| Jackson Generals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Double-A (1998–2020) | ||||
| League | Southern League (1998–2020) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team |
| ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(4) |
| ||||
| Division titles(7) |
| ||||
| First-half titles(6) |
| ||||
| Second-half titles(4) |
| ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name |
| ||||
| Colors | Green, black, white, tan | ||||
| Mascot | Sarge theBulldog[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | The Ballpark at Jackson (1998–2020) | ||||
TheJackson Generals were aprofessional baseball team located inJackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part ofMinor League Baseball'sSouthern League (SL) as theDouble-A affiliate of theChicago Cubs (1998–2006),Seattle Mariners (2007–2016), andArizona Diamondbacks (2017–2020). Known as theWest Tenn Diamond Jaxx from 1998 to 2010, the team borrowed its Generals moniker from the originalJackson Generals in 2011. They played their home games atThe Ballpark at Jackson, which opened in 1998.
Jackson served as afarm club for threeMajor League Baseball franchises. Over 22 years of competition, the Generals have played in 3,053 regular season games and compiled a 1,553–1,500 win–loss record. They have qualified for thepostseason on 10 occasions, winning 7 division titles and 4 Southern League championships. The team's first came in 2000 as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They won a second in 2016 while affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. Their two most-recent titles were won back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jackson has a postseason record of 39–31. Combining all 3,123 regular season and postseason games, the Generals have an all-time record of 1,592–1,531.
Professional baseball was first played inJackson, Tennessee, in 1903 by theJackson Railroaders of theKentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League.[2] They were followed in the KITTY League by theJackson Climbers in 1911 and theJackson Blue Jays in 1924.[2][3] The Blue Jays moved to theTri-State League in 1925 as theJackson Giants and became theJackson Jays in 1926.[2] The originalJackson Generals played in the KITTY League from 1935 to 1942 and 1950 to 1954.[2] Jackson went without a team for the next 42 years.[2]
Following the 1997 season, theSouthern League'sMemphis Chicks relocated from nearbyMemphis, to Jackson as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.[4] The team's nickname was selected from over 1,500 suggestions submitted toThe Jackson Sun in a name-the-team contest.[5] The winning entry, "Diamond Jacks", was inspired by a diamond shape on the contest entry blank.[5] This was modified to "Diamond Jaxx" and paired with "West Tenn", short for "West Tennessee" in which Jackson is located. The Diamond Jaxx became theDouble-A affiliate of theChicago Cubs.[6] The team would play their home games at the newly constructed 6,000-seatPringles Park, which cost approximately US$8 million.[7][8]
The West Tenn Diamond Jaxx opened their inaugural season on the road against theJacksonville Suns on April 2, 1998, atWolfson Park inJacksonville, Florida, winning 6–4.[9] They played their home opener on April 16 before a sellout crowd of 6,054 people at Pringles Park.[10] Tied 4–4 in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, Jackson's Terry Joseph washit by a pitch forcing in the winning run in the 5–4 victory.[10]Managed byDave Trembley, the Diamond Jaxx ended their first season in fourth place in the Western Division with a 66–74 record.[11]
Jackson hosted the 1999Southern League All-Star Game on June 23. In the midsummer contest, the Western Division All-Stars defeated the Eastern Division, 5–2, with 4,169 in attendance.[12][13] On July 22,David Manning pitched ano-hitter against Jacksonville at Pringles Park, a 1–0 win.[14] The Diamond Jaxx won both the First and Second Half Western Division titles that season, with a league-leading 84–57 record, qualifying for the postseason playoffs.[15] They won the division title by defeating theChattanooga Lookouts, 3–1, in a best-of-five series.[15] They were, however, defeated in finals by theOrlando Rays, 3–1.[15] Trembley was selected for theSouthern League Manager of the Year Award.[16]
The Diamond Jaxx returned to the postseason in 2000 under the leadership of Manager of the YearDave Bialas after winning the second half and posting a league-best 80–58 mark.[16][15] They won the Western Division title versus theBirmingham Barons, 3–2, then won their firstSouthern League championship by defeating Jacksonville, 3–2.[15]
They won another second half title in 2002, but were eliminated in the Western Division series by Birmingham, 3–2.[15] Jackson missed the playoffs for the next two seasons, including the 2004 campaign in whichsecond baseman Richard Lewis won theSouthern League Most Valuable Player Award.[16] They won both halves of the 2005 season and won the Northern Division title versus theCarolina Mudcats, 3–0, but lost the championship to Jacksonville, 3–1.[17] Jackson led the league with an 83–56 record.[17]Ricky Nolasco was selected for the 2005Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award.[16]
At the 2006 Southern League All-Star Game, Jacksonthird basemanScott Moore was selected as the game's MVP.[18] Following the 2006 season, the Chicago Cubs ended their nine-year affiliation with the Diamond Jaxx, citing poor attendance and a desire for their Double-A players to compete before larger audiences.[19] Jackson had a composite record of 655–598 through nine seasons with the Cubs.
