Florida State League (1978-1979)
Tombstone
Born: July 8, 1977 – FSL expansion franchise
Folded: September 4, 1979
First Game: April 11, 1978 (L 2-1 @ Tampa Tarpons)
Final Game: September 1, 1979 (W 7-3 & 6-0 @ St. Petersburg Cardinals)
FSL Championships: None
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: Malcolm McMullen & Ilona McMullen
Major League Affiliation: Toronto Blue Jays
Attendance
Background
Toronto has opened training camp in Dunedin, Florida ever spring since joining the American League as expansion franchise in 1977. Prior to the Toronto’s second season of play in 1978, they added a Florida State League farm club at Dunedin’s Grant Field. The original Dunedin Blue Jays were owned by Pinellas County undertaker Malcolm McMullen and his wife Ilona.
During the club’s second season in the summer of 1979, Toronto operated two Class A farm clubs at Dunedin and at Kinston, North Carolina in the Carolina League. But Toronto did not have a Class AA affiliate at all. For the 1980 season, Toronto added a Class AA team at Knoxville in the Southern League and decided to operate only one Class A farm team. Despite their spring training ties to Dunedin, Toronto decided to keep Kinston and drop Dunedin in the re-alignment. The pullout forced the McMullens to fold their Florida State League franchise just three days after the 1979 season concluded.
Key Players
Future Toronto All-Stars Jesse Barfield (’78), Dave Stieb (’78-’79) and Lloyd Moseby (’79) all spent time at Grant Field during Dunedin’s first short-lived run in the Florida State League.
Another notable player was slugging first baseman Greg “Boomer” Wells (’78). The 6′ 6″ Wells was a bush league superstar who never panned out in the Major Leagues, appearing in just 47 games for the Jays and the Minnesota Twins in 1981 and 1982. But he became a major Gaijin star in Japan where he played from 1983 to 1992. In 1983, with the Hankyu Braves of Japan’s Pacific League, he became the first non-Japanese player to win the Triple Crown.
Return To Dunedin
After a seven-year absence, the Toronto Blue Jays put a new Florida State League farm club in Dunedin in 1987. Toronto owned this second edition of the Dunedin Blue Jays outright and this version of the team continues to play in Dunedin today over 30 years later.
Dunedin Blue Jays Shop
Contains Affiliate Links
Modern Day Dunedin Blue Jays New Era Authentic Home 59FIFTY Fitted Hat from Fanatics.com
In Memoriam
Team owner Malcolm McMullen (’78-’79) passed away on August 10, 1994 at the age of 65.
Links
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