Indians
FECL teams, 1972 Cocoa Astros Cocoa Expos Melbourne Reds (champions) Melbourne Twins
Standings & statistics
1940 to 1942 1940 Florida East Coast League Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Ft. Lauderdale Tarpons6940.623-- Herb ThomasHollywood Chiefs6247.5697 Jiggs Donahue Miami Beach Tigers6051.54110 Fred Heimach West Palm Beach Indians5260.46418½ Cecil Downs / Joe MurffFt. Pierce Bombers4965.43022½ Lance Richbourg / Ray PhelpsMiami Wahoos4271.37229 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 statisticsPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Jack WestleyFt. Laud/HollywoodBA.377Chet CovingtonHollywoodW21 Jack WestleyFt. Laud/HollywoodRuns96Chet CovingtonHollywoodSO212 Pecky EngelWest Palm/Ft.PierceHits158Gene BeardenMiami BeachERA1.63 Jack WestleyFt. Laud/HollywoodRBI98Oliver KellyMiamiHR11 Jack WestleyFt. Laud/HollywoodHR11Dale LynchMiami BeachHR11 1941 Florida East Coast League Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers West Palm Beach Indians8455.604--Harry Hughes Miami Beach Flamingos8158.5833 Max RosenfeldFt. Pierce Bombers7564.5409 Jim PooleFt. Lauderdale Tarpons6673.47518 Herb Thomas / Buster Kinard Miami Wahoos6376.45321 Archie MartinCocoa Fliers4891.34536 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 statisticsPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot John DouglasMiamiBA.385Gibbs MillerFt. LauderdaleW23 John DouglasMiamiRuns111Milt RosensteinMiami BeachSO238 Buster KinardFt. LauderdaleHits210Chet CovingtonFt. PierceERA1.90 Buster KinardFt. LauderdaleRBI123Joe MurffFt.PierceHR21 1942 Florida East Coast League schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Orlando Nationals199.679--Robert Overstreet Miami Beach Flamingos1710.6301½ Max Rosenfeld DeLand Red Hats1313.5005 Bill Cates Ft. Pierce Bombers1214.4626 Russ Maxcy Miami Seminoles1215.4446½ Harry Hughes West Palm Beach Indians918.3339½ Al ReitzFt. Lauderdale Tarpons43.571NAHerb Thomas Cocoa Fliers 04.000NA Burl Munsell Cocoa folded April 21; Ft. Lauderdale folded May 14.League folded May 14.
+Player statisticsPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Bill HansenFt. PierceBA.370Larry BaldwinMiamiW6 John MorrisOrlandoRuns27Scott CareyOrlandoSO45 Jim MilnerMiami BeachHits38Williard EckenrothDeLandERA1.65 William TracyDeLandRBI23Fred LeonhardtDeLandHR2 Pete BurnetteWest Palm BeachHR2Armando DominguezOrlandoHR2
1972 1972 Florida East Coast League Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Melbourne Reds4415.746--Dave Pavlesic Melbourne Twins3522.6148 Fred Waters Cocoa Astros2630.46416½ Leo Posada Cocoa Expos947.16133½ Pat Daugherty Total league attendance, 966 No playoffs held.
+Player statisticsPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Dave EdwardsTwinsBA.313Kevin CooneyTwinsW8 Randy BassTwinsRuns47Paul HowlendRedsW8 Dave CovertRedsHits62Gary MyersRedsSO58 Randy BassTwinsRBI41Forrest ClemmonsRedsERA1.86 Randy BassTwinsHR10
References
Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3d edition. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 2007.