Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Founded in 1962 Jacksonville, Florida |
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Class-level | |||||
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Current | Double-A (1970–present) | ||||
Previous | Triple-A (1962–1968) | ||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
League | Southern League (1970–present) | ||||
Division | Southern Division | ||||
Previous leagues
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International League (1962–1968) | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Current | Florida/Miami Marlins (2009–present) | ||||
Previous |
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Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (7) |
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Team data | |||||
Nickname | Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (2017-) | ||||
Previous names
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Jacksonville Expos (1985–1990) Jacksonville Suns (1962–1968; 1970–1984; 1991–2016) | ||||
Ballpark | Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville | ||||
Previous parks
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Sam W. Wolfson Baseball Park | ||||
Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Ken Babby | ||||
Manager | Randy Ready | ||||
General Manager | Harold Craw |
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, formerly known as the Jacksonville Suns, are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Two teams named the Suns have played in Jacksonville since 1962: a class Triple-A International League team from 1962–1968, and the current Double-A team from 1970 to 2016. From 1985–1990 the team was known as the Jacksonville Expos, when they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos MLB team. The team rebranded as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on November 2, 2016 and will begin the 2017 season under the new name.
The modern Jacksonville club has played in the Southern League longer than any other. The Suns won the International League title in 1968 and the Southern League championship in 1996, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014. They play at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, an 11,000-person capacity, $34 million park that opened in 2003. Since moving to the facility the Suns were a top selling franchise in the Southern League.
Jacksonville has had minor league baseball nearly every year since the early 20th century. From 1904 to 1961 the city was home to minor league teams such as the Jacksonville Jays, the Jacksonville Tars, and the Jacksonville Braves, as well as the Jacksonville Red Caps of the Negro Leagues. The former three teams all played in the South Atlantic League (the "Sally League"), which became the modern Southern League in 1964.