A team known as the Jacksonville Suns competed in the Triple-A International League from 1962 to 1968. The franchise was relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, as the Tidewater Tides in 1969. After one season without professional baseball, a different Suns team came to the city in 1970 as members of the Double-ASouthern League (SL). From 1985 to 1990, the team was known as the Jacksonville Expos during an affiliation with the Montreal Expos, but they returned to the Suns moniker in 1991. The club rebranded as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp before the 2017 season. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Jumbo Shrimp were elevated to the Triple-A East, which was renamed the International League in 2022.
Jacksonville won their only IL championship in 1968 as the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They won the SL championship six times. The first came in 1996 as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. As a farm club for the Los Angeles Dodgers, they won in 2001 and 2005. Three SL titles were won as the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, including back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010 and most recently in 2014.
In 1964, Jacksonville became the top farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team won a second IL pennant that year under manager Harry Walker with an 89–62 season, but they were eliminated in the postseason semifinals by Rochester.[8] Shortstop Joe Morgan was selected as the 1964 league MVP.[7] The Suns switched affiliations to the New York Mets in 1966. During this period, pitchersTom Seaver (1966) and Nolan Ryan (1967), both future Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, played for the Suns.[9] Skipper Clyde McCullough led the 1968 Suns to win their only IL playoff championship. After defeating the Toledo Mud Hens, 3–1, in the semifinals, they won the league crown over the Columbus Jets, 4–0, in the finals.[10]
A new Suns team began play in 1970 when the Double-ASouthern League (SL) added expansion franchises in Jacksonville, and Mobile, Alabama.[12][13] Jacksonville became the Double-A affiliate of both the Milwaukee Brewers and Montreal Expos for their first Southern League season.[14] They became a Cleveland Indians farm club in 1971, and then began a much longer affiliation with the Kansas City Royals in 1972.[9]
The Suns made their first Southern League playoff appearance in 1973 behind Manager of the YearBilly Gardner.[15] They won the Eastern Division title but lost the championship finals versus the Montgomery Rebels, 3–1.[16] Jacksonville returned to the playoffs in 1974 via another Eastern Division title but were again denied a championship by the Knoxville Sox, 3–2.[17] By 1977, the SL had begun using a split-season schedule wherein the division winners from each half qualified for the postseason.[18] The Suns won 1977's Second Half Eastern Division title,[19] won the division title over the Savannah Braves, but lost to Montgomery, 2–0, in the finals.[20] Jacksonville made two more appearances in the playoffs with Kansas City but lost in the finals each time. The 1982 team won both halves of the season with a league-best 83–61 record under Manager of the Year Gene Lamont,[15] but they ultimately lost the championship to the Nashville Sounds, 3–1.[21] The 1983 second-half champion Suns lost in the finals, 3–1, to the Birmingham Barons.[22]OutfielderJohn Morris was selected as the 1983 Southern League MVP.[15]
Manager of the Year Tommy Thompson's 1987 Expos lead the SL with an 85–59 record.
Jacksonville became the Double-A affiliate of the Montreal Expos in 1984. After being purchased by Peter Bragan Sr. and his family in 1985, the team was renamed the Jacksonville Expos.[9] Much like in the previous affiliation, the Expos made four playoff appearances in seven seasons with Montreal but were eliminated in the Eastern Division series on each occasion (1986, 1987, 1988, and 1990). Individual players and managers, however, garnered several league awards during this period. First basemanAndrés Galarraga was the 1984 Southern League MVP, and skipper Rick Renick was the season's Manager of the Year.[15]Tommy Thompson was recognized as the top manager for 1987 after leading the Expos to a league-best 85–59 record.[15][23]Starting pitcherBrian Holman won the 1987 Most Outstanding Pitcher Award.[15] Two other notable players to appear for Jacksonville in 1987 were future National League MVPLarry Walker and future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.[9] In 1990, starter Brian Barnes was the Most Outstanding Pitcher, and Jerry Manuel was the Manager of the Year.[15]
Upon switching affiliation to the Seattle Mariners in 1991, the team reverted to its Suns moniker.[2] Over four seasons with Seattle, the Suns never qualified for the playoffs. Right-hander Jim Converse won the 1992 Most Outstanding Pitcher Award after leading the Southern League with 157strikeouts.[15][24] Future major league All-Stars Alex Rodriguez (1994) and Bret Boone (1991) came through Jacksonville during the Mariners affiliation.[9]
Jacksonville affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001. Manager of the Year John Shoemaker's 2001 club paced the league with an 83–56 mark, winning both halves of the season.[15] They bested Chattanooga, 3–2, to advance to the finals against the Huntsville Stars, but the September 11 terrorist attacks brought a halt to the championship series before it began. Jacksonville and Huntsville were declared co-champions.[30] The 2002 season was the Suns' last year at Wolfson Park. They moved into the newly constructed Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, later renamed 121 Financial Ballpark, at the start of the 2003 season.[9] The 11,000-seat, US$34-million venue was created as part of the Better Jacksonville Plan.[31] The 2002 team made a bid to win the championship outright but was swept by Birmingham in the best-of-five finals.[32] Starter Joel Hanrahan was 2003's Most Outstanding Pitcher.[15] With Shoemaker still at the helm, the Suns won the first half title before sweeping Birmingham, 3–0, in the Southern Division series. They went on to win their third Southern League championship over West Tenn, 3–1.[33] Though the 2006 club was eliminated by the Montgomery Biscuits in the division series,[34] Shoemaker won his second Manager of the Year Award, and Spike Lundberg was selected as the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher.[15]
