Gulf Coast League Rays
Encyclopedia
The Gulf Coast Rays are a minor league baseball
team in Port Charlotte, Florida
managed by Joe Alvarez. They are a Rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League
that will begin play as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays
in June 2009. The team will play most of their home games on field five of the Charlotte Sports Park
complex, and will also play select games in the stadium. Their roster will compose mostly of international free agents
from the Dominican Republic
and Venezuela
and draft picks from the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft
.
The Rays returned to the Gulf Coast League for the first time since the 1998
season, when they were known as the Gulf Coast Devil Rays
.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in Port Charlotte, Florida
Port Charlotte, Florida
Port Charlotte is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 46,451 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
managed by Joe Alvarez. They are a Rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
that will begin play as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
in June 2009. The team will play most of their home games on field five of the Charlotte Sports Park
Charlotte Sports Park
Charlotte Sports Park is a baseball stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida...
complex, and will also play select games in the stadium. Their roster will compose mostly of international free agents
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and draft picks from the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft
2009 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in New York City.The drafting order is as follows:-First-round selections:Key-Supplemental first-round selections:From Baseball America...
.
The Rays returned to the Gulf Coast League for the first time since the 1998
1998 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Greg Vaughn all hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break and engage in a historic chase for Roger Maris's single-season record of 61 home runs...
season, when they were known as the Gulf Coast Devil Rays
Gulf Coast Devil Rays
The Gulf Coast Devil Rays were a Gulf Coast League team from 1996 to 1998. The Devil Rays struggled during their first two years, but made it to the league championship in 1998, losing to the GCL Rangers....
.