Greenville Braves
From BR Bullpen
- Location: Greenville, SC
- League: Western Carolinas League 1963-1964; Southern League 1984-2004
- Affiliation: Milwaukee Braves 1963-1964; Atlanta Braves 1984-2004
- Ballpark: Meadowbrook Park 1963-1964, Greenville Municipal Stadium 1984-
[edit] Team History
There were two Greenville Braves clubs in baseball history. The first played in the Western Carolinas League in 1963 and 1964, capturing a league title in their first season.
The later incarnation of the Braves were an Atlanta Braves AA affiliate in the Southern League. They began play in 1984 and played their home games at Greenville Municipal Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina. The Braves captured league titles in 1992 and 1997. The 1992 club, led by manager Grady Little, became the first Southern League club ever to win 100 games and is considered one of the greatest minor league teams of all time. That season the team was led by catcher Javy Lopez, who hit .321 with 16 homers to capture the League MVP Award, and shortstop Chipper Jones, who hit .346 after joining the club in midseason.
Besides Lopez and Jones, some of the greatest Braves over the years have included Vinny Castilla, Jermaine Dye, Marcus Giles, Tom Glavine, Ryan Klesko, and Mark Wohlers.
After the 2004 season, the club moved to Pearl, Mississippi and became known as the Mississippi Braves.
[edit] Year-by-Year Record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 59-65 | 6th | Jim Fanning (20-16) / Paul Snyder (29-39) | League Champs | |
| 1964 | 63-63 | 4th | Bill Steinecke & Jimmy Brown | Co-managers until Brown resigned June 30 | |
| 1985 | 70-74 | 7th | Jim Beauchamp | ||
| 1986 | 73-71 | 4th | Jim Beauchamp | ||
| 1987 | 70-74 | 5th | Jim Beauchamp | ||
| 1988 | 85-57 | 1st | Russ Nixon / Buddy Bailey | Lost League Finals | |
| 1989 | 70-69 | 4th | Buddy Bailey | Lost League Finals | |
| 1990 | 57-87 | 10th | Buddy Bailey | ||
| 1991 | 88-56 | 1st | Chris Chambliss | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1992 | 100-43 | 1st | Grady Little | League Champs | |
| 1993 | 75-67 | 2nd | Bruce Kimm | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1994 | 73-63 | 3rd | Bruce Benedict | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1995 | 59-83 | 9th | Bruce Benedict | ||
| 1996 | 58-82 | 9th | Jeff Cox | ||
| 1997 | 74-66 | 4th | Randy Ingle | League Champs | |
| 1998 | 67-72 | 6th | Randy Ingle | ||
| 1999 | 58-82 | 10th | Paul Runge | ||
| 2000 | 68-71 | 6th | Paul Runge | Lost in 1st round | |
| 2001 | 60-79 | 8th | Paul Runge | ||
| 2002 | 65-69 | 7th | Brian Snitker | ||
| 2003 | 68-70 | 5th | Brian Snitker | ||
| 2004 | 63-76 | 9th | Brian Snitker |
