BREVARD COUNTY MANATEES - The Manatees spent the 2004 campaign at or near the bottom of the Florida State League East Division standings. The team compiled a 31-36 mark by the end of the first half of the season, but finished out the year 22-36. A handful of players, however, shined during this otherwise cloudy season. Darrell Rasner was the team's best pitcher. The right-hander finished sixth in the league in ERA (3.17) and tallied 88 strikeouts to just 31 walks in 119.1 innings pitched. Rasner was selected to the Florida State League East Division All-Star team. Brett Price (100) and Michael O'Connor (104) topped the century mark in strikeouts for the Manatees. Brevard County had three players finish among the league leaders in triples. Frank Diaz (8), Shawn Norris (8) and Clyde Williams (7) all made the cut. Diaz's 57 runs batted in led the team and represented the Manatees in the FSL's midsummer classic. Norris joined Diaz and Rasner as all-stars and hit a solid .273 on the season. In 2005, the Manatees will begin their first season as an affiliate to the Milwaukee Brewers.

CLEARWATER THRESHERS - Clearwater finished the first half of the season with a league-worst 25-46 record, but rebounded a bit in the second half and posted a 30-36 mark. The Threshers finished the season 27 games under .500 (55-82) and made their biggest headline when manager Mike Schmidt decided to discontinue his player development career after only one season. On top of that, Cole Hamels, Philadelphia's best prospect who was supposed to make a big splash in the Florida State League this season, pitched in just four games and missed significant time due to injury. Despite the setbacks, a pair of Threshers turned in all-star performances at the plate. Outfielder Chris Roberson led the team with a .307 batting average and was named the MVP of the Florida State League All-Star Game. In addition, Roberson was selected to the league's 2004 all-star squad, announced at the end of the season. Ryan Barthelemy also swung a hot bat for the Threshers. Barthelemy finished the season tied for third in the league in batting average (.297), was first in hits (141) and 5th in RBI (77). He was also among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.459) and on-base percentage (.370). Pitcher Alfredo Simon finished the year ninth in the league in ERA (3.27).

DAYTONA CUBS - The Cubs were named 2004 Florida State League Co-Champions after Hurricane Ivan forced the league to cancel its championship series. The Cubs were slated to face the Tampa Yankees after they swept their semi-final playoff series against the Vero Beach Dodgers, but will instead share the title with Tampa. The championship capped off the best season in Cubs' history as the team set a franchise attendance record and first baseman Brandon Sing was named the FSL's Most Valuable Player. Sing, a mid-season and post-season all-star, hit .270 on the season and led the league in home runs (32), RBI (94), on-base percentage (.399), slugging percentage (.571), and runs scored (86). Matt Murton and Felix Pie were also honored as 2004 Florida State League All-Stars. Murton was fifth in the league in hits (133) and Pie finished in the top ten in hits (128 - 8th), triples (10 - 3rd), runs (79 - 3rd), and stolen bases (32 - 5th). Pitcher Jon Connoly posted an 11-7 record with a 2.59 ERA and 109 strikeouts to just 29 walks in 153.0 innings in 2004. The Cubs finished the season with a 70-56 record (40-29 in the first half, 30-27 in the second).

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS - Dunedin wrapped up the 2004 season with a 76-57 overall record and earned a trip to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Blue Jays, Western Division Champions a year ago, posted the league's best record in the first half of the season (41-29) before being run down by the Tampa Yankees in the second half. The Blue Jays went 35-28 over the course of the last half of the year and finished two games behind the Yankees in the West Division. That set up a meeting between the two teams in the first round of the playoffs, but Tampa got the best of Dunedin and swept them out of the post-season. Ismael Ramirez helped guide the Blue Jays to the playoffs and enjoyed individual success as the league's best pitcher. Ramirez posted a 15-6 record with a 2.72 earned run average and was tabbed as the FSL's Most Valuable Pitcher. He fanned 131 batters and walked just 25. He was joined on the Florida State League's post-season All-Star Team by two of his teammates, including relief pitcher Edward Buzachero, who was second in the league in saves (24). Carlo Cota, who finished sixth in the league in batting (.294) made the team as a utility infielder and Omar Malave was honored as the league's best manager.

