Summary
The St. Lucie Legends was one of the eight original baseball franchises that played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989.[1] The club played its home games at the then recently inaugurated Thomas J. White Stadium, located in Port St. Lucie, Florida.[2]
| St. Lucie Legends | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Independent Winter League |
| League | Senior Professional Baseball Association |
| Division | Southern Division |
| Team data | |
Previous parks | Thomas J. White Stadium |
The Legends featured players such as Vida Blue, a former American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, as well as National League MVP George Foster and perennial All-Stars Bobby Bonds and Graig Nettles, who signed on as player-manager.[3] Nevertheless, the Legends were an awful team that lost 20 of their first 23 games, which cost Nettles his manager's post, being replaced by Bonds for the remainder of the season.[1]
The Legends finished the season with an overall record of 20–51 and did not make the playoffs. Juan Beníquez led the team with a .359 batting average, while Willie Aikens and Foster belted 11 home runs apiece.[1]
In addition, the Legends had severe financial struggles while averaging only 607 fans for 36 home games. The club folded shortly thereafter.[1]
Notable players edit
- Willie Aikens
- Juan Beníquez
- Vida Blue
- Bobby Bonds
- Don Cooper
- John D'Acquisto
- George Foster
- Oscar Gamble
- Ed Glynn
- Fernando Gonzalez
- Ross Grimsley
- Jerry Grote
- Don Gullett
- Dave Hilton
- Al Holland
- Joe Horlen
- Clint Hurdle
- Jerry Johnson
- Von Joshua
- Bill Madlock
- Jerry Manuel
- Larry Milbourne
- Félix Millán
- Tom Murphy
- Ivan Murrell
- Randy Niemann
- Graig Nettles
- Jim Nettles
- Sergio Ferrer
- Steve Ontiveros
- Floyd Rayford
- Fred Stanley
- Roy Thomas
- Luis Tiant
- Jackson Todd
- Bill Travers
- Walt Williams
Sources edit
- ^ a b c d 1989–1990 St. Lucie Legends. Fun While it Lasted website. Retrieved on February 27, 2016.
- ^ Tradition Field. In the Ballparks website. Retrieved on February 28, 2016.
- ^ a b St. Lucie Legends Gallery. The Trading Card Database website. Retrieved on February 27, 2016.
- ^ Additional players added from The Sporting News / February 12, 1990. "Assessing the Boys of Winter". This article contains the player stats from all players who played in 1989.