Jacksonville entered into a new affiliation with the Florida Marlins in 2009; the MLB team became the Miami Marlins in 2012. The relationship got off to an auspicious start as the Suns won back-to-back Southern League championships. Brandon Hyde's 2009 second-half winners swept Birmingham for the Southern Division title then defeated the Tennessee Smokies, 3–1, in the finals for the championship win.[35]Tim Leiper took over managerial duties for the 2010 season. After winning both halves of the season with an 81–59 record, Jacksonville bested Mobile, 3–1, in the division series before knocking off Tennessee, 3–1, for the second-straight year in the championship round.[36]Tom Koehler won that season's Most Outstanding Pitcher Award.[15] In 2014, the Suns finished the regular season on a ten-game winning streak, edging out the Mississippi Braves by one game to win the second half title. Including the playoffs, the Suns won 16 of their final 17games en route to winning the Southern Division title over Mobile and their sixth and final Southern League championship over Chattanooga, 3–0.[37]Justin Nicolino was recognized as the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher.[15]
The Bragan family sold the franchise to Ken Babby of Fast Forward Sports Group in 2015.[9] The Suns rebranded after the 2016 season, becoming the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.[38] The name combines shrimping, which is popular on Jacksonville's St. Johns River,[39] with the sentiment that Jacksonville, Florida's largest city, still has a small-town feel, hinting at the moniker's oxymoronic nature.[40] The 2017 team won a second half title, but they lost the Southern Division to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.[41] The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30.[42][43]
Triple-A East / International League (2021–present)
Since the move to 121 Financial Ballpark, the Suns have consistently been at or near the top of their league in attendance.[44] This success led to speculation that the team could return to the Triple-A level in the future.[45] In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, the Jumbo Shrimp were selected to move up to the Triple-A classification—making them the only active Florida-based team at that level—and continue as affiliates of the Miami Marlins in 2021.[46] They were placed in the 20-team Triple-A East.[47] Jacksonville began competition in the new league on May 4 with an 11–5 victory over the Norfolk Tides at 121 Financial Ballpark.[48] They ended the season in second place in the Southeastern Division with a 69–51 record.[49] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.[50] However, 10games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.[50] Jacksonville finished the tournament tied for seventh place with a 6–4 record.[51] In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[52]
Season-by-season records
Table key
League
The team's final position in the league standings
Division
The team's final position in the divisional standings
GB
Games behind the team that finished in first place in the division that season
Scott Kornberg has been the play-by-play announcer for Jumbo Shrimp games since 2020.[1] Live audio broadcasts are available online through the team's website, on WOKV 690 AM, and the MiLB First Pitch app. Games can be viewed through the MiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast.[114]
↑ The 2001 playoffs were cancelled in the wake the September 11 terrorist attacks. With no games having been played, Jacksonville and Huntsville were declared co-champions.[30]
The Southern League is a Minor League Baseball league that has operated in the Southern United States since 1964. Along with the Eastern League and Texas League, it is one of three circuits playing at the Double-A level, which is two grades below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapeake Bay. The team plays their home games at Harbor Park, which opened in 1993. The Tides previously played at High Rock Park in 1961 and 1962, Frank D. Lawrence Stadium from 1961 to 1969, and at Met Park from its opening in 1970 until the end of the 1992 season.
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as clippers. The team has played their home games at Huntington Park since 2009. They previously played at Cooper Stadium from 1977 to 2008.
The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mariners (2007–2016), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2017–2020). Known as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx from 1998 to 2010, the team borrowed its Generals moniker from the original Jackson Generals in 2011. They played their home games at The Ballpark at Jackson, which opened in 1998.
The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 2014 and is located in Uptown Charlotte. The team previously played at Knights Park (1976–1988), Knights Castle (1989), and Knights Stadium (1990–2013).
The Oklahoma City Baseball Club is a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, which opened in 1998 in the city's Bricktown district.
121 Financial Ballpark is a baseball park in Jacksonville, Florida. It is the home stadium of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Minor League Baseball team, who play in the International League. The facility opened in 2003.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Memphis Blues were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1968 to 1976. They competed in the Double-A Texas League from 1968 to 1973 as an affiliate of the New York Mets. Memphis transferred to the Triple-A International League in 1974, where they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos from 1974 to 1975 and Houston Astros in 1976. Their home games were played at Blues Stadium
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. "Mudcats" is a Southern synonym for catfish.
Braxton Lee Garrett is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Marlins selected him with the seventh overall selection of the 2016 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2020.
Sixto Sánchez Encarnación is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Devin Paul Smeltzer is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins.
Nicholas William Neidert is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins.
Cody Austin Poteet is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins.
Robert Lee Dugger is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. He has also played in the KBO League for the SSG Landers.
Bryson Michael Brigman is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
Anthony Omar Maldonado is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
