Previous Rookie Previous Kansas City Royals | Previous leagues Gulf Coast League Founded 1971 | |
League titles (6) 1971
1972
1980*
1981**
1992
1995
*GCL Royals Blue title; **GCL Royals Gold title Division titles (7) 1987
1988
1992
1994
1995
1997
1999 Nickname GCL Royals (1971-1978, 1982-2002)
GCL Royals Blue (1979-1981)
GCL Royals Gold (1979-1981)
GCL Royals Academy (1974) | ||
The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971–1978, 1982-1983 and 1985–2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. The GCL Royals played games at Florida-based minor league and spring training facilities located in Sarasota (through 1987), Baseball City Stadium in Davenport (1988–1992; 1999–2002) and Fort Myers (1993–1998).
From 1979–1981, the Royals operated two GCL teams, the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Blue and Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Gold, to accommodate a surplus of teenaged players. In 1974, Kansas City also fielded a separate Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Academy team for members of its experimental Baseball Academy. The Academy team played alongside the GCL Royals; finishing 35–16 in the GCL standings that season, 4½ games ahead of the 29–19 GCL Royals, but the Royals Academy lost the league pennant by percentage points to the GCL Cubs.
In 2003, when the Royals moved their spring training operations to Surprise, Arizona, they simultaneously transferred their Rookie-level affiliate to the Arizona League.
Season-by-season
(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)