John Timberlake Inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Philadelphia Phillies Director of Florida Operations and Clearwater Threshers General Manager John Timberlake is the longest continuous tenured executive currently in the Florida State League. His 29 years of service combined with his vision and expertise were rewarded on November 11 when he was inducted in to the Florida State League Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held in Daytona Beach.

"Having spent my entire professional career as a member of the Florida State League, I am truly honored to be inducted into the FSL Hall of Fame," said Timberlake. "It is a humbling experience to be included in this elite group of players, field staff, executives and umpires, some of the finest names ever to grace our great game and National Pastime. I am so thankful to FSL President Chuck Murphy and the league members who have honored me with this incredible induction into the Florida State League Hall. It is my hope to continue to serve the FSL for many years to come."

Timberlake was selected as a Presidential nomination by league FSL President Chuck Murphy and will join the 2014 Hall of Fame Class in November. "John is more than qualified to enter the FSL Hall of Fame as he has contributed his expertise and knowledge to this league for years," said Murphy. "We often comment on the fact that the main core of his staff has been with him a long time and that has made for a lot of continuity and expertise."

In 1986, Timberlake joined the Phillies as an administrative assistant for his first job in baseball. He was named the Business Manager of the Clearwater Phillies in 1987 and was promoted to General Manager of the club in 1989. He also served as the Minor League Business Manager of the Phillies. Timberlake was named to his current roles as Director of Florida Operations in 1996 and General Manager of the Clearwater Threshers in 2005.

During his tenure, Timberlake has been named Florida State League Executive of the Year three times - in 1990, 2005 and 2007. He was instrumental in the Clearwater Threshers being named by Baseball America the Class-A recipient of the 2013 Bob Freitas Award, which is presented to the organization with the best overall operations at each level of Minor League Baseball. The Threshers accepted the award at baseball's annual Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Timberlake was instrumental in securing the financing for, and the design and construction of Bright House Field. He has also been recognized as the YMCA Suncoast YMCA Volunteer of the year in 1992, received the 2004 Chamber of Commerce Good Neighbor Award, the 2005 Humane Society Good Citizenship Award and the 2011 Clearwater Chamber ALL STAR in the Community Award.

Timberlake has served, or is currently serving on the Board of Directors for: Florida State League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, Suncoast Family YMCA, Clearwater For Youth, Greater Tampa Bay March of Dimes and Ruth Eckerd Hall.

The Clearwater Threshers drew a record 179,000 fans in 2013. The team also set a single game attendance record in 2009 of 9,844. The Threshers have led the Florida State League in attendance for nine of the past 10 seasons and have drawn more than 1.8 million fans during that time. Clearwater was named the 2007 Class A-Advanced Team of the Year by Minor League Baseball and was a nominee for the John H. Johnson Award for the FSL.

The other members of the 2014 FSL Hall of Fame Class are players Paul Gilliford, Kerry Wood, James Fuller, and Vernon Wells; managers Lee Elia and Richie Zisk; President of Minor League Baseball Pat O'Conner; and umpire Randy Marsh. Former Clearwater Phillie, Jimmy Rollins, was a 2013 FSL Hall of Fame inductee.