Gulf Coast League Royals
The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971–1978, 1982-1983 and 1985–2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. The GCL Royals played games at Florida-based minor league and spring training facilities located in Sarasota (through 1987), Baseball City Stadium in Davenport (1988–1992; 1999–2002) and Fort Myers (1993–1998).
| Gulf Coast League Royals (1971-1983, 1985-2002)
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| Minor league affiliations | |
|---|---|
| Previous classes | Rookie |
Previous leagues | Gulf Coast League |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams | Kansas City Royals |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (6) |
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| Division titles (7) |
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| Team data | |
| Nickname |
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Previous parks |
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From 1979–1981, the Royals operated two GCL teams, the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Blue and Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Gold, to accommodate a surplus of teenaged players. In 1974, Kansas City also fielded a separate Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Academy team for members of its experimental Baseball Academy. The Academy team played alongside the GCL Royals; finishing 35–16 in the GCL standings that season, 4½ games ahead of the 29–19 GCL Royals, but the Royals Academy lost the league pennant by percentage points to the GCL Cubs.
In 2003, when the Royals moved their spring training operations to Surprise, Arizona, they simultaneously transferred their Rookie-level affiliate to the Arizona League.
Season-by-season
(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCL Royals (1971-1974) | |||||
| 1971 | 40-13 | 1st | Buzzy Keller | League Champs No playoffs until 1983 | |
| 1972 | 41-22 | 1st (t) | Buzzy Keller | Co-Champs w/ GCL Cubs | |
| 1973 | 27-28 | 5th | Buzzy Keller | ||
| 1974 | 29-19 | 4th | Billy Scripture | ||
| GCL Royals Academy (1974) | |||||
| 1974 | 35-16 | 2nd | Billy Goodman | ||
| GCL Royals (1975-1978) | |||||
| 1975 | 31-18 | 2nd | Gary Blaylock | ||
| 1976 | 29-25 | 3rd | Jose Martinez | ||
| 1977 | 34-19 | 2nd | Billy Scripture | ||
| 1978 | 31-24 | 2nd | Jose Martinez | ||
| GCL Royals Blue (1979-1981) | |||||
| 1979 | 24-29 | 5th | Brian Murphy | ||
| 1980 | 40-23 | 1st | Joe Jones | League Champs | |
| 1981 | 35-28 | 3rd | Joe Jones | ||
| GCL Royals Gold (1979-1981) | |||||
| 1979 | 29-23 | 3rd | Jose Martinez | ||
| 1980 | 22-40 | 9th | Roy Tanner | ||
| 1981 | 44-20 | 1st | Roy Tanner | League Champs | |
| GCL Royals (1982-2002) | |||||
| 1982 | 28-35 | 8th | Joe Jones | ||
| 1983 | 30-31 | 5th | Joe Jones | ||
| 1985 | 38-24 | 3rd (t) | Joe Jones | ||
| 1986 | 30-33 | 8th | Luis Silverio | ||
| 1987 | 40-23 | 2nd | Luis Silverio | Lost League Finals vs. GCL Dodgers (1 game to 0) | |
| 1988 | 39-24 | 4th | Carlos Tosca | Lost League Finals vs. GCL Yankees (1 game to 0) | |
| 1989 | 35-28 | 6th | Carlos Tosca | ||
| 1990 | 25-38 | 12th | Carlos Tosca | ||
| 1991 | 31-29 | 5th | Bob Herold | ||
| 1992 | 41-18 | 1st | Mike Jirschele | League Champs vs. GCL Expos (2 game to 1) | |
| 1993 | 29-30 | 10th | Bob Herold | ||
| 1994 | 47-12 | 1st | Bob Herold | Lost League Finals vs. GCL Astros (2 game to 1) | |
| 1995 | 37-20 | 3rd | Bob Herold | League Champs vs. GCL Tigers (2 game to 0) Won in 1st round vs. GCL White Sox (1 game to 0) | |
| 1996 | 30-29 | 8th | Al Pedrique | ||
| 1997 | 36-24 | 3rd | Al Pedrique | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Rangers (1 game to 0) | |
| 1998 | 32-28 | 7th | Andre David | ||
| 1999 | 33-27 | 4th | Andre David | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Mets (1 game to 0) | |
| 2000 | 20-40 | 11th | Ron Karkovice / Andre David | ||
| 2001 | 20-40 | 13th (t) | Lino Diaz | ||
| 2002 | 22-38 | 14th | Lloyd Simmons | ||