Orlando Braves
Encyclopedia
The Gulf Coast League Braves are the Rookie Level minor league baseball
affiliate of the Atlanta Braves
. The team plays at the Walt Disney World Resort
at Champion Stadium at Disney's Wide World of 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 agent
s from the United States
, Canada
, Dominican Republic
, Venezuela
, and other countries.
In 2003, the Gulf Coast Braves won a best-of-3 series to defeat the Gulf Coast Pirates and become the Gulf Coast League
champions. They did not make the playoffs in 2006.
The team traces its history to the earliest days of "complex-based" baseball. Initially based in Sarasota, Florida
, it was a member of the short-lived Sarasota Rookie League
(1964) and Florida Rookie League (1965), and was a charter club in the Gulf Coast League
when it formed in 1966. The GCL Braves have operated from 1964-67 and continuously since 1976.
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...
affiliate of the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. The team plays at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
at Champion Stadium at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a athletic complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort. The complex includes 9 venues and hosts numerous amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year....
.
The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
either as draftees or non-drafted free agent
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....
s from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, 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...
, 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 other countries.
In 2003, the Gulf Coast Braves won a best-of-3 series to defeat the Gulf Coast Pirates and become 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...
champions. They did not make the playoffs in 2006.
The team traces its history to the earliest days of "complex-based" baseball. Initially based in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, it was a member of the short-lived Sarasota Rookie League
Sarasota Rookie League
The Sarasota Rookie League was an American Rookie-classification minor baseball league that existed in . Its four teams were owned and operated by Major League Baseball clubs and played in minor league training complexes in Sarasota, Florida. The SRL was succeeded in by the Florida Rookie League,...
(1964) and Florida Rookie League (1965), and was a charter club 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...
when it formed in 1966. The GCL Braves have operated from 1964-67 and continuously since 1976.