TheFort Lauderdale Yankees, based inFort Lauderdale, Florida, were anAmericanMinor League Baseball franchise that existed from 1962 through 1992. The team was a member of theFlorida State League (FSL) as an affiliate of theNew York Yankees and won sevenFSL championships during its 31 years of existence.

The team was formed when the Yankees moved theirspring training base fromSt. Petersburg, Florida, toFort Lauderdale Stadium after the1961 season. Its last championship team, in 1987, was managed byBuck Showalter and featured futureMajor LeaguersJim Leyritz,Kevin Maas andDave Eiland.

When the Yankees left Fort Lauderdale for their new spring training home inTampa, Florida, in 1993, the parent club maintained its other High-A affiliate, thePrince William Yankees of theCarolina League, and left the FSL for one season — returning in 1994 with theTampa Yankees. TheBoston Red Sox transferred theirWinter Haven club to Fort Lauderdale Stadium for 1993 as theFort Lauderdale Red Sox.

When the spring training relationship with Winter Haven ended, Boston tried to move its FSL franchise to its new spring training stadium, Fort Myers'City of Palms Park, but the shift was blocked by the establishedFort Myers Miracle, aMinnesota Twins FSL affiliate that played in nearbyHammond Stadium.^[1] While the Red Sox and the Miracle ownership tried to resolve the impasse, Boston needed a 1993 venue for its displaced Winter Haven franchise. Fort Lauderdale Stadium was available.

As events turned out, the Red Sox/Miracle territorial dispute never permitted Boston to place its FSL team in Fort Myers. Instead, Boston moved the Fort Lauderdale Red Sox toSarasota, Florida in1994 and operated theSarasota Red Sox there for eleven seasons before departing the Florida State League in 2005. The Red Sox' parent company,Fenway Sports Group, eventually owned and operated its own High Class Afarm club, theSalem Red Sox, in theCarolina League.

The Red Sox' one year in Fort Lauderdale was an athletic and economic disappointment. The team, managed byDeMarlo Hale (later the Red Sox'bench coach), compiled the worst record in the FSL at 46–85 (.351),32+1⁄2 games out of first place. It drew 28,000 fans, second last in the league and almost 73,000 fans fewer than the 1992 Fort Lauderdale Yankees team. (It still out-paced the 1992 Winter Haven Red Sox entry, which attracted only 16,000 fans in its lame-duck season).^[2] Of the 40-plus players who suited up for the Fort Lauderdale Red Sox, onlyShayne Bennett,Alex Delgado,Peter Hoy,Ryan McGuire andLou Merloni would see Major League service.

Fort Lauderdale has not been represented in the Florida State League since 1993. Although theBaltimore Orioles eventually replaced the Yankees as Fort Lauderdale's spring training tenants, they never placed an FSL franchise in the city.

For the duration of their existence, the Yankees played their home games atFort Lauderdale Stadium located at 1401 NW 55th Street. The stadium doubled as thespring training home of the parentNew York Yankees.Fort Lauderdale Stadium was demolished in 2019.

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• Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates
• New York Yankees minor league affiliates
• Defunct Florida State League teams
• Defunct baseball teams in Florida
• Baseball teams established in 1962
• Baseball teams disestablished in 1993
• 1962 establishments in Florida
• 1993 disestablishments in Florida
• Sports in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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