Gulf Coast League Twins
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Gulf Coast League Twins (1965-1971, 1989-present) Fort Myers, Florida | |||||
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| Class-level | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Rookie | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Gulf Coast League | ||||
| Division | Southern Division | ||||
Previous leagues | Florida Rookie League (1965) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Minnesota Twins | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (0) | None | ||||
| Division titles (2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | GCL Twins | ||||
Previous names | SRL Twins (1965) | ||||
| Ballpark | Lee County Sports Complex | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Minnesota Twins | ||||
| Manager | Ramón Borrego | ||||
| General Manager | Tom Saffell | ||||
The Gulf Coast League Twins are the Rookie Level Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex.The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball either as draftees or non-drafted free agents from the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other countries.[1]
Gulf Coast League team rosters are thirty players, and cannot have more than twelve players over twenty years old, and no more than four players over 21. No player can have more than two years of prior service, excluding Rookie leagues outside the United States and Canada.
In 1965, the team first played in the league's direct predecessor, the Florida Rookie League, as the Florida Rookie League Twins. The team suspended operations after the 1971 season, but returned to the GCL in 1989.
The GCL Twins compete in the GCL's Southern Division. In 2009, the GCL Twins won the South with a 34-21 record under manager Jake Mauer, who is the older brother of the Minnesota Twins AL MVP catcher Joe Mauer. They lost 1-0 in twelve innings to the wild card winning GCL Nationals in the one game playoff.[2] Following the season, Mauer was promoted to manager of the Florida State League Fort Myers Miracle, and Chris Heintz took the reins for the GCL Twins. Like Mauer, Heintz was also a player in the Twins organization. He coached with the Beloit Snappers the final two months of the 2009 season. In addition to managing the GCL club, Heintz will also run the Twins' extended Spring Training.[3]
On July 25, 2010, it was announced that Tom Brunansky, member of the 1987 Twin's championship team, accepted a job to be the hitting coach for the GCL Twins and had started working early this July.[4]
Roster
| Gulf Coast League Twins roster | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||
Season-by-season
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRL Twins[5] | |||||
| 1965 | 32-28 | 3rd | Fred Waters | No playoffs | |
| GCL Twins[6] | |||||
| 1966 | 24-24 | 3rd | Fred Waters | No playoffs until 1983 | |
| 1967 | 29-29 | 3rd | Fred Waters | ||
| 1968 | 32-27 | 4th | Fred Waters | ||
| 1969 | 21-32 | 6th | Fred Waters | ||
| 1970 | 34-29 | 4th | Fred Waters | ||
| 1971 | 22-30 | 5th | Fred Waters | ||
| 1989 | 27-36 | 10th (t) | Joel Lepel | ||
| 1990 | 32-30 | 8th (t) | Joel Lepel | ||
| 1991 | 27-33 | 12th (t) | Dan Rohn | ||
| 1992 | 30-28 | 7th | Jim Lemon | ||
| 1993 | 23-36 | 12th | Jose Marzan | ||
| 1994 | 22-38 | 13th | Jose Marzan | ||
| 1995 | 20-35 | 14th | Mike Boulanger | ||
| 1996 | 30-30 | 9th | Mike Boulanger | ||
| 1997 | 28-32 | 8th | Steve Liddle | ||
| 1998 | 34-26 | 3rd (t) | Steve Liddle | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Rangers (1 game to 0) | |
| 1999 | 33-26 | 3rd | Al Newman | Lost League Finals vs. GCL Mets (2 games to 0) Won in 1st round vs. GCL Rangers (1 game to 0) | |
| 2000 | 33-23 | 4th | Al Newman | ||
| 2001 | 32-26 | 6th | Al Newman | ||
| 2002 | 35-25 | 4th | Rudy Hernandez | ||
| 2003 | 28-31 | 7th | Rudy Hernandez | ||
| 2004 | 31-26 | 5th | Riccardo Ingram | ||
| 2005 | 28-26 | 4th (t) | Nelson Prada | ||
| 2006 | 26-27 | 7th | Nelson Prada | ||
| 2007 | 37-19 | 3rd | Nelson Prada | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Yankees (1 game to 0) | |
| 2008 | 35-21 | 2nd | Jake Mauer | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Nationals (1 game to 0) | |
| 2009 | 34-21 | 3rd | Jake Mauer | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Nationals (1 game to 0) | |
| 2010 | 29-31 | 10th (t) | Chris Heintz (2-5) / Ramon Borrego (27-26) | ||
| 2011 | 31-29 | 6th | Ramon Borrego | ||
| 2012 | 33-27 | 6th | Ramon Borrego | ||
| 2013 | 28-32 | 8th (t) | Ramon Borrego | ||
| 2014 | 23-37 | 14th (t) | Ramon Borrego | ||
| 2015 | 27-32 | 9th (t) | Ramon Borrego | ||
References
- ↑ "Gulf Coast League Twins". Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ↑ "GCL Nationals 1, GCL Twins 0". Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ↑ "Twins announce Minor League staffs". Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ↑ http://www.twincities.com/ci_15601193?source=most_viewed
- ↑ "FRL Twins". Baseball Reference Bullpen. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ↑ "GCL Twins". Baseball Reference Bullpen. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
