Fort Myers Sun Sox
From BR Bullpen
The Fort Myers Sun Sox were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The Sun Sox finished their inaugural season in second place in the Southern Division with a 37-35 record. Their offense was led by the league's top hitter, Tim Ireland, who hit .374, and the circuit's stolen base leader, Kim Allen, who had 33 steals. Amos Otis added 11 homers. Unfortunately, the Sun Sox were eliminated by the Bradenton Explorers in the playoffs. The following season, ownership squabbles in Fort Myers caused the Sun Sox to fold and the league to cease operations less than halfway through its second season. Fort Myers was 11-14 and in 5th place when the league folded.
Home Ballpark: Terry Park
Manager: Pat Dobson both seasons 1989 & 1990
1989 Attendance 49,153 (36 Games) Average 1,365
Coaches: Joe Coleman, Tony Torchia
1989 Opening Day Roster:
PITCHERS: Doug Bird, Rich Gale, Wayne Garland, Don Hood, Dave LaRoche, Dennis Leonard, Steve Luebber, Steve McCatty, Eric Rasmussen, Rick Waits
CATCHERS: Marty Castillo, Tim Hosley, Ron Pruitt
INFIELDERS: Kim Allen, Dan Driessen, Tim Ireland, Ron Jackson, Pat Putnam
OUTFIELDERS: Dave Collins, Larry Harlow, Bob Jones, Rick Manning, Amos Otis, Tom Spencer
DISABLED LIST: Dick Drago, Jim Slaton, Champ Summers
Other Players: Alan Ashby
[edit] 1989-1990 Stats (Incomplete)
| Hitting Stats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | POS | AVG | HR | RBI | SB |
| Kim Allen | 2B | .330 | 2 | 28 | 33 |
| Alan Ashby | C | .241 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Marty Castillo | C | .291 | 3 | 21 | 0 |
| Dan Driessen | 1B | .333 | 4 | 49 | 0 |
| Larry Harlow | OF | .307 | 0 | 30 | 10 |
| Tim Ireland | 2B-SS | .374 | 0 | 42 | 9 |
| Ron Jackson | 3B | .344 | 2 | 36 | 2 |
| Bobby Jones | OF | .183 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Rick Manning | OF | .288 | 1 | 33 | 6 |
| Amos Otis | OF | .332 | 11 | 52 | 4 |
| Ron Pruitt | C | .306 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Pat Putnam | 3B | .312 | 3 | 24 | 1 |
| Tom Spencer | OF | .250 | 3 | 23 | 3 |
| Pitching Stats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | W | L | ERA | SV |
| Doug Bird | 1 | 4 | 4.46 | 3 |
| Dick Drago | 0 | 2 | 10.54 | 0 |
| Rich Gale | 4 | 5 | ? | ? |
| Wayne Garland | 3 | 2 | 5.40 | 0 |
| Dave LaRoche | 1 | 2 | 3.68 | 7 |
| Dennis Leonard | 4 | 1 | 4.76 | 1 |
| Steve McCatty | 5 | 6 | 4.60 | 0 |
| Eric Rasmussen | 1 | 3 | 4.04 | 1 |
| Rick Waits | 5 | 4 | 3.81 | 0 |