FORT MYERS MIRACLE - Fort Myers finished the hurricane-shortened 2004 season with a combined record of 61-74 (31-37 in the first half, 30-37 in the second). Danny Matienzo hit his way to the top of the Florida State League batting leaders. The infielder's .305 average was tied for first in the league with St. Lucie's Aarom Baldiris. Matienzo's 139 hits were good for second in the FSL and he led the Miracle with 65 RBI. Doug Deeds found himself among the league leaders in several categories. Deeds shared the most triples (12) with Daytona's Adam Greenberg and finished tied for 8th in hits (128), was 10th in slugging (.447) and 10th in runs scored (71). All-star pitcher Justin Olson closed out the 2004 campaign with an even 7-7 record and boasted a 2.88 earned run average in 45 games (six starts) for the Miracle. Francisco Liriano's 125 strikeouts were good for seventh in the league. The Miracle will continue to see its share of promising young players come through Fort Myers, as the Minnesota Twins signed a four-year player development contract to keep their Single-A team with the Florida State League ball club.

JUPITER HAMMERHEADS - After a dismal April, the Hammerheads rebounded to finish one game above .500 (34-33) by the half way point of the season. Jupiter, however, slipped to 30-38 over the second half and closed out the year in the FSL East Division cellar. The Hammerheads' 64-71 record marked the first losing season in team history. Even though Jupiter came up short on the scoreboard, the fans were treated to some of the Florida Marlins most promising prospects, including Scott Olsen, the organization's Pitcher of the Year for the 2004 campaign. The 6-foot-4 inch southpaw posted a 7-6 record and an ERA of 2.97, good four fourth best in the Florida State League. He logged 136.1 innings and held opposing hitters to a .246 batting average. His 158 strikeouts led the league and are a Jupiter Hammerheads' individual record for strikeouts in a season. Ross Wolf (11-7, 2.60) anchored a solid staff of relievers. While pitching was this team's strength, the Hammerheads boasted some very good hitters as well. Jeremy Hermida hit .297 with 10 homers and 50 runs batted in and Eliezer Alfonzo and Christopher Bass joined him on the FSL All-Star team. Pitcher Jeff Fulchino and infielder Matt DeMarco enjoyed hot starts and were both promoted to Double-A Carolina in May. Next season is sure to bring more exciting baseball featuring some of the Marlins' best prospects.

LAKELAND TIGERS - There wasn't much to write home about if you were a member of the Lakeland Tigers in 2004. The Tigers compiled a league-worst 51-81 record overall, including a 22-42 over the second half of the season. Lakeland's pitching staff finished last in the Florida State League with a combined 4.53 earned run average and struck out a league low 754 batters. Offensively, the Tigers ended the season tied for seventh in team batting with a .254 average. One bright spot, however, was hard-hitting infielder Chris Maples. Maples finished the 2004 campaign among the league leaders in five batting categories. He hit at a .269 clip this season and finished fifth in the league in doubles (33), was fourth in extra-base hits (51) and seventh in RBI (74). His 17 homers were good for eighth in the FSL and he compiled a .471 slugging percentage, earning him the fifth spot among the league's best sluggers. While Maples was a clear star on offense, a few Lakeland hurlers made an impact as well. Lee Rodney and Kyle Sleeth were all-stars and Humberto Sanchez finished the year 10th in strikeouts (115). Matt Parris's nine wins were tied for fifth most and Mike Kobow's 13 saves were fourth.

PALM BEACH CARDINALS - The Cardinals' 2004 season was one of close calls and comebacks. Palm Beach, who finished the campaign with a 73-61 record, played in 50 nail-biting one-run games and compiled a 28-22 mark in those contests. The Cardinals also proved that the game is never over until the final out, as the team came from behind to win 32 games, 22 of which were in their final at-bat. Palm Beach jumped out to a hot start to kick off the season and, at 37-22, had a firm grip on the Florida State League East Division. However, Palm Beach suffered 10 consecutive losses, including a four-game sweep at the hands of Daytona that vaulted the Cubs into first place. The Cardinals battled to the end and closed out the second half with a 36-29 record, but lost its bid for the second half division crown to the Vero Beach Dodgers. Leading the charge for the Cardinals this season were a record seven Florida State League All- Stars. Andy Schutzenhofer, Greg Catalanotte, Jason Motte, Jared Smith, Josh Teekel, Shane Wallace and Wilson Ciprian were all selected to the team. The Cards tied for seventh in the league in team batting (.254) and its 3.84 ERA was good for sixth. Several players completed the season among the league leaders in several categories. Schutzenhofer was 10th in the league in batting average with a .292 average and Reid Gorecki finished sixth in runs scored with 74 and lead the Cardinals with 122 hits. Buddy Blair's 11 wins shared fourth in the league and Shane Wallace (54), Roberto Batista (54) and Anthony Rawson (53) were the top three pitchers in games pitched.

