The 1987 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 9 and August 30. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Salem Buccaneers won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Kinston Eagles began an affiliation with the Cleveland Indians. The club was renamed the Kinston Indians. The Prince William Pirates ended their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and began a new affiliation with the New York Yankees. The club was renamed the Prince William Yankees. The Salem Redbirds ended their affiliation with the Texas Rangers and began a new affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The club was renamed the Salem Buccaneers.
Teams 1987 Carolina League Division Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium North Hagerstown Suns Hagerstown, Maryland Baltimore Orioles Municipal Stadium Lynchburg Mets Lynchburg, Virginia New York Mets City Stadium Prince William Yankees Woodbridge, Virginia New York Yankees Prince William County Stadium Salem Buccaneers Salem, Virginia Pittsburgh Pirates Salem Municipal Field South Durham Bulls Durham, North Carolina Atlanta Braves Durham Athletic Park Kinston Indians Kinston, North Carolina Cleveland Indians Grainger Stadium Peninsula White Sox Hampton, Virginia Chicago White Sox War Memorial Stadium Winston-Salem Spirits Winston-Salem, North Carolina Chicago Cubs Ernie Shore Field
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Salem Buccaneers finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1974.
Standings 1987 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 18, 2024 North division Team Win Loss % GB Salem Buccaneers 80 59 – Hagerstown Suns 72 68 8.5 Prince William Yankees 66 74 14.5 Lynchburg Mets 63 76 17South division Kinston Indians 75 65 – Winston-Salem Spirits 72 68 3 Peninsula White Sox 66 74 9 Durham Bulls 65 75 10
League Leaders Batting leaders 1987 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 18, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Jeff Cook, Salem Buccaneers .339 H Tony Chance, Salem Buccaneers 167 R Milt Harper, Kinston Indians 100 2B Leo Gómez, Hagerstown Suns 38 3B Tim Richardson, Hagerstown Suns 9 HR Hensley Meulens, Prince William Yankees 28 RBI Casey Webster, Kinston Indians 111 SB Ced Landrum, Winston-Salem Spirits 79
Pitching leaders 1987 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 18, 2024 Stat Player Total W Dave Miller, Durham Bulls 15 ERA Blaine Beatty, Hagerstown Suns 2.52 CG Bill Copp, Salem Buccaneers Andy Ghelfi, Kinston Indians Dave Miller, Durham Bulls 8 SV Kevin Renz, Peninsula White Sox 20 SO Dave Miller, Durham Bulls 155 IP Dave Miller, Durham Bulls 205.1
Playoffs The Salem Buccaneers won their third Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in four games.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Casey Webster, Kinston Indians Pitcher of the Year Blaine Beatty, Hagerstown Suns Manager of the Year Mike Hargrove, Kinston Indians
See also 1987 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website