# 1987 Southern League season

The 1987 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 8 and September 1. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Birmingham Barons won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Charlotte Orioles in the playoffs.

## Teams

1987 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Orioles | Charlotte, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | Jim Crockett Memorial Park |
| East | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| East | Greenville Braves | Greenville, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Greenville Municipal Stadium |
| East | Jacksonville Expos | Jacksonville, Florida | Montreal Expos | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| West | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Chicago White Sox | Rickwood Field |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Seattle Mariners | Engel Stadium |
| West | Huntsville Stars | Huntsville, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Joe W. Davis Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Blue Jays | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Kansas City Royals | Tim McCarver Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Jacksonville Expos finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1982.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Expos | 85 | 59 | .590 | – |
| Charlotte Orioles | 85 | 60 | .586 | 0.5 |
| Greenville Braves | 70 | 74 | .486 | 15 |
| Columbus Astros | 67 | 76 | .469 | 17.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 61 | 82 | .427 | 23.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Huntsville Stars | 74 | 70 | .514 | – |
| Memphis Chicks | 72 | 71 | .503 | 1.5 |
| Birmingham Barons | 68 | 75 | .476 | 5.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 68 | 75 | .476 | 5.5 |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 68 | 76 | .472 | 6 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Dave Myers, Chattanooga Lookouts | .328 |
| H | Dave Myers, Chattanooga Lookouts | 160 |
| R | Bernie Tatis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 101 |
| 2B | Joe Xavier, Huntsville Stars | 37 |
| 3B | Jim Eisenreich, Memphis Chicks Eric Fox, Chattanooga Lookouts | 10 |
| HR | Rondal Rollin, Birmingham Barons | 39 |
| RBI | Tom Dodd, Charlotte Orioles | 127 |
| SB | Bernie Tatis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 55 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | John Trautwein, Jacksonville Expos | 15 |
| ERA | Brian Holman, Jacksonville Expos | 2.50 |
| CG | Brian Holman, Jacksonville Expos | 6 |
| SHO | Jeff Bumgarner, Orlando Twins Wally Whitehurst, Huntsville Stars | 3 |
| SV | Kevin Price, Jacksonville Expos | 19 |
| IP | José Mesa, Knoxville Blue Jays | 193.1 |
| SO | Randy Johnson, Jacksonville Expos | 163 |

## Playoffs

* The Birmingham Barons won their third Southern League championship, defeating the Charlotte Orioles in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Jacksonville | 2 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 3 | E2 | Charlotte | 1 |
| | | | W2 | Birmingham | 3 |
| W1 | Huntsville | 0 | W2 | Birmingham | 3 |
| W2 | Birmingham | 3 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Tom Dodd, Charlotte Orioles |
| Pitcher of the Year | Brian Holman, Jacksonville Expos |
| Manager of the Year | Tommy Thompson, Jacksonville Expos |