SARASOTA RED SOX - Sarasota closed out its final season as the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox with a 76-61 record and were in playoff contention all year. The Red Sox battled with the Dunedin Blue Jays and the Tampa Yankees for West Division supremacy in the first half of the year. Sarasota, however, came up two games short to the Blue Jays. Sarasota looked to bounce back and play for the second half title, but once again finished two games behind the division champions. Tampa took that distinction. The Red Sox finsihed the year fourth in the league in team batting (.264) and clubbed 90 home runs. Jeremy West's .293 batting average was eighth-best in the league and he finished fourth in slugging (.488), fifth in extra-base hits (50), and tied for sixth in home runs (18). He was selected to both the mid-season and post- season all-star teams. Kason Gabbard, Jon Papelbon, Andrew Shipman, Hanley Ramirez and Matt Murton joined him as Sarasota's representatives in the FSL Mid-Summer Classic. The Red Sox finished fifth in the league in team pitching (3.81). Papelbon's 2.64 ERA was second-best in the league and he earned post- season all-star honors. In 2005, the Cincinnati Reds will operate a Single-A team in Sarasota, while Boston moves its affiliate to Wilmington, North Carolina.

ST. LUCIE METS - After finishing 2 1/2 games behind Daytona to close out the first half of the season, the St. Lucie Mets slipped to seven games below .500 and finished the season 27-34 for an overall mark of 64-65. Despite the drastic drop off, the Mets boasted a pitching staff that ranked fourth in the league overall with a 3.69 earned run average and allowed a league-low 62 home runs. Hurlers David Byrad, Joey Cole, Kevin Deaton and Robert Paulk were selected to represent the Mets in the Florida State League All-Star Game, but no St. Lucie pitcher finished among the league leaders in any major category. Aarom Baldiris shared the league lead in batting (.305) with Danny Matienzo of Fort Myers and finished in the top 10 in hits (124 - 10th) and on-base percentage (.384 - 4th). His hot hitting earned him a promotion to Double-A Binghamton in August. As a team, St. Lucie hit .256 and clubbed the third most homers (97) in the league.

TAMPA YANKEES - The Yankees shared the 2004 Florida State League Championship with the Daytona Cubs after Hurricane Ivan forced a cancellation of the series. Tampa finished third behind Dunedin and Sarasota at the end of the first half of the season, but rebounded to finish the year 75-57 and win the West Division in the second half. Tampa was a powerhouse both on the mound and at the plate. The Yankee pitching staff finished second in the league with a 3.51 earned run average, while the team's .265 batting average ranked third. Jon Skaggs (13-9, 3.87 ERA) finished second in the league in wins and logged 157 2/3rd innings pitched, good for third. Edwardo Sierra chalked up 28 saves and was the only Yankee on the Florida State League's post-season all-star team. Tommy Winrow's .330 batting average led the team and Shelley Duncan's 19 homers and 78 RBI paced the Yankees' offense. Tampa made quick work of the Dunedin Blue Jays in the playoffs, as the Yankees swept their opponents in two games. Their showdown with Daytona for league supremacy was cancelled, however, and Tampa shared the title with the Cubs.

VERO BEACH DODGERS - The Dodgers closed out the first half of the season just two games above .500 (36-34), but turned it around in the second half to post the league's best overall record (77-57) on the strength of a 41-23 mark that gave them the East Division crown in the second half. The Dodgers boasted four players on the Florida State League's post-season all-star team in addition to manager Scott Little, who was named as a coach on the team. The Dodgers pitching staff compiled a 3.54 earned run average and finished the season third in the league. The rotation was led by Jonathan Broxton (11-7, 3.23 ERA) and Chad Billingsley (7-4, 2.35), who was named the team's pitcher of the year and was rewarded for his great season with a promotion to Double-A Jacksonville. Delwyn Young was named the team's offensive MVP after an amazing season. Young's league MVP-type season saw him hit.281 with 22 homers, 85 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a team record 36 doubles. Joel Guzman, who was promoted to Jacksonville in July, hit .307 with 14 home runs, 51 RBI, 22 doubles and eight triples. Vero Beach's season came to a close when it was swept out of the playoffs by the Florida State League co-Champion Daytona Cubs.