In 1962, minor league baseball returned to Miami accompanied by a great deal of enthusiasm. Despite a promising beginning, over the next 20 seasons, various ownership groups experienced varied levels of success. From championship teams to cellar-dwellers, local rooters followed their team through thick and thin. Several players showcased their talents before debuting in the big leagues. This is their story.

Baseball Under the Palms: A History of Miami Minor League Baseball - The Early Years (1892-1960), tells the fascinating story of the growth of hardball from its humble beginnings, to organized play, and team participation in "outlaw leagues." This led to the eventual acceptance of a minor league baseball team in Miami by the National Association. This sometimes included affiliations with major leagues teams. Along the way, some of baseball's most legendary names including the likes of Chico Fernandez, Pepper Martin, Satchel Paige, and Woody Smith passed through Miami, either on their way to illustrious minor or major league careers or finishing out their celebrated moments in the sun. This work is the first of its kind that brings to light the full spectrum of the history of minor league baseball in Miami. The inspiration for us writing Baseball Under the Palms, emanated from, The Forgotten Marlins: A Tribute to the 1956-1960 Original Miami Marlins. For lovers of our national pastime, we bring to light the richly varied and illustrious history of teams and leagues; once at the forefront of local baseball.

"Author Ken Mochizuki reads his award-winning book. There is some soft background music, and a few gentle sound effects, but the power of the words need little embellishment...This treasure of a book is well-treated in this format." - School Library Journal

The Forgotten Marlins pays tribute to the original Miami Marlins of the AAA International League, bringing to life one of the most colorful and flamboyant teams to play in baseball’s minor leagues. During their five years of existence, the Marlins featured prominent personalities such as eccentric manager Pepper Martin, zany Mickey McDermott, and maverick promoter Bill Veeck. Including rarely-heard stories about baseball icon and Hall-of-Famer Satchel Paige’s years in Miami, and containing interviews between the author and several of the surviving ballplayers, this book is a unique and comprehensive account of a truly original baseball team. The Forgotten Marlins is an entertaining and engaging read for all baseball fans and historians.

Originally published: New York: Viking, 2015.

As a boy, Kenichi “Zeni” Zenimura dreams of playing professional baseball, but everyone tells him he is too small. Yet he grows up to be a successful player, playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941, Zeni and his family are sent to one of ten internment camps where more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry are imprisoned without trials. Zeni brings the game of baseball to the camp, along with a sense of hope. This true story, set in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, introduces children to a little-discussed part of American history through Marissa Moss’s rich text and Yuko Shimizu’s beautiful illustrations. The book includes author and illustrator notes, archival photographs, and a bibliography.

During his playing career, a baseball player's every action on the field is documented--every at bat, every hit, every pitch. But what becomes of a player after he leaves the game? This exhaustive reference work briefly details the post-baseball lives of some 7,600 major leaguers, owners, managers, administrators, umpires, sportswriters, announcers and broadcasters who are now deceased. Each entry tells the date and place of the player's birth, the number of seasons he spent in the majors, the primary position he played, the number of seasons he spent as a manager in the majors (if applicable), his post-baseball career and activities, date and cause of his death, and his final resting place.