Mississippi Braves

Mississippi Braves Founded in 2005 Pearl, Mississippi
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Double-A (2005-present)
Minor league affiliations
Southern League (2005-Present) Southern Division
Major league affiliations
Atlanta Braves (2005-Present)
Name
Current: Mississippi Braves (2005-present) Past: Greenville Braves (1984-2004) Savannah Braves (1971-1983) Shreveport Braves (1968-1970) Austin Braves (1966-1967)
Ballpark
Current: Trustmark Park Past: Greenville Municipal Stadium Grayson Stadium Braves Field Disch Field
Minor league titles
League titles	2008
Division titles	2008
Owner(s)/Operated by: Liberty Media
Manager: Rocket Wheeler
General Manager: Steve DeSalvo

The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a minor league baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and plays in the Southern League. The team is owned and operated by Liberty Media, which also owns the Atlanta Braves. Liberty purchased the Braves from Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting unit in 2007.

Team history

For 21 years, from 1984 to 2004, the Mississippi Braves were based in Greenville, South Carolina, and known as the Greenville Braves. Due to the condition of Greenville Municipal Stadium, and the failure to reach an agreement with the Greenville County council for a new ballpark, the team pursued relocation. Before the 2004 season, the Braves announced their intentions to relocate to Pearl, Mississippi, after the season's conclusion.

The Mississippi Braves first season began on April 18, 2005. The Braves opened their inaugural season in Trustmark Park with a loss against the Montgomery Biscuits.

Phillip Wellman

The Mississippi Braves received some notoriety on June 1, 2007, when the team manager, Phillip Wellman, went on a tirade against the umpires during that night's game against the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field. He protested a series of unpopular calls by covering home plate with dirt. Wellman then traced a significantly larger home plate around the actual home plate. He continued his tantrum by uprooting bases and throwing them, low-crawling across the infield like a soldier and hurling the rosin bag at an umpire as if it were a grenade. Wellman concluded his tirade by making a hand gesture that hinted at throwing the third-base umpire out of the game, then blowing a farewell kiss to the crowd while taking a bow. Wellman received a three-game suspension as a result. The episode was broadcast on many sports syndications across the United States and Canada.

Championships

On September 13, 2008, the Mississippi Braves beat the Carolina Mudcats 3-2 in the 10th inning of the decisive Game 5 of the Southern League Championship Series. This was the Braves first championship since relocating to Mississippi and was the first Southern League title for Atlanta's Double-A franchise since 1997.

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  M-Braves current home, Trustmark Park

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  Greenville Braves logo. The franchise moved from Greenville to Pearl at the end of the 2004 season.

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  Manager Phillip Wellman

Roster

Mississippi Braves roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 48 Luis Avilán 43 Michael Broadway 38 Billy Bullock 16 Brett Butts 28 Yeliar Castro 36 Chris Cody 12 Rowdy Hardy 15 J. J. Hoover 11 Kenshin Kawakami  8 Benino Pruneda 37 Richard Sullivan 39 Ben Swaggerty		Catchers  7 Mathew Kennelly 29 Braeden Schlehuber Infielders 22 Shawn Bowman 10 Jordan Kreke 30 Donell Linares  9 Ed Lucas 34 Ernesto Mejia Outfielders 25 Willie Cabrera  5 Cory Harrilchak 24 Sean Henry 19 Mycal Jones		Manager -- Aaron Holbert Coaches 27 Mike Alvarez (pitching) 33 Garey Ingram (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Atlanta Braves 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated October 18, 2011 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Atlanta Braves minor league players

Notable Players

• José Ascanio* (2006–2007)
• Blaine Boyer* (2005)
• Román Colón (2005)
• Joey Devine* (2005–2007)
• Yunel Escobar (2006)
• Jeff Francoeur* (2005, 2008)
• Jason Heyward (2009)
• Chuck James (2005)
• Macay McBride (2005–2006)
• Brian McCann* (2005)
• Jay Powell* (2005)
• Martín Prado* (2005–2006)
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia* (2006–2007)
• Clint Sammons* (2007)
• Scott Thorman (2005)
• Jorge Vásquez* (2005)
• K. Brandon Ruh (2001)

* Promoted directly to Atlanta.

External links

• Official site
• Manager Phillip Wellman's tirade
• "Mississippi Braves Media Guide". 2007. http://mississippibraves.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//Media%20Guide/Braves%20History.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-04 
• Mississippi Braves photos