Miami Hustlers

• Location: Miami, FL
• League: Florida State League 1927-1928
• Affiliation: None
• Ballpark: Miami Field

Team History

The Miami Hustlers franchise originally joined the Florida State League in 1926, as the Fort Myers Palms, before moving to Miami a year later. They finished last in the first half, in 1927, but came back to win the second half title before losing in the playoffs. This was a result of firing manager Bill Holloway and replacing him by former major leaguer Cotton Knaupp, who then turned over almost the entire roster, to the points that other teams complained that he was bringing in ringers in violation of the league's rules concerning player with "higher-level professional experience".

However, the team and the entire league temporarily folded in the middle of the 1928 season. After being an inactive franchise for several years, rights to the team were purchased in 1962, as the Hustlers became the Miami Marlins.

Year-by-Year Record

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
1927	57-69	5th	Bill Holloway/Dick Peel/Cotton Knaupp
1928	29-35	4th	Lee Crowe

Further Reading

• Sam Zygner: "Miami Hustlers: Magic City's First Officially Sanctioned Minor League Team", in Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 49, Nr. 2 (Fall 2020), pp. 105-107.