| West Palm Beach Expos | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes |
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| League | Florida State League (1965–1997) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 2 (1974, 1991) |
| Team data | |
Previous names |
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Previous parks |
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TheWest Palm Beach Expos were aFlorida State League minor leaguebaseball team which existed from 1969 through the 1997 season inWest Palm Beach, Florida.
The West Palm Beach Expos were a Class A affiliate of theMontreal Expos and played their home games atWest Palm Beach Municipal Stadium.[1]
Evolving from theWest Palm Beach Indians and directly from theWest Palm Beach Braves (1965–1968), they were one of the longest existing Florida State League teams. In 1998, the team moved to nearbyJupiter and became today'sJupiter Hammerheads.
Baseball Hall of Fame inducteesGary Carter (1972),Vladimir Guerrero (1996–1997),Randy Johnson (1986),Tim Raines (1978) andLarry Walker (1986) played for West Palm Beach.
The 1990 Expos were recognized as one of the100 greatest minor league teams of all time.[2]
The Expos played atWest Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, located at 755 Hank Aaron Drive. The stadium was the longtimespring training home of the Atlanta Braves. It was demolished in 2002 and is now the site of retail stores.[3][4]
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 56-73 | 10th | Ed Sadowski | Did not qualify |
| 1970 | 79-50 | 2nd | J.W. Porter | Lost in 1st round |
| 1971 | 58-81 | 11th | Bobby Malkmus | Did not qualify |
| 1972 | 64-65 | 7th | Lance Nichols | Did not qualify |
| 1973 | 80-58 | 1st | Lance Nichols | Lost League Finals |
| 1974 | 79-53 | 2nd | Walt Hriniak | League Champs |
| 1975 | 58-77 | 7th | Gordon Mackenzie | Did not qualify |
| 1976 | 63-79 | 7th | Gordon Mackenzie | Did not qualify |
| 1977 | 77-55 | 3rd | Felipe Alou | Lost in 1st round |
| 1978 | 67-77 | 10th | Larry Bearnarth | Did not qualify |
| 1979 | 79-65 | 4th | Larry Bearnarth | Did not qualify |
| 1980 | 64-73 | 7th | Bob Bailey | Did not qualify |
| 1981 | 65-71 | 7th | Bob Bailey | Did not qualify |
| 1982 | 54-80 | 9th | Junior Miner | Did not qualify |
| 1983 | 75-57 | 4th | Tommy Thompson | Did not qualify |
| 1984 | 72-72 | 6th | Tommy Thompson | Did not qualify |
| 1985 | 74-66 | 6th | Junior Miner | Did not qualify |
| 1986 | 80-55 | 3rd | Felipe Alou | Lost League Finals |
| 1987 | 75-63 | 5th (t) | Felipe Alou | Did not qualify |
| 1988 | 71-63 | 7th | Felipe Alou | Lost in 2nd round |
| 1989 | 74-64 | 7th | Felipe Alou | Did not qualify |
| 1990 | 92-40 | 1st | Felipe Alou | Lost League Finals |
| 1991 | 72-59 | 5th (t) | Felipe Alou | League Champs |
| 1992 | 76-61 | 4th | Dave Jauss | Lost in 1st round |
| 1993 | 69-67 | 8th | Rob Leary | Did not qualify |
| 1994 | 71-60 | 3rd | Rob Leary | Lost in 1st round |
| 1995 | 54-81 | 14th | Gomer Hodge (19-35) /Rick Sofield (35-46) | Did not qualify |
| 1996 | 68-67 | 7th | Rick Sofield | Did not qualify |
| 1997 | 69-66 | 6th | Doug Sisson | Did not qualify |
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