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Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays has recently been demoted to the rookie-level Florida Complex League due to his pitching struggles. Baseball fans are curious to know about the Florida Complex League and how it operates.
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The Florida Complex League (FCL), previously known as Gulf Coast League is a rookie-level minor-league baseball league operating in Florida. It was first founded in 1964 as the Sarasota Rookie League (SRl). They form the lowest level of the North American minor league system along with the Arizona Complex League.
The teams of FCL are owned by the parent teams in MLB and play their games in the spring training facilities of those teams. Additionally, for the teams, there is no set limit as to the number of players they can include in their active roster. However, the teams cannot have more than three players with four or more years of minor league experience. Sometimes, MLB also sends players on rehabilitation assignments to the FCL.
The FCL operates a season that ranges between 52-56 games. It generally takes place between mid-June to late August. There are three divisions into which the teams are divided - East, North, and South.
For the playoffs, four teams qualify. Among these three are division winners and one is a wild card entry. They qualify for the playoffs through winning percentages despite their rankings in their division. Moreover. there is a single-game semi-final between teams 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. Finally, there is a best-of-three series game between the winners of the two semi-finals to determine the league champion for the season.
Now that Alek Manoah is in the FCL, the league can help him to upgrade his pitching skills. This will help him when he eventually makes his return to the major leagues in the future.
Teams in the Florida Complex League
The Florida Complex League (FCL) has a total of 15 teams. These along with their parent teams are as follows:
East
- FCL Nationals - Washington Nationals
- FCL Marlins - Miami Marlins
- FCL Cardinals - St. Louis Cardinals
- FCL Astros - Houston Astros
- FCL Mets - New York Mets
South
- FCL Twins - Minnesota Twins
- FCL Rays - Tampa Bay Rays
- FCL Orioles - Baltimore Orioles
- FCL Braves - Atlanta Braves
- FCL Pirates - Pittsburg Pirates
- FCL Red Sox - Boston Red Sox
North
- FCL Yankees - New York Yankees
- FCL Phillies - Philadelphia Phillies
- FCL Blue Jays - Toronto Blue Jays
- FCL Tigers - Detroit Tigers
The Florida Complex League (FCL) produces a lot of talent every year. MLB should be keeping a close watch on them so that they can use these talents in the future.
