The Greenville Braves were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

minor league baseball franchise, based in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

, that served as the Class AA

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

between 1984 and 2004. The Braves played in

Greenville Municipal Stadium Greenville Municipal Stadium is a stadium in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., that was built in 1984 and holds 7,048 people. It is located on Mauldin Road off exit 46C on I-85. It was primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the ...

for all 21 years of their existence. The team had much success and many famous future Atlanta players such as

Tom Glavine Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...

Javy López Javier "Javy" López Torres (born November 5, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1992–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2004–2006) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He batted and threw right-h ...

Jason Marquis Jason Scott Marquis (; born August 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Arizona ...

, Eddie Pérez,

Andruw Jones Andruw Rudolf Jones (; born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan former baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers ...

, and

John Rocker John Loy Rocker (born October 17, 1974) is a former American relief pitcher who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Atlanta Braves. Making his major league debut in 1998 as a member of the Braves, with whom he p ...

played there. They won multiple Southern League championships, and the 1992 edition, managed by

Grady Little William Grady Little (born March 3, 1950) is a former manager in Major League Baseball, currently working in the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2007 ...

and featuring Chipper Jones and López, won 100 out of 143 games (.699) during the regular season to take the pennant, then captured the SL playoff title. The 1992 Braves were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time. After the 2004 season, the parent club in Atlanta transferred the G-Braves to

Pearl, Mississippi Pearl is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States, located on the east side of the Pearl River across from the state capital Jackson. The population was 25,092 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

, where the team is now known as the

Mississippi Braves 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 Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...

. The Braves cited an outdated stadium that did not meet current standards and the City of Greenville's unwillingness to create a sufficient financial package to build a new stadium as the cause of the move. With the Greenville Braves out, the Greenville Bombers (formerly the

Capital City Bombers Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

), Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

affiliate of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, moved into the old Braves stadium in 2005. In 2006, a brand new stadium located in Downtown Greenville,

Fluor Field at the West End Fluor Field at the West End is a 6,700-seat baseball-only stadium in Greenville, South Carolina, that opened on April 6, 2006. Designed by architectural firm DLR Group, it was built as a new home of the Greenville Drive baseball team, the High-A ...

, opened and the Bombers changed their name to the

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West En ...

Greenville Braves (WCL, 1963–64)

Greenville also hosted a team in the low Class A

Western Carolinas League Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in American minor league base ...

—the former identity (1960–79) of the South Atlantic League—called the ''Braves'' as an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves in 1963 and 1964. This two-year affiliation was brief, but produced the 1963 playoff champions of the WCL. When the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

replaced the Braves as the team's parent in 1965, the nickname was changed.

Hall of Fame Alumni

, All Star starting pitcher and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

inductee in 2014 *

, All Star third baseman and

inductee in 2018

Notable former players

Jim Acker James Justin Acker (born September 24, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to . He played college baseball at the University of Texas. Acker was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Braves in the 1980 Major Leagu ...

, pitcher with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and

Tommy Greene Ira Thomas Greene (born April 6, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies from 1989 to 1995. He also played for the Houston Astros in 19 ...

, All Star pitcher, threw a

no hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. *

, All Star outfielder, won 10 consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards 1998-2007 * David Justice, All Star outfielder. 1990 National League Rookie of the Year. *

, All Star starting pitcher, Silver Slugger Award *

Kent Mercker Kent Franklin Mercker (born February 1, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his 17-year career. Career Mercker was born in Brownsburg, Indiana and lived in several different citi ...

, starting pitcher *

Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in th ...

, All Star starting pitcher *

, Hall of Fame Third Baseman. 1999 MVP. 2008 batting champion. *

Mark Wohlers Mark Edward Wohlers (born January 23, 1970) is a former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he played all or parts of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, exclusively as a relief pitcher. He is best known for his years with the Atlanta ...

, All Star reliever, threw a combined no-hitter in 1991 *

Javy Lopez Javy is a shortened nickname for the masculine given name Javier. Notable persons referred to as Javy include: *Javy Ayala (born 1988), American martial artist *Javy Báez, nickname for Javier Báez (born 1992), Puerto Rican baseball infielder *Jav ...

, All Star catcher, NLCS MVP

Season-by-season records

The following is a list of the Greenville Braves season-by-season record.Baseball Reference
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References

{{reflist Defunct Southern League (1964–present) teams Sports in Greenville, South Carolina Baseball teams established in 1984 Sports clubs disestablished in 2004 1984 establishments in South Carolina 2004 disestablishments in South Carolina Professional baseball teams in South Carolina Defunct Western Carolinas League teams