Gold Coast Suns (baseball)
| Gold Coast Suns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Independent Winter League |
| League | Senior Professional Baseball Association |
| Division | Southern Division |
| Team data | |
Previous parks | Bobby Maduro-Miami Stadium Pompano Beach Municipal Park |
The Gold Coast Suns was one of the eight original franchises that played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in its inaugural 1989 season. The club split their home games between the cities of Miami and Pompano Beach in Florida.[1]
The legendary Earl Weaver managed the Suns, who hired former All-Star Pedro Ramos as their pitching coach. Bright spots included pitcher Joaquín Andújar, who posted a 5-0 record with a 1.31 earned run average, and shortstop Bert Campaneris as the oldest everyday player in the league at 47, who hit a .291 batting average and stole 16 bases in 60 games.[2]
But the Suns struggled for most of the season, ending with a 32-39 record and out of the playoffs. Without a fan base, the team averaged just 985 fans per game, about half of the attendance projected, and folded at the end of the season.[1]
Notable players
- Joaquín Andújar
- Stan Bahnsen
- Paul Blair
- Bert Campaneris
- Paul Casanova
- César Cedeño
- Ken Clay
- Jesús de la Rosa
- Joe Decker
- Taylor Duncan
- Jim Essian
- Ed Figueroa
- Jim Gideon
- Orlando González
- Ross Grimsley
- Glenn Gulliver
- Ed Halicki
- George Hendrick
- Grant Jackson
- Cliff Johnson
- Mike Kekich
- Rafael Landestoy
- Larry Milbourne
- Bob Molinaro
- Sid Monge
- Bobby Ramos
- Frank Riccelli
- Tom Shopay
- Rennie Stennett
- Derrel Thomas
- Luis Tiant
- Steve Whitaker
Sources
- ^ a b Senior Citizens: The Boys of Winter. Uni Watch. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
- ^ a b 1990 Gold Coast Suns. The Trading Card Database. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.