Alabama-Florida League – 1957 Season Page

The eighteenth AFL season saw a major change in
league membership: Dothan, which had participated in every AFL
season since the league’s inception, lost it’s franchise. Donalsonville
and Crestview, the two weakest franchises in the league, also
said goodbye. In the place of these three franchises, the league
welcomed three franchise cities from the defunct Southeastern
League: Montgomey, Selma, and Pensacola. All three cities had
supported Class B baseball for decades, and their inclusion in
the AFL meant that the league would have stronger markets, better
stadiums, and better media coverage. The league’s credibility
started to grow also because a 4 of the 6 teams had a become
farm teams of the major leagues. Only Pensacola and Panama City
remained unaffiliated. Fort Walton was a Senators farm team,
Selma was affiliated with the Giants, Montgomery began a long
relationship with Detroit, and Graceville aligned with Cincinnati.
Along with farm team status came new managers with broader experience:
Former major leaguers managed Montgomery (Stubby Overmire), Graceville
(Bob Wellman), and Selma (Buddy Kerr). Wellman, as player-manager
of the Oilers, had one of the best seasons in AFL history. Although
he didn’t have enough at bats to qualify for the league title,
Wellman batted .404, with 30 homers, 26 doubles, and 113 RBI’s
in only 297 at bats. Graceville had the league’s two toughest
pichers: Bill Kakuske and Bill Beck, plus the league’s second-best
hitter in Al Jakubowski, but the Oilers could only finish second
behind newcomers Montgomery. The Rebels had two strong lefties
in Dick Day and Ellis Jones, and a bunch decent spray hitters.
The Rebs finished the season two games ahead of the Oilers to
win the league, but in typical AFL fashion, they were eliminated
by Panama City in the first round of playoffs. The eventual championship
series was between the Oilers and Panama City, and went to a
seventh game. The seventh game never took place though because
a severe storm lasting two days rocked Graceville before the
game and for reasons which wouldn’t make sense in today’s baseball
world, League President Sam Smith put an end to the season and
declared Panama City and Graceville co-champions. Ownership must
have looked at this event as a chance to save a few bucks, and
no one seemed to be too disturbed that the season ended without
a clear champion.

Graceville in 1957 was a town in love with baseball. Third baseman
David Fisher spent the season there, and his photos of the 1957
team are featured on the
« Focus On Graceville » page.

ELSEWHERE IN 1957

Thanks Todd Fisher