Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

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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. 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 itself as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on November 2, 2016 and began 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.

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History

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.

Jacksonville Suns (1962-2016)

The first team known as the Jacksonville Suns began play in the Triple-A International League in 1962. The team had been founded in Havana, Cuba, where they were known as the Havana Sugar Kings. Following the Cuban Revolution in 1959 the team relocated to Jersey City, New Jersey, but soon folded; the franchise was bought by the Cleveland Indians, who moved it to Jacksonville as the Jacksonville Suns in 1962. The president was local baseball fixture Sam W. Wolfson, previously the owner of the Jacksonville Braves; the Suns replaced the Jacksonville Jets Sally League club. During this period a number of later Major League stars played for the Suns, including Tommy John, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver, and the team won the International League championship in 1968. Following that season the team's parent club, the New York Mets, decided to relocate the team to Virginia, where they became the Norfolk Tides.

Jacksonville was without baseball in 1969, but in 1970 a new Suns team began play in the Double-A Southern League. The team was affiliated with both the Montreal Expos and the Milwaukee Brewers in its inaugural season, with the Cleveland Indians in 1971, and then with the Kansas City Royals from 1972-1984. Affiliation switched back to the Expos from 1985-1990, during which period the team was known as the Jacksonville Expos. Since then it has been affiliated with the Seattle Mariners (1991-1994), the Detroit Tigers (1995-2000), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-2008), and most recently the Miami Marlins (2009-present). The Suns have appeared in the Southern League playoffs 15 times, and won the championship in 1996, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014. After winning the championship in 2009 and defending it in 2010, the Jacksonville Suns became the third team in Southern League history to successfully defend a championship. Coincidentally, both previous teams to defend their championship were based in Montgomery: the Montgomery Rebels who successfully defended their title between 1972-1973 and 1975-1977; and the Montgomery Biscuits who defended their title between 2006-2007.

In 1998 with the Suns, Gabe Kapler won the Southern League Most Valuable Player Award, after leading the league with 28 home runs, and also leading the league in hits (176), runs (113), doubles (47; breaking the old doubles record of 44), RBIs (146; most in the minors in 1998 and most ever in the Southern League), extra-base hits (81; a league record), total bases (319; a league record), and sacrifice flies (11).

In 2014, the Suns finished the regular season on a ten-game winning streak, edging out the Mississippi Braves by one game to win the second half South Division title outright. Including the playoffs, the 2014 Suns won 16 of their final 17 games on the year enroute to the franchise's sixth Southern League title. The Suns have played in the Southern League longer than any other team, and their 41-year period in Jacksonville has become the longest continuous association between any city and a class Double-A team.

The Suns played at Wolfson Park from 1962 until it was demolished in 2002. Since 2003 they have played at Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, an 11,000 seat, $34 million field created as part of the Better Jacksonville Plan. Since moving to the Baseball Grounds the Suns have consistently led the Southern League in attendance, drawing over one million fans in their first four years. The Suns' success has led to speculation that the team may move to class Triple A in the future.