Braves invite four teams to affiliate
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves today announced the club invited the Gwinnett Stripers, the Mississippi Braves, the Rome Braves and the Augusta GreenJackets to become the organization’s four minor league affiliates in Major League Baseball’s new player development structure set to begin in 2021.
“We are excited to invite these four teams to be part of the Braves player development system,” Braves Executive Vice President of Minor League Affiliates and Strategic Planning Chip Moore said. “The potential of having our four affiliates all within Braves Country allows our fans to follow their favorite players as they develop from prospects to major leaguers.”
The Stripers invitation is to serve as Atlanta’s Triple-A club and lengthen the longest-running affiliation in professional baseball to 56 years. The partnership began in 1966 when the Triple-A club was in Richmond, VA, and since that year, the affiliation has produced five Triple-A league championships. Located 36 miles northeast of Truist Park in Lawrenceville, GA, the Stripers will continue to play their home games at Coolray Field.
Mississippi is invited to continue as the organization’s Double-A team, a designation the M-Braves have enjoyed since the club’s inception in 2005. Located in Pearl, MS, out of Trustmark Park, the team won a league title in 2008, and has sent 150 players to the major leagues, including 23 current Braves (Freddie Freeman, Charlie Morton, Dansby Swanson, Johan Camargo, Ozzie Albies, Max Fried, A.J. Minter, Sean Newcomb, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Soroka, Chad Sobotka, Touki Toussaint, Bryse Wilson, Alex Jackson, Jacob Webb, Austin Riley, Huascar Ynoa, Jeremy Walker, William Contreras, Cristian Pache, Ian Anderson, Patrick Weigel and Tucker Davidson).
Rome’s invitation would have them begin their first season as the organization’s High-A affiliate, after serving as the club’s low-level A-ball team since 2003. Located approximately 60 miles northwest of Truist Park in Rome, GA, the R-Braves won two league titles in 2003 and 2016 and play their home games at State Mutual Stadium.
Augusta is invited to join the Braves’ player development structure for the first time in 2021, serving as the organization’s Low-A team. The GreenJackets, originally formed in 1988, play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. The ballpark opened in 2018 and overlooks the Savannah River, which serves as part of the state border between Georgia and South Carolina. The facility is a little over 150 miles from Truist Park.