Gwinnett Stripers
The Gwinnett Stripers, formerly known as the Gwinnett Braves, are a professional minor league baseball team based in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia, within the Atlanta metropolitan area. The team plays in the South Division of the International League, and they are the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located 35 miles (56 km) northeast of their parent club's stadium, Truist Park in unincorporated Cobb County—the second-shortest distance between a Triple-A team and its major league parent (behind only the Pacific Coast League's Tacoma Rainiers, based 26 miles (42 km) south of the Seattle Mariners). The 2018 season was the 54th season of the affiliation between Richmond/Gwinnett and the major league Braves, the longest-running affiliation in Triple-A.
Gwinnett Stripers Founded in 1901 in Atlanta Based in Lawrenceville, Georgia since 2009 | |||||
| |||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class | Triple-A (2009–present) | ||||
League | International League | ||||
Division | South | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Team |
| ||||
Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (0) | None | ||||
Division titles (2) |
| ||||
Wild card berths (1) |
| ||||
Team data | |||||
Nickname | Gwinnett Stripers (2018–present) | ||||
Previous names |
| ||||
Colors | Navy blue, sea green, red, white | ||||
Mascot | Chopper | ||||
Ballpark | Coolray Field (2009–present) | ||||
Previous parks |
| ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media) | ||||
Manager | Damon Berryhill | ||||
General Manager | Adam English[1] | ||||
Media | MiLB.TV and 97.7 FM |
History
The team was based in Richmond, Virginia, for 43 seasons (1966–2008), where it had been known as the Richmond Braves. They relocated to Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta in 2009.[2] They continued as the Gwinnett Braves through the 2017 season, after which they were renamed to the Stripers.
The move to Gwinnett County marked a return home of sorts, as the team began as the Atlanta Crackers in 1901. They became the top affiliate of the then-Milwaukee Braves in 1965. When the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966, they moved the Crackers to Richmond, where the minor league franchise took the name of the parent club.
Ballpark
The Gwinnett Stripers' home stadium, Coolray Field, has a total seating capacity of 10,427.[3]. Coolray Field opened on April 17, 2009.
Logos and uniforms
From 2009 to 2017, the official colors of the Gwinnett Braves were navy blue and scarlet, the same as their Atlanta parent. The primary logo resembled the Atlanta Braves primary, but with silver outline and with the word "Gwinnett" centered above.
The home jersey had the classic Braves' wordmark centered on the front, with the "Gwinnett" underscore underlining it. However, unlike Atlanta's jersey with navy blue and scarlet piping, the Gwinnett team's jersey featured scarlet sleeves with blue stripes.[4]
The Gwinnett Braves announced a plan to rebrand for the 2018 season by adopting a name that had a significance to the area and its population. A name-the-team contest was launched to determine candidates for the new moniker.[5] The six finalists announced were "Buttons," "Big Mouths," "Gobblers," "Hush Puppies," "Lamb Chops," and "Sweet Teas."[6] On December 8, 2017, the club announced its new name as the "Stripers", in reference to striped bass found in nearby Lake Lanier.[7]
International League awards
Most Valuable Pitcher
- 2011 – Julio Teherán, led starters in wins (15), W–L% (.833), and ERA (2.55)[8][9]
Rookie of the Year
- 2010 – Freddie Freeman (1B), tied for 6th in batting average (.319), and finished 3rd in RBI (87) and 8th in home runs (18)[8][10]
- 2011 – Julio Teherán (P)
- 2012 – Ernesto Mejía (1B), finished 1st in hits (149), RBI (92), and total bases (254), while tying for 2nd in home runs (24)[11][12]
Roster
Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager Coaches
|
Notable alumni
- Ozzie Albies
- Ronald Acuña Jr.
- Jairo Asencio
- José Bautista
- Brandon Beachy
- Steve Bedrosian
- Gregor Blanco
- J. C. Boscán
- Francisley Bueno
- Danny Burawa
- Bárbaro Cañizares
- Brooks Conrad
- José Constanza
- Mike Dunn
- Luis Durango
- Freddie Freeman
- Nate Freiman
- Cory Gearrin
- Mauro Gómez
- Tommy Hanson
- Diory Hernández
- Jason Heyward
- Brandon Hicks
- Omar Infante
- Kelly Johnson
- Brandon Jones
- Jair Jurrjens
- Craig Kimbrel
- Brian McCann
- Kris Medlen
- Mike Minor
- Charlie Morton
- Tyler Pastornicky
- Wilkin Ramírez
- Todd Redmond
- Chris Resop
- Jo-Jo Reyes
- Jordan Schafer
- Dansby Swanson
- Julio Teherán
- Joe Thurston
- Jonny Venters
- Matt Young
Broadcasts and media
The Stripers air all games on 97.7 FM "The Other Side of the River" based in nearby Gainesville. Tony Schiavone, former voice of the Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Knights, WCW, and WWE, is the play-by-play announcer.[13]. All Gwinnett Stripers games are televised live on MiLB.TV. From 2009 to 2013 select homes games were broadcast on Comcast Sports Southeast. For the 2014 season, select home games were broadcast on the Atlanta area Me-TV.
References
- "Adam English Named Stripers Vice President and GM". Ballpark Digest. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- "Atlanta Braves Moving Their AAA Team to Gwinnett County Georgia in 2009", MLB.com – Atlanta Braves. 15 Jan 2008
- "Groundbreaking Commemorates Gwinnett's New Home of the Braves", gwinnettbraves.com. 3 Jun 2008
- Hammock, Will. "Braves unveil 'neat look'", gwinnettbraves.com. 3 Jun 2008
- "Gwinnett Braves Name the Team". Gwinnett Braves. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- Hammock, Will (July 13, 2017). "Finalists for Gwinnett Braves team naming contest announced". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- Hammock, Will (December 8, 2017). "Gwinnett Stripers announced as replacement name for Gwinnett Braves". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- "MiLB.com – International League award winners".
- Baseball Reference – 2011 International League pitching leaders
- Baseball Reference – 2010 International League batting leaders
- Baseball Reference – 2012 International League batting leaders
- OSC.com – Ernesto Mejia Named International League Rookie of the Year
- Gwinnett Stripers (2018). "Broadcast/Media Relations Staff" (PDF). 2018 Gwinnett Stripers Media Guide. p. 152. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gwinnett Stripers. |