Orlando, FL

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Orlando is located in central Florida, 80 miles north-east of Tampa, FL. A long-time Spring Training site, it has been growing very rapidly since the 1960s. It is a major tourism hub as the nearest city to Walt Disney World and associated attractions.

Orlando was a finalist in the Expansion of 1993. The team would have taken the name of their AA minor league team of the time, the "Orlando Sun Rays". Prior to the final selection, the Expansion Committee decided it had to eliminate two of the three represented Florida cities, and chose Miami over Orlando and Tampa-St. Petersburg.

Orlando could see the return of professional baseball - possibly with a very big fish. The largest U.S. market without a professional baseball franchise is being touted by sports entrepreneur Pat Williams, who co-founded the NBA's Orlando Magic. Williams wants to build a stadium near SeaWorld in Orlando, either to solve the Tampa Bay Rays' ongoing ballpark dilemma in St. Petersburg or lure one of MLB's next two expansion franchises.[1] Williams first pitched a team he would name the Orlando Dreamers in 2019. However, on May 22, 2023, Rays owner Stu Sternberg issued a statement saying: "I expect we will build a ballpark in Tampa Bay that will keep the Rays here for generations to come. I also plan on remaining the Rays owner."

Teams that have played here[edit]

Persons who were born here[edit]

Persons who died here[edit]

Educational institutions located here[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Anthony Castrovince: "6 cities that nearly landed an MLB team", mlb.com, January 9, 2022. [2]
  • Brian Murphy: "Why we're still talking about this Little League game from 1955", mlb.com, August 18, 2022. [3]
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