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Main gate at SRP Park in North Augusta, S.C. |
Is there a more natural matchup for city and team name than the Augusta Greenjackets. On the one hand you have a feisty insect with a game face and a stinger to frighten opponents, and on the other hand you have a gallant tip of the baseball cap to the local golf institution. The Brooklyn Cyclones come to mind. A powerful storm and a wild Coney Island thrill ride. Any others?
Speaking of extraordinary baseball team names, but in a different category, I happened to be looking out an airplane window over Savannah, Ga., when I was writing this, and I could see Historic Grayson Stadium, home of the Savannah Bananas, the fun-and-a-half college summer team.
The Greenjackets have been around since the early 80s with affiliations beginning with the Tigers, then the Cardinals, Pirates, Red Sox and from 2004 to 2020, the Giants. When Major League Baseball reorganized the minor leagues, it gave the Atlanta Braves the opportunity to line their affiliate ducks in row across the southern states from Mississippi to South Carolina.
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| It's all about bugs and golf for the Greenjackets. Augie ready to get busy with some gametime antics. |
The Greenjackets have been around since the early 80s with affiliations beginning with the Tigers, then the Cardinals, Pirates, Red Sox and from 2004 to 2020, the Giants. When Major League Baseball reorganized the minor leagues, it gave the Atlanta Braves the opportunity to line their affiliate ducks in row across the southern states from Mississippi to South Carolina.
The Braves have the Gwinnett Stripers (AAA) in nearby Gwinnett County, the Mississippi Braves (AA) in Pearl next to Jackson, the Rome Braves (High-A) in northwest Georgia, and now the Greenjackets (Low-A). The San Francisco Giants chose to affiliate with the Eugene Emeralds over the Greenjackets, when the Emeralds were eliminated from the Chicago Cubs’ minor league lineup.
The minor league reorganization eliminated 43 teams from the system which led to many teams being demoted or promoted from one class to another, and some switching affiliations with their major league partners. The Rome Braves and the Greenjackets were both class A, and both of them were in the South Atlantic League. About half the league’s teams were promoted to the High-A level, and another half were assigned to Low-A. Three SAL teams in Lexington, Ky., Hagerstown, Md., and Charleston, W.VA., are no longer affiliated with a major league team.
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| Prime real estate in the outfield. Prime seating in the suites. |
The minor league reorganization eliminated 43 teams from the system which led to many teams being demoted or promoted from one class to another, and some switching affiliations with their major league partners. The Rome Braves and the Greenjackets were both class A, and both of them were in the South Atlantic League. About half the league’s teams were promoted to the High-A level, and another half were assigned to Low-A. Three SAL teams in Lexington, Ky., Hagerstown, Md., and Charleston, W.VA., are no longer affiliated with a major league team.
Another victim in the Atlanta minor league shuffle was the Florida Fire Frogs, the Braves’ A-Advanced team in the Florida State League. The Fire Frogs were a team adrift after an extension on their stadium lease in Kissimmee expired at the end of the 2019 season. They were supposed to play in Atlanta’s spring training facility near Port Charlotte in Florida in 2020 after a market infringement problem was resolved with the Charlotte County Stone Crabs, a Tampa Bay Rays affiliate. The 2020 minor league season was cancelled, and the Fire Frogs and Stone Crabs were both eliminated when the Braves went with the Greenjackets and the Rays chose the Charleston Riverdogs for their Low-A teams.
The Greenjackets moved in 2018 to SRP Park across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C. The ballpark is in a new riverside development that includes a hotel, a brew pub and residential apartments that overlook the left field fence, like the apartments that overlook Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Stripers.
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Riverdogs on the field, regular dogs in the stands. |
The Greenjackets moved in 2018 to SRP Park across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C. The ballpark is in a new riverside development that includes a hotel, a brew pub and residential apartments that overlook the left field fence, like the apartments that overlook Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Stripers.
In was a hot Sunday afternoon with mercifully cloudy skies when the game began. Even the pitchers deserted the folding chairs in their baseline bullpens, to find a little shade in the dugouts. The Greenjackets sent 10 batters to the plate in the 4th inning and 8 in the 5th to build a commanding 9 to 2 lead. The Riverdogs tried to scratch their way back, but the Greenjackets held on for the win. Final: Augusta Greenjackets 9, Charleston Riverdogs 7.
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Jackets get the victory. |
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