Richmond Braves

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Richmond Braves
Founded in 1966
Richmond, Virginia

Team Logo
Cap Insignia
Class-Level
  • Triple-A (1966-2008)
Minor League affiliations
Major League affiliations
Name
  • Richmond Braves (1966-Present)
Ballpark
Minor League titles
League titles 1978, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2007
Division titles
Owner(s)/Operated by: Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media)
Manager: Dave Brundage
General Manager: Bruce Baldwin

The Richmond Braves are the AAA minor league baseball team of the Atlanta Braves and are part of the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they are based in Richmond, Virginia, where they have played since 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta, where their Triple-A team, the Crackers, had been playing for four years. The Braves play their home games at a stadium called The Diamond, which is also home to the Virginia Commonwealth University baseball team. The Diamond is located on Boulevard and features a sculpture of a gigantic Native American brave (named "Connecticut") on the outside walkway. The current stadium was established in 1985 at a site that had been used for minor league baseball since 1954. The former stadium was called Parker Field.

On January 14, 2008, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Richmond Braves will relocate to Gwinnett County, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, in 2009.[1][2] The Gwinnett Braves will play in a new ballpark, Gwinnett County Ballpark. A fan-run website started a petition to keep the Braves in Richmond. SavetheRbraves.com set up an online petition, hoping to convince Atlanta officials that Richmond would rally to support the Braves. The group hopes to spur enough support in order to make the Braves rethink their plans before it is too late to stop the construction process in Gwinnett. Two local radio stations, Mix 103.7 and ESPN Radio 950, as well as NBC12 News have thus far covered the group's efforts, which has amassed more than 5,400 signatures (as of January 31, 2008).

The franchise move would end 43 years of affiliation or ownership of the R-Braves. It follows an ongoing dialogue between the MLB club and Richmond authorities over building a new stadium. In 2004, a project was proposed to build a new stadium for the Braves in the Shockoe Bottom district of downtown Richmond. The aging Diamond is said to be in disrepair, including the fact that the field used to flood after heavy rains due to the clay soil under the playing surface. The field was rebuilt before the 2005 season. After Tropical Storm Gaston devastated Shockoe Bottom, the proposal lost some popular support but was still being heavily promoted by some city leaders. The deal with a Washington-based developer fell through late in 2005, but Shockoe is still being looked at as well as the former site of Fulton Gas Works, and Chesterfield County to some extent. There is also discussion of a plan to build a sports complex in the area near the current ballpark.

The IL will not transfer an existing franchise there to replace the Braves. Reportedly, Richmond will remain represented in minor league baseball as a member of a lower-classification circuit, such as the AA Southern League or Eastern League, the High Class A Carolina League, or the Low Class A South Atlantic League[3].


Contents

[edit] Titles

The R-Braves have won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the International League, 5 times, and played in the championship series 10 times. Their predecessor team, the Richmond Virginians, a N.Y. Yankee International League franchise from 1954 through 1964, played in the championship once.

[edit] Current roster

Richmond Braves roster
v • d • e
Players Coaching staff
Pitchers

Roster updated 2008-06-12
Transactions

 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager
  • 45 Dave Brundage

Coaches


[edit] Alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ O'Brien, David. "Richmond Braves coming to Gwinnett." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 14 January 2008.
  2. ^ Ress, David, and Michael Martz. "Braves strike out . . . for new home in Ga.". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 16 January 2008.
  3. ^ Baseball America, February 15, 2008

[edit] External links


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