Fort Lauderdale Yankees

Florida State League (1962-1992)

Tombstone

Born: 1962
Affiliation Change: 1993 (Fort Lauderdale Red Sox)

First Game:
Last Game:

FSL Champions: 1962, 1964, 1965, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987

Stadium

Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Ownership & Affiliation

Owners:

Major League Affiliations: New York Yankees

Background

The New York Yankees hosted their spring training in Fort Lauderdale for 31 years between 1962 and 1992. During each of those summers, the Yankees also sponsored a Class A farm club (Class D in 1962) in the Florida State League.

When New York moved its spring training operation to Tampa in 1993, it also withdrew from the Florida State League. The Boston Red Sox replaced the Yankees as Fort Lauderdale’s parent club for the 1993, but stayed just one season. Pro baseball has not returned to Fort Lauderdale since the Red Sox left at the end of the 1993 season.

The Road To The Majors

Key future Major Leaguers that came up through Fort Lauderdale during the Yankees era included:

1978 American League Cy Young Award winner Ron Guidry (Fort Lauderdale ’72)
1983 American League Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt (Fort Lauderdale ’75)
Two-time National League batting champion Willie McGee (Fort Lauderdale ’78)
5-time Yankeees All-Star Bernie Williams (Fort Lauderdale ’87)
Hall-of-Fame reliever Mariano Rivera (Fort Lauderdale ’92)

In 1971, the New York Yankees sent a recently retired 30-year old journeyman infielder named Bobby Cox to manage at Fort Lauderdale. Cox was still young enough that he activated himself to play in 9 games during the 1971 season. It was his first season in what would ultimately become a Hall-of-Fame managerial career. Cox managed the Atlanta Braves, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Braves again between 1978 anad 2010. He ranks 4th all-time (as of 2020) in Major League wins by a manager and won the 1995 World Series with Atlanta. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 2014.