The Diamond Jaxx entered into an affiliation with theSeattle Mariners in 2007.[20] The finished that season with a 60–79 record.[21] In October 2007, team owners Lozinak Baseball Properties entered into an agreement to sell the Diamond Jaxx to a group ofMiddle Tennessee-based investors headed by Reese Smith III and David Freeman.[22][23] The new owners planned to keep the team in Jackson and sought to improve attendance.[24] The sale was approved at theWinter Meetings that December.[23]
Jackson won the First Half Northern Division title in 2008, but lost the division series to Carolina, 3–0.[17] The 2010 team, lost the Northern Division title to theTennessee Smokies, winners of both halves, 3–1.[25]
During the 2010 playoffs, the team announced plans to rebrand for the 2011 season by becoming the Jackson Generals.[26] The moniker was previously used by the originalJackson Generals, who represented the city in theKentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League from 1935 to 1942 and 1950 to 1954.[2] The Generals hosted their second Southern League All-Star Game on June 21, 2011. The North Division All-Stars defeated the South Division, 6–3, before a crowd of 5,516 at Pringles Park.[27]
After missing the playoffs in 2011, the 2012 Generals won the First Half Northern Division title and posted a league-leading 79–61 record.[25] They then defeated theChattanooga Lookouts, 3–1, to advance to their first league championship series since 2005.[25] They lost the finals to theMobile BayBears, 3–1.[25]Brandon Maurer was selected as the season's Most Outstanding Pitcher.[16] Losing campaigns from 2013 to 2015, including a franchise-low 53–84 (.387) record in 2015, kept the Generals from the playoffs for three consecutive years, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.[28]
The 2016 Generals, managed byDaren Brown, led the league with a franchise-best 84–55 (.604) mark, winning the first half title.[29] They won the Northern Division title against theMontgomery Biscuits, 3–1, before winning their second Southern League crown over theMississippi Braves, 3–0.[30] Jackson swept the Southern League awards withoutfielderTyler O'Neill winning the MVP Award,Ryan Yarbrough as the Most Outstanding Pitcher, and Brown winning the Manager of the Year Award.[16]
The Generals ended their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners after the playoffs, intending to partner with a new major league team.[31] Over 10 years as a Mariners affiliate, the Diamond Jaxx/Generals accumulated a record of 674–712. Over all 19 years in Jackson, the team had an all-time record of 1,329–1,310.
_(cropped).jpg)
The Generals next affiliated with theArizona Diamondbacks in a player development contract that began with the 2017 season.[31] They missed the playoffs in their first season with Arizona, butfirst basemanKevin Cron won the league's Most Valuable Player Award.[16] On June 14, 2018, five Generals combined to pitch a no-hitter against Jacksonville on the road.Justin Donatella (3 innings pitched), Daniel Gibson (2 IP), Kirby Bellow (1 IP),Kevin Ginkel (2 IP), andBrad Goldberg (1 IP) held the Suns hitless for nine innings in the 6–0 win.[32] The team went on to win back-to-back Southern League championships in 2018 and 2019. Jackson won the 2018 first half, defeated Montgomery, 3–2, for the Northern Division title, then won the franchise's third league title with a 3–1 series win over theBiloxi Shuckers.[30]
The 2019 team did not win either half of the season, but received a postseason berth with the Northern Division's second-best overall record.[33] Similar to the previous year, the Generals bested the Biscuits, 3–1 in the division series, then won their fourth Southern League championship versus the Shuckers, 3–2.[34]
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[35][36] Jackson was scheduled to host the 2020 Southern League All-Star Game atThe Ballpark at Jackson, but it was cancelled earlier on May 19.[37][38]
Through three years of affiliation with Arizona, the Generals' record was 224–190. Over all 22 years of competition, they had an all-time record of 1,553–1,500.
