West Palm Beach Tropics
From SoSH
The West Palm Beach Tropics were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The club hired Dick Williams as manager and fielded a lineup that included slugger Dave Kingman and future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers. The Tropics went 52-20 in the regular season and ran away with the Southern Division title. Ron Washington led the club's offense, hitting .359 with a league-high 73 RBI. Mickey Rivers hit .366 and Kingman added 8 homers. The pitching staff was led by Juan Eichelberger, who went 11-5 with a 2.90 ERA. Tim Stoddard also won 10 games for the club. Despite their regular season dominance, the Tropics lost 12-4 to the St. Petersburg Pelicans in the league's championship game. The West Palm Beach Tropics returned for a second season as the Florida Tropics. The Tropics did not have a home field and played all of their games on the road, the team's record was 7-15 and were in last place when the league ceased operation and folded in December 1990.
Owners: John Henry & Don Slider
Home Ballpark: Municipal Stadium
Manager: Dick Williams
Coaches: Bob Fralick, Ed Rakow, Larry Brown
Attendance
The Tropics also had the league's best attendance record. A crowd of 3,404 showed up for opening night, an 8-1 victory over the St. Lucie Legends, and the average draw over 35 home dates settled at a respectable 1,600. Unfortunately, the estimated break-even point for every franchise was 2,000 per game. Five of the league's eight teams didn't get half that. The initial owners, future Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and Boca Raton lawyer Don Sider, sold the Tropics after the first season, convinced the league would fail in its attempt to expand to California and Arizona. New York theatrical producer Mitch Maxwell purchased the club but never completed financial requirements with the league and tried to sell the team back to Henry. The former home of the tropics, Municipal Stadium, in now a Home Depot.
Roster
Pitchers: Pete Broberg, Ray Burris, Doug Capilla (also with Bradenton), Juan Eichelberger, Rollie Fingers, Al Hrabosky, Odell Jones, Paul Mirabella, Sid Monge (also with Gold Coast), Lowell Palmer, Tim Stoddard, Tom Underwood
Catchers: Wes Clements, Luis Pujols, Eric Caldwell
Infielders: Toby Harrah, Dave Kingman, Mike Wainscott, Alfie Rondon, Rodney Scott, Mark Wagner, Ron Washington
Outfielders: Lee Lacy, Pat McEntee, Tito Landrum, Mickey Rivers, Jerry White
Other Players: Will McEnaney, Benny Ayala, Mike Easler, Randy Johnson, Ron Johnson, Ed Rakow
