Editing Florida Complex League (section)

== History ==
Complex-based baseball leagues, which played before sparse crowds and often scheduled morning games to avoid the summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms, were adopted after the drastic shrinking of minor league baseball during the 1950s and 1960s. MLB teams needed an entry level to professional baseball for 18- and 19-year-old players graduating from high schools or signed from Latin America. They replaced Class C and Class D leagues as the lowest rung on the minor league ladder.

The current league was founded in 1964 as the [[Sarasota Rookie League]] (SRL) with four teams playing in [[Sarasota]]. It was originally intended to be the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]] division of a statewide rookie league, with the eastern division [[Cocoa Rookie League]] based in [[Cocoa, Florida|Cocoa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZxEOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5162,3675845&dq=sarasota+rookie+league|title=Rookie League Should Aid Sarasota Economy|date=July 7, 1964|first=Bob|last=Bender|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jBAOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5346,3627686&dq=sarasota+rookie+league|title=Special Ceremonies Mark League Opening|date=June 27, 1964|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> However, the eastern and western teams never played each other. The SRL's four teams consisted of squads sponsored by the [[Chicago White Sox]], [[History of the Atlanta Braves|Milwaukee Braves]], [[New York Yankees]], and [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. The [[Gulf Coast Braves|SRL Braves]], managed by [[Paul Snyder (baseball)|Paul Snyder]], future Atlanta [[farm system]] director, won the championship with a 36–23 record.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Gulf Coast League Braves|SRL Braves]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Cardinals|SRL Cardinals]]
* [[Gulf Coast League White Sox|SRL White Sox]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Yankees|SRL Yankees]]
{{div col end}}

The league added teams in [[Bradenton]] in 1965 and changed its name to the {{Anchor|Florida Rookie League}}'''Florida Rookie League'''.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Gulf Coast League Astros|FRL Astros]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Braves|FRL Braves]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Cardinals|FRL Cardinals]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Twins|FRL Twins]]
* [[Gulf Coast League White Sox|FRL White Sox]]
* [[Gulf Coast League Yankees|FRL Yankees]]
{{div col end}}

=== Gulf Coast League ===
The league adopted Gulf Coast League (GCL) naming for the 1966 season. It expanded to Florida's east coast in the 1990s.

Historically, three separate leagues also used the Gulf Coast League name: a 1907–1908 [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] league, a 1926 Class D league and a 1950–1953 [[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] (1950) and [[Class B (baseball)|Class B]] League. 

The 1907 founding members were the [[Alexandria White Sox]], [[Lafayette Browns]], [[Lake Charles Creoles]], [[Monroe Municipals]], [[Opelousas Indians]] and [[Orange Hoo-Hoos]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=GULF&class=D|title=Gulf Coast League (D) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> 

The 1926 Gulf Coast League was a four-team [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level league. The league featured the [[Beeville Bees]]/[[Laredo Oilers]] (59–41), [[Corpus Christi Seahawks]] (43–58), [[Kingsville Jerseys]]/[[McAllen Palms]]/[[Mission Grapefruiters]] (46–52) and [[Victoria Rosebuds]]/[[Edinburg Bobcats]] (51–48) teams.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-GULF2/y-1926|title=1926 Gulf Coast League (GCL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=18f59c40|title=1926 Gulf Coast League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

The 1950–1953 version of the Gulf Coast League featured the [[Brownsville Charros]], [[Corpus Christi Aces]], [[Galveston White Caps]], [[Harlingen Capitals]], [[Lake Charles Lakers]], [[Laredo Apaches]], [[Port Arthur Seahawks]] and [[Texas City Texans]]. The [[Crowley Millers]], [[Jacksonville Jax]], [[Lufkin Angels|Lufkin]]/[[Leesville Angels]] played in the league in 1950. All three versions of the league operated around the Gulf coasts of [[Texas]] and [[Louisiana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?code=GULF&class=C|title=Gulf Coast League Encyclopedia and History|work=[[Baseball Reference]]|access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=GULF&class=B|title=Gulf Coast League (B) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=GULF&class=C|title=Gulf Coast League (C) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

On June 21, 2016, the GCL hired [[Jen Pawol]], the first female umpire in Minor League Baseball since 2007, and the first in the GCL since 1978.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rivera|first1=Joe|title=Minor League Baseball hires first female umpire since 2007|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/women-in-sports-minor-league-baseball-female-umpire-jen-pawol/12x43qvyghh8b1e03m7uaza2mr|website=Sporting News|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref>  In 2017, the GCL hired another woman umpire, Emma Charlesworth-Seiler.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espnw/features/article/19956500/another-crack-major-league-baseball-glass-ceiling|title = Another crack in Major League Baseball's glass ceiling|date = July 11, 2017}}</ref>

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] before ultimately being canceled on June 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Message From Pat O'Conner|url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/message-from-minor-league-baseball-president-ceo-pat-o-conner-313052288|publisher=Minor League Baseball|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name="2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved">{{cite news |title=2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved|url=https://www.milb.com/news/2020-minor-league-baseball-season-shelved|publisher=Minor League Baseball|date=June 30, 2020|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref>

=== Florida Complex League ===
Prior to the 2021 season, in continuation of MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues, the two US-based complex leagues were renamed, with the Gulf Coast League becoming the Florida Complex League (FCL).