Pictured: Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Photo courtesy of Florida Pro Baseball.

As the days grow longer, the weather hotter, and the thunderstorms more frequent, one constant remains in the Gulf Coast: baseball. Monday, June 5 marked Opening Day for the rookie-level Florida Complex League–the starting point for prospects looking to make it to the big leagues for half of the organizations in Major League Baseball. The FCL is home to three divisions–East, North and South–the last of which includes the FCL Orioles, who play their home games at Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium.

Players to watch on the FCL Orioles include outfielder Braylin Tavera, the Orioles 23rd ranked prospect according to mlb.com, shortstop Maikol Hernandez, the organization’s 25th ranked prospect and 26th best prospect, fellow shortstop Leandro Arias. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the FCL Orioles is the potential and sheer talent of the players on the field–Baltimore’s farm system is currently rated as the top player development system in all of baseball, meaning that in just a few short years, fans could be seeing players like Tavera, Hernandez and Arias up in Baltimore at Camden Yards.

Additionally, there is no cost to attend FCL Orioles home games at Ed Smith stadium. While concessions will be closed, free parking is readily available to all who wish to attend. The FCL Orioles are scheduled to play 28 home games between June 5 and August 22, which will be scheduled to start at 12 pm Monday-Friday and 10am on Saturdays, with potential playoffs from August 25-27.

Pictured: Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Photo courtesy of Florida Pro Baseball.

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