The Cocoa Rookie League, based in Cocoa and

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

, was an American minor

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

league that operated for one season, . One of the first spring training-complex-based circuits, it was graded at the Rookie-league level, which is the lowest level of minor league baseball.

History

Instruction-driven league for youngsters

Its four teams were owned and operated by

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams seeking a means to develop 18- and 19-year-old players who had just signed their first professional contracts. The contraction in leagues and teams during the 1950s and early 1960s had caused a major reorganization of the structure of minor league baseball in , and the two

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

rookie circuits created in 1964 (the

Sarasota Rookie League The Sarasota Rookie League was a minor baseball league that played in as a Rookie level league. All league games were played in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Rookie League was succeeded in by the Florida Rookie League, which evolved into the ...

along the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

was the other) were founded to offer an entry-level league for inexperienced players who might struggle in the other Rookie-level circuits, the Appalachian League and the Pioneer League.Daytona Beach ''Morning Journal'', May 14, 1964 The complex-based teams charged no admission (individual attendance records were not kept)Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd ed.'' Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007, page 527 and the emphasis was on baseball fundamentals instruction for the young players. The four teams — operated by the Detroit Tigers,

Houston Colt .45s The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

, Minnesota Twins and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

— competed against each other in a league schedule of over 50 games, with the Twins' entry — led by 19—year-old

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...

, a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame — taking the CRL pennant by five games over the Mets' club. Total attendance for the year was only 1,683. The Cocoa Rookie League folded after the season, while the Sarasota—based circuit became the basis for the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

, which still plays today. A successor to the CRL, the Florida East Coast League, operated in 1972 in Cocoa and Melbourne.

Cocoa Rookie League teams

* Cocoa Colts * Cocoa Mets * Cocoa Tigers * Melbourne Twins

Standings & statistics

1964 Cocoa Rookie League All games played at Cocoa, Florida
Total Attendance: 1,683
Playoffs: None Scheduled.

References

External links

Cocoa Rookie League page in Baseball Reference
{{Professional Baseball Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Florida 1964 in sports in Florida 1964 in baseball 1964 establishments in Florida 1964 disestablishments in Florida Sports leagues established in 1964 Sports leagues disestablished in 1964 Cocoa, Florida Melbourne, Florida