The Bradenton Explorers were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in . That season, the club compiled a record of 38-34, finishing in second place in the league's Northern Division, narrowly holding off the

Orlando Juice The Orlando Juice was one of the eight original franchises that began playing in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The team was managed by Gates Brown, while Dyar Miller and Bill Stein served as player-coaches. In their inaugur ...

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...

led the league with 17 home runs, and pitcher

Rick Lysander Richard Eugene Lysander is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He had a four-season career in the majors, spread out over six years. Career Major League career Lysander was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in , and he toiled in the ...

added a league-high 11 saves. In the playoffs, the Explorers lost to the St. Petersburg Pelicans, who went on to become league champions. However the following season, the team was relocated to Daytona Beach, becoming the Daytona Beach Explorers. The move was a result of the team losing $1 million during their first season. In Daytona the team had an 11-11 record and were in 4th place when the Senior Professional Baseball Association ceased operations on December 28, 1990.

Notable players

Willie Aikens Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays between 1977 and 1985. He had established hi ...

* Gary Alexander * Dan Boone * Tom Brown *

Doug Capilla Douglas Edmund Capilla (born January 7, 1952)Doug Capilla
Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2012-11 ...

* Stan Cliburn * Gene Clines * Al Cowens *

John D'Acquisto John Francis D'Acquisto (born December 24, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for six teams in his ten-year career that spanned from to . He is the cousin of former major league pitcher Lou Marone. Career San Francisc ...

* Steve Dillard * Chuck Dobson * Dave Freisleben * Wayne Garrett *

Garth Iorg Garth Ray Iorg ( ; born October 12, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player who played his entire career (1978, 1980–1987) for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also worked as the first base coach for ...

* Pat Kelly *

Bruce Kison Bruce Eugene Kison (February 18, 1950 – June 2, 2018) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–79), California Angels (1980–84) and Boston Red Sox (1985). Ki ...

Ken Kravec Kenneth Peter Kravec (born July 29, 1951) is an American professional baseball scout and a former Major League pitcher and front office official. The , left-hander appeared in 160 games pitched, 128 as a starter, exclusively for the White Sox ( ...

Wayne Krenchicki Wayne Richard Krenchicki (September 17, 1954 – October 16, 2018) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman. He played all or parts of eight seasons in the majors from until . He was a past manager of the Evansville Otters of the indepen ...

* Ron LeFlore *

* Mickey Mahler *

Tippy Martinez Felix Anthony "Tippy" Martinez (born May 31, 1950), is an American retired professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1974 and 1988, primarily as a relief pitcher. The majority of his ca ...

Hal McRae Harold Abraham McRae (; born July 10, 1945) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970–72) and Kansas City Royals (1973–87). Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRa ...

Danny Meyer Daniel Meyer (born March 14, 1958) is a New York City restaurateur and the Founder & Executive Chairman of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Background and early career Meyer was born and raised in a reform Jewish family in St. Louis, ...

* Tommy Moore *

Omar Moreno ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...

Graig Nettles Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944), nicknamed "Puff", is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1967–1969), Cleveland Indians (1970–1972), New York Yankee ...

Jim Nettles James William Nettles (born March 2, 1947) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1970 and 1981, for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Roya ...

* Wayne Nordhagen *

Al Oliver Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won f ...

* Rick Peterson *

Jerry Royster Jeron Kennis Royster (born October 18, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball player and coach. He was a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and the New York Yankees. He was ...

Manny Sanguillén Manuel De Jesus Sanguillén Magan, better known as Manny Sanguillén or "Sangy" (born March 21, 1944), is a Panamanian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in and from through , most notably as a ...

Earl Stephenson Chester Earl Stephenson (born July 31, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 3rd round of the 1967 amateur draft and played for the Cubs (1971), Milwaukee Brewers (1972), and Ba ...

* Sammy Stewart

References

{{Senior Professional Baseball Association , state=collapsed Senior Professional Baseball Association teams 1989 establishments in Florida Baseball teams established in 1989 Sports in Bradenton, Florida Defunct baseball teams in Florida 1989 disestablishments in Florida Sports clubs disestablished in 1989 Baseball teams disestablished in 1990