Braves Return to Florida State League for First Time Since 1968
The Atlanta Braves announced on September 16, 2016, that the Club’s Advanced-A team, formerly the Carolina Mudcats, will move from Zebulon, North Carolina, to Kissimmee, Fla, beginning in 2017.
The Braves and Brevard County Manatees have reached an agreement on a four-year Player Development Contract through the 2020 season. The Advanced-A Manatees are a member of the Florida State League and will move their operation from Brevard County to Osceola County Stadium, in Kissimmee, beginning in 2017.
This will mark the Braves’ first entry in the Florida State League since the West Palm Beach Braves were a part of the circuit from 1965 to 1968.
“We are thrilled to reach this agreement with the Manatees,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “We look forward to returning to the Florida State League and to our second home in central Florida.”
The Carolina Mudcats are online here. The team’s end-of-season 2016 video was posted just before the announcement.
Also before the announcement, the Carolina Mudcats announced that pitcher Enderson Franco was named the Carolina League’s Pitcher of the Week (week ending September 5). The Atlanta Braves also announced September 6 that Mudcats pitcher Matt Withrow and outfielder Keith Curcio won the organization’s Class A Advanced Pitcher and Position Player of the Year awards respectively.
Source: Atlanta Braves