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, the Generals were not invited to serve as any team's affiliate, effectively ending their affiliation with the Diamondbacks and their run in affiliated baseball.[39] The future of the team is uncertain. While Major League Baseball has stated its intentions to assist cities like Jackson in joining independent baseball leagues, the team's lease requires them to maintain aClass A, Double-A, orTriple-A affiliation to remain at their ballpark.[39]
With no team lined up for 2021, the Generals agreed to operate The Ballpark at Jackson as a temporary home for theWinnipeg Goldeyes, an independentAmerican Association team based inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which was displaced due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.[40] However, Jackson Mayor Scott Conger notified the teams that the Generals lost their authority to manage the city-owned ballpark when they lost their affiliation with Minor League Baseball and that they were issued an eviction notice to leave the stadium after May 30, nine days after the Goldeyes' May 21 home opener.[41] On June 1, the Goldeyes entered into a new license agreement with the city to continue use of the facility.[42] Meanwhile, the Generals and the City of Jackson went to an arbiter to decide which party had legal control of the stadium.[41] The arbiter ruled in favor of the city, determining the Generals' lease to be invalid after the loss of its affiliation and requiring the team to vacate the ballpark.[43] The city plans to host a team of thecollegiate summerProspect League in 2023. The team will be called the Jackson Rockabillys.[44]
Jackson's best season record occurred in 2016, when they finished 84–55 (.604) as an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Their lowest season record has been 53–84 (.387) in 2015, also as a Mariners affiliate. Of the threeMajor League Baseball teams with which Jackson has been affiliated, they have experienced their best record with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2017 to 2020. The team has a composite regular season record of 224–190 (.541). They have reached the postseason on two occasions, winning two division titles and two Southern League championships. Their postseason record has been 12–6 (.667). Conversely, the team's lowest record has been with the Mariners from 2007 to 2016. They compiled a 674–712 (.486) record and reached the postseason on four occasions, winning two division titles and one league championship. Their postseason record was 11–11 (.500).
| League | The team's final position in the league standings |
|---|---|
| Division | The team's final position in the divisional standings |
| GB | Games behind the team that finished in first place in the division that season |
| ‡ | League champions |
| † | Division champions |
| * | Postseason berth |
| Season | Regular season | Postseason | MLB affiliate | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Record | Win % | Result | |||
| 1998 | 66–74 | .471 | 7th (tie) | 4th (tie) | 20 | — | — | — | Chicago Cubs | [11] |
| 1999 † * | 84–57 | .596 | 1st | 1st | — | 4–4 | .500 | Won First and Second Half Western Division titles Won Western Division title vs.Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–1 LostSL championship vs.Orlando Rays, 3–1[15] | Chicago Cubs | [45] |
| 2000 ‡ † * | 80–58 | .580 | 1st | 1st | — | 6–4 | .600 | Won Second Half Western Division title Won Western Division title vs.Birmingham Barons, 3–2 WonSL championship vs.Jacksonville Suns, 3–2[15] | Chicago Cubs | [46] |
| 2001 | 59–80 | .424 | 9th | 5th | 20+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Chicago Cubs | [47] |
| 2002 * | 73–67 | .521 | 4th | 3rd | 6 | 2–3 | .400 | Won Second Half Western Division title Lost Western Division title vs.Birmingham Barons, 3–2[15] | Chicago Cubs | [48] |
| 2003 | 65–63 | .471 | 8th (tie) | 3rd (tie) | 10 | — | — | — | Chicago Cubs | [49] |
| 2004 | 70–68 | .507 | 5th | 3rd | 2+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Chicago Cubs | [50] |
| 2005 † * | 83–56 | .597 | 1st | 1st | — | 4–3 | .571 | Won First and Second Half Northern Division titles Won Northern Division title vs.Carolina Mudcats, 3–0 LostSL championship vs.Jacksonville Suns, 3–1[17] | Chicago Cubs | [51] |
| 2006 | 75–65 | .536 | 4th | 2nd | 6 | — | — | — | Chicago Cubs | [52] |
| 2007 | 60–79 | .432 | 9th | 4th | 16 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [21] |
| 2008 * | 70–68 | .507 | 5th | 3rd | 9 | 0–3 | .000 | Won First Half Northern Division title Lost Northern Division title vs.Carolina Mudcats, 3–0[17] | Seattle Mariners | [53] |
| 2009 | 62–78 | .443 | 5th | 10th | 9 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [54] |
| 2010 * | 72–66 | .525 | 4th | 2nd | 13 | 1–3 | .250 | Lost Northern Division title vs.Tennessee Smokies, 3–1[25] | Seattle Mariners | [55] |
| 2011 | 68–72 | .486 | 6th | 3rd | 15 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [56] |
| 2012 † * | 79–61 | .564 | 1st | 