Brevard County Manatees

The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium; built in 1994, the park held 5,346 people and was also the spring training home of Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins (from 1994 to 2002), Montreal Expos (from 2003 to 2004), and Washington Nationals (from 2005 to 2016). The team left Brevard County after the 2016 season for Kissimmee, Florida, where it began play in 2017 as the Florida Fire Frogs.

Brevard County Manatees
1994–2016
Viera, Florida
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass A-Advanced (1994–2016)
Previous leagues
Florida State League (1994–2016)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (1)2001 (co-champions)
Division titles (3)
  • 1994
  • 2001
  • 2007
Team data
NicknameBrevard County Manatees (1994–2016)
Colorsnavy blue, red, white
              
Mascot
  • Hugh Manatee (1994-2001)
  • Manny Manatee (2002-2016)
Previous parks
Space Coast Stadium (1994–2016)

The team′s mascot was a manatee. From 1994 to 2001, he was named Hugh Manatee, and from 2002 to 2016 he was known as Manny Manatee.

Team history

In 1994, the Manatees won the East Division title, but lost the Florida State League championship series to the Tampa Yankees in four games. They won the East Division again in 2001, but due to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks the league championship series was canceled and the Manatees and the West Division champion, the Tampa Yankees, were declared co-champions. In 2007, the Manatees won the North Division title but lost in the league championship series to the Clearwater Threshers in four games.

On August 12, 2009, the Manatees recorded the 1,000th win in franchise history with an 8–2 win over the Dunedin Blue Jays.

The Manatees were affiliated with the Florida Marlins from 1994 to 2001 and with the Montreal Expos from 2002 through 2004. From 2005 through 2016, they were an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.[1]

The Manatees played their last game on September 4, 2016, losing to the Daytona Tortugas 6–4 before a crowd of 1,573 at Space Coast Stadium.[2] After the 2016 season, the team relocated to Kissimmee, Florida, to play its home games at Osceola County Stadium.[3] The name of the team changed to the Florida Fire Frogs[4] and its affiliation switched from the Brewers to the Atlanta Braves.

Notable promotions

In April 2007, on "World Record First Pitch Attempt Day" the stadium was opened at 6:00 a.m. for the 7:00 p.m. game to allow each fan to throw a ceremonial first pitch. They were still short of the world record by several hundred pitches.

Notable alumni
Ryan Braun
Nate Robertson

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

Season-by-season results
Brevard County Manatees
YearRegular SeasonPost-season
RecordWin %LeagueRecordWin %Result
199478–61.5612nd3–3.500Won East Division title vs West Palm Beach Expos, 2–0
Lost FSL Championship vs Tampa Yankees, 1–3
199561–74.45212th———
199647–92.33814th———
199762–76.44912th———
199843–97.30714th———
199961–74.45212th———
200066–74.47110th———
200180–55.5931st2–1.667Won East Division title vs Vero Beach Dodgers, 2–1
FSL Championship series vs Tampa Yankees canceled due to September 11, 2001 attacks.
Both teams are declared co-champions.
200251–85.37512th———
200365–66.4967th———
200453–72.42410th———
200563–73.46310th———
200664–65.4968th———
200774–62.5444th3–4.429Won East Division title vs St. Lucie Mets, 2–1
Lost FSL Championship vs Clearwater Threshers, 1–3
200866–72.4788th———
200979–48.6221st0–2.000Lost North Division title vs Tampa Yankees, 0–2
201064–75.46010th———
201162–76.44911th———
201263–72.4678th———
201366–68.4937th———
201473–62.5416th———
201555–80.4079th———
201640–97.29212th———
Totals1,436–1,676.458—8–10.4441 League Co-Championship; 3 Division Titles

References
  1. Anonymous, "Manatees Extend Affiliation With Brewers: Player Development Contract Now Runs Through the 2016 Season," milb.com, September 17, 2014 12:25 PM EDT.
  2. Bonanno, Chris, "Fans reflect on Manatees’ final game in Brevard," floridatoday.com, September 5, 2016, 12:29 a.m. EDT.
  3. Hill, Benjamin (September 16, 2016). "Braves move A Advanced club to Kissimmee". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. "Team Name Revealed as Florida Fire Frogs". MiLB.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  5. Wide Receiver, New England Patriots, was a prospect for the Florida Marlins and played in Brevard in 1998 and 1999
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