The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
| Florida Fire Frogs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Class A-Advanced (2017–2020) | ||||
| League | Florida State League (2017–2020) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Atlanta Braves (2017–2020) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (0) | None | ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name | Florida Fire Frogs (2017–2020) | ||||
| Colors | Red, black, orange, gold, white | ||||
| Ballpark |
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Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs played their home games at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida, part of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area, through 2019.[1] In 2020, they were to have begun playing at CoolToday Park in North Port, but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They ceased operations after the Major League Baseball's reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021.
History
editThe Fire Frogs were the relocation of the Brevard County Manatees. The team's name was announced on October 26, 2016, at the conclusion of a name-the-team contest.[2] The finalists from which their name was selected were: "Dragonflies," "Fire Frogs," "Mud Kickers," "Rodeo Clowns," "Sorcerers," and "Toucans."[3]
In May 2019, the team accepted a half-million-dollar buyout from Osceola County to leave at the end of the 2019 season. The stadium would be redeveloped as part of a training complex at Osceola Heritage Park for Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer.[4][5]
In December 2019, the Fire Frogs' co-owner expressed an interest in returning the franchise to Brevard County, but their previous ballpark, Space Coast Stadium, was not available. Coastal Florida Sports Park was a possibility, but not until 2021.[6] The team's future was further called into question when it was included in a list of teams that may have been folded as part of reorganization of Minor League Baseball after the 2020 season.[7]
On January 16, 2020, the Braves announced that the Fire Frogs would play at their new spring training facility, CoolToday Park in North Port, for the 2020 season.[8] The 2020 minor league baseball season, however, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On December 9, 2020, the Braves announced their minor league affiliates as part of Major League Baseball's reorganization, which excluded the Fire Frogs.[9]
Season-by-season results
edit| Year | League | Division | Regular season | Post-season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half | 2nd half | ||||||||||||
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | ||||
| 2017 | FSL | North | 6th | 25 | 41 | .379 | 12 | 5th | 23 | 40 | .365 | 22 | |
| 2018 | FSL | North | 6th | 29 | 37 | .439 | 8 | 6th | 22 | 43 | .338 | 21 | |
| 2019 | FSL | North | 6th | 25 | 41 | .379 | 16.5 | 6th | 29 | 41 | .414 | 10 | |
| Statistic | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time regular season record (2017–2019) | 153 | 243 | .386 |
References
edit- ^ Hill, Benjamin (September 16, 2016). "Braves move A Advanced club to Kissimmee". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ "Team Name Revealed as Florida Fire Frogs". MiLB.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ "Six Potential Names Revealed for Central Florida Team". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. July 28, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ Jackson, Ken (May 31, 2019). "Orlando City confirms it's bringing MLS, developmental training facility to Heritage Park; Fire Frogs sign deal to leave after this season". Osceola News-Gazette. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (May 31, 2019). "Fire Frogs to Depart Osceola County Stadium at End of Season". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ Spedden, Zach (December 20, 2019). "Co-Owner: Return Fire Frogs Franchise to Brevard County". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ Baer, Bill (November 17, 2019). "MLB could eliminate 42 Minor League Baseball teams". Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ Zucker, Scott (January 16, 2020). "Florida Fire Frogs will be Cool Today Park's boys of summer". Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ "Braves Invite Four Teams to Affiliate". December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.