The Senior Professional Baseball Association , referred to commonly as the Senior League , was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had eight teams in two divisions and a 72-game schedule. Pitchers Rollie Fingers , Ferguson Jenkins (both future Hall of Famers ), and Vida Blue , outfielder Dave Kingman , and managers Earl Weaver and Dick Williams were the league's marquee names; and former big league outfielder Curt Flood was the circuit's first Commissioner. At age 54, Ed Rakow was the league's oldest player.
30-658: Throughout the inaugural season, most clubs struggled with poor attendance, with an average attendance of less than 1,000 per game. On the field, the West Palm Beach Tropics ran away with the league's South Division, finishing 15 games ahead of the second place Fort Myers Sun Sox . In the North, the St. Petersburg Pelicans finished in first, and the Bradenton Explorers were second, narrowly holding off
60-571: A 2.12 ERA. Joaquín Andújar of Gold Coast had 5 wins and an ERA of 1.31. In the first weekend of February 1990, the league's top four teams participated in a three-game, single elimination tournament with a rather unusual format. On February 2, the league's second place clubs faced off. The Explorers defeated the Sun Sox for a chance to face the St. Petersburg Pelicans. The next day, the Pelicans beat
90-422: A contract extension beyond the 2008 season. Reports also suggested tensions between Washington and catcher Gerald Laird . Questioned about the rumors, Washington conceded that the pressure he put on Laird was "a lot to put on a young kid ... (But) that's what we've got. He's got to grow up fast." On March 17, 2010, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported that Washington tested positive for cocaine during
120-442: A league best .374, and his teammate Kim Allen paced the circuit with 33 stolen bases. Willie Aikens hit 12 home runs and had 58 RBIs. West Palm Beach pitcher Juan Eichelberger went 11–5 with a 2.90 ERA , and St. Petersburg's Milt Wilcox went 12–3. Jon Matlack , Tim Stoddard , and Pete Falcone each won 10 games. Bradenton's Rick Lysander saved 11 games, and Winter Haven's Bill Campbell notched 5 saves to go along with
150-531: A middle infielder for most of his career. On May 28, 1988, while playing for the Indians, Washington broke up Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Odell Jones ' no-hit bid after 8 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings with a pinch-hit single. Washington is one of only three MLB players, along with U L Washington (no relation) and Frank White , who were products of the Royals Academy . Following his retirement as
180-677: A player, Washington had a batting average of .261 with 20 career home runs , 146 runs batted in , and 28 stolen bases . After his playing career ended, Washington coached in the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics organizations. He served as manager of the Texas Rangers from 2007 to 2014, leading the team to the World Series in 2010 and 2011 . He coached for the Oakland Athletics in 2015 and served as
210-703: A player, Washington worked in the New York Mets organization for five years. After being hired as the Oakland Athletics first base coach in 1996 under his former Astros manager Art Howe , Washington then served as infield and third base coach for the A's between 1997 and 2006. As infield coach Washington has been credited for developing much of the A's young infield talent in the last decade, including six-time Gold Glover Eric Chavez , and former MVP and A's shortstop Miguel Tejada . In 2004, Chavez expressed his appreciation by giving Washington one of his Gold Glove trophies, signed "Wash, not without you." However,
240-500: A reporter. On September 18, 2014, Washington announced that he had been having an extramarital affair, and that he had resigned to reconcile with his family. Washington's managerial record with the Rangers was 664–611 (.521), including four consecutive 90-win seasons (2010–13), and two pennants. However, his 2014 squad was only 53–87 (.379). Washington was hired as an infield coach by the Oakland Athletics on May 21, 2015. He became
270-681: Is an American professional baseball manager , coach , and former infielder . Since November 2023, Washington has been the manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Washington played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Minnesota Twins , Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros in a career that began in 1977 and ended in 1989. He was primarily a middle infielder , but throughout his career, Washington also appeared at first base , center field and left field . In his 10 seasons as
300-805: The ALCS in six games, to advance to their first World Series in franchise history, before losing to the San Francisco Giants in five games. He also became the third African American to manage a team into a World Series, joining Cito Gaston , who managed the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Championship in the 1992 and 1993 World Series , and Dusty Baker , who managed the Giants in the 2002 World Series . Referring to Washington, second baseman Ian Kinsler said: "I just love
330-554: The Orlando Juice . Infielder Ron Washington of West Palm Beach was the league's offensive star, hitting .359 with a league leading 73 RBIs and winning the MVP award . Washington's teammate Mickey Rivers hit .366, and Gold Coast Sun Bert Campaneris , the oldest everyday player in the league at 47, stole 16 bases. Bradenton's Jim Morrison hit .290 with 55 RBIs and led the league with 17 homers. Tim Ireland of Fort Myers hit
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#1732766080375360-463: 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 did not get even half that figure. The initial WPB team owners, future Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and Boca Raton lawyer Don Sider, sold the Tropics after
390-542: The film adaptation of the book was played by actor Brent Jennings . On November 6, 2006, the Texas Rangers announced that Washington had accepted their offer to manage the team replacing Buck Showalter , who was fired a month earlier. Washington beat out four other candidates for the job: Rangers bench coach Don Wakamatsu , then New York Mets third base coach Manny Acta , Nippon Ham Fighters manager Trey Hillman and former Rangers catcher John Russell . At
