Florida State League:
There is Nothing Minor about this Class “A” League

Florida State League Team Logos

Florida State League baseball teams are loaded with top prospects and rising stars who will one day wear the uniform of a Major League Baseball team. That is what makes attending a minor league baseball game exciting. You get to see the future MLB stars in action before they make it to the big leagues.

But, it is not only the rookies and prospects that you get to see, no, sometimes there is a lot of “buzz” around a State league team. This usually occurs when a star from the parent MLB club gets hurt and is sent to their Florida State league team to “rehab” after his injury. So, you never know who might turn up in the line-up at a baseball game.

If Englewood is your Florida retirement escape or your Gulf Coast vacation destination and you like baseball, then you are in luck!

There are several Florida State Baseball League teams which operate within a couple of hours of Englewood.

The closest team is probably the Charlotte Stone Crabs who play out of the Charlotte Sports Park.

All you have to do is follow SR-776 from Englewood.
This road will become El Jobean Road and you follow this route until you reach
the Charlotte Sports Park which will be on the right side of the road.
The trip from Englewood will take between 15-20 minutes.

The Stone Crabs are a new team to the area. For years we enjoyed the Charlotte Rangers team which was a minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers who held their spring training in Port Charlotte. But, when the Rangers moved their spring training to the Cactus League in the southwestern United States, it was not long before the Charlotte Rangers also disappeared from the Florida baseball landscape.

The Stone Crabs are the Single “A” division farm club of the Tampa Bay Rays. So when you attend a Stone Crabs game you will see some future Rays honing their baseball skills. But, you might also come to a game and be treated to seeing a member of the MLB club “rehabbing” after an injury that has kept him out of action.

The next closest team is the Sarasota Reds who play their home games at the Ed Smith Stadium which can be reached by:

exiting from I-75 to the Fruitville Road.
Travel west on Fruitville,
to Tuttle, turn right
and follow until you reach 12th
the Stadium is on the left.

The Reds are the Class “A” farm club of the Cincinnati Reds.

Another Florida State League team that is relatively close to Englewood is the Fort Myers Miracle whose home field is William H. Hammond Stadium.

The Lakeland Tigers are the affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and the Dunedin Blue Jays are the Class “A” team of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Yankees have a farm club in Tampa called the Tampa Yankees. As well, there are Florida State baseball league teams in Melbourne (Brevard County Manatees), Clearwater (Clearwater Threshers), Jupiter (Jupiter Hammerheads), Palm Beach (Cardinals) and Port St. Lucie (St. Lucie Mets).

There are also other baseball teams and leagues that call Florida home. But, as you can see Florida and baseball are a natural fit.

So when someone in the Englewood area suggests going to a baseball game the choices are wide ranging. Another reason why we Enjoy Englewood Florida!