420-533: The 1970s and 1980s. He earned a brief September callup with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 hitting .368 (7 for 19). He would not return to the major league level until 1981 with the Minnesota Twins , where he would remain until 1986. He then played one season each for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians , and Houston Astros before retiring from Triple-A Oklahoma City in 1990. He was
450-602: The 2009 season and has acknowledged using cocaine. In 2010, Washington became the second manager of the Rangers franchise (after Johnny Oates ) to take his team to the postseason. On October 12, 2010, Washington became the first manager in franchise history to win a playoff series, with a 3–2 victory in the ALDS over the Tampa Bay Rays . On October 22, 2010, Washington's Rangers defeated the New York Yankees in
480-462: The A's third base coach on August 24, 2015. In October 2016, Washington was a finalist for the Atlanta Braves managerial vacancy. The Braves opted to promote interim manager Brian Snitker instead, and then announced the hiring of Washington as their new third base coach, replacing Bo Porter . Washington won his first World Series championship on November 2, 2021, as third-base coach for
510-734: The Explorers 9–2 to advance to the league championship game against the West Palm Beach Tropics. On February 4, 1990, the Pelicans, powered by Lamar Johnson 's home run and 3 RBIs, beat the Tropics 12–4 for the league's first championship. The 1989-90 player statistics for all teams were published in the Sporting News on February 12, 1990, pages 30–31 "Assessing the Boys of Winter". 1989/1990 Teams Northern Division Southern Division For its second season, four of
540-530: The Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS . The Rangers eventually lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games, after twice being one strike away from the title in game 6. On January 30, 2012, Washington agreed to another two-year contract extension. That year, he led the Rangers to a five-game lead in the race for the AL West title over the Oakland Athletics on September 24, but lost seven of
570-647: The SPBA. West Palm Beach Tropics 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 Rollie Fingers . The Tropics went 52-20 in the regular season and ran away with the Southern Division title. Ron Washington led
600-533: The Tropics lost 12-4 to the St. Petersburg Pelicans in the SPBA's initial championship game. The West Palm Beach Tropics returned for a second season, as a traveling team known as the Florida Tropics , however the team ceased operation when the league folded in December 1990. 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
630-529: The beginning of the 2007 season, it was rumored that there was a rift between Washington and Rangers star Mark Teixeira . Asked about it, Washington responded that he wanted Teixeira and other players to take more pitches, especially when facing middle relievers. Teixeira was traded to the Atlanta Braves in July 2007 and had been rumored to have been on the trading block before reports of tensions with Washington, as his agent, Scott Boras , had refused to negotiate
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#1732766080375660-455: 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. Local Valentino Falcone (a former minor leaguer) ruptured a hamstring stealing second base (one game before opening day) depriving him of an eventual roster spot. Despite their regular season dominance,
690-487: The conclusion of the 2014 season, Washington traveled to Japan to manage a team of MLB All-Stars playing against All-Stars of Nippon Professional Baseball in the 2014 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series . On September 5, 2014, Washington announced his resignation as manager of the Rangers, citing personal reasons. On September 11, 2014, it was announced by several media outlets that Ron Washington's resignation may be related to allegations of sexual assault against
720-442: 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, was later demolished and is now a Home Depot . Ron Washington Ronald Washington (born April 29, 1952)
750-408: The last nine games and the team was relegated to the inaugural AL Wild Card Game , which they lost 5–1 to the Baltimore Orioles . On September 2, 2012, Washington earned his 507th win as a manager of the Texas Rangers, passing Johnny Oates for the second-most wins by a Rangers manager. On August 4, 2013, Washington passed Bobby Valentine for the most wins as a Rangers manager, at 582. Following
780-736: The league's eight teams (Gold Coast, Orlando, St. Lucie, and Winter Haven) folded; the West Palm Beach Tropics became a traveling team known as the Florida Tropics , and the Explorers moved from Bradenton to Daytona Beach, becoming the Daytona Beach Explorers . The circuit then added clubs in Arizona, the Sun City Rays , as well as in California, the San Bernardino Pride . In addition, the league dropped
810-536: The minimum age to 34 and shortened the season to 56 games. Less than halfway through its second season, the SPBA folded on December 26, 1990. 1990/1991 Standings Ron Washington , Joaquín Andújar , Paul Mirabella , Danny Boone , and Ozzie Virgil Jr. signed Major League Baseball contracts after playing in the Senior League; Mirabella, Boone, and Virgil all played in the Majors after their appearances in
840-595: The third base coach of the Atlanta Braves from 2016 to 2023. Washington won a World Series ring with the Braves in 2021. Washington was signed by the Kansas City Royals on July 17, 1970. He spent the next ten seasons in the minor leagues with three different organizations (Royals, Mets, and Dodgers). He also played various seasons in the Mexican Pacific League during the winters throughout
870-539: The trophy was lost during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Washington is portrayed in the book Moneyball that relates how the A's competed having a small budget. Washington is shown in a positive light for the way he trained Scott Hatteberg to field first base for the first time in his career despite initial skepticism, but also as too old-fashioned and traditional in his lack of acceptance of general manager Billy Beane 's sabermetric strategies. His character in
900-404: The way he never holds his emotion back, especially when he's managing. He hangs on every pitch, and it's great to know that your manager is in every single pitch and cares that much." In 2009 his salary was about $ 750,000. On November 4, 2010, Washington agreed to a two-year contract extension. On October 15, 2011, Washington managed the Rangers to their second World Series in as many years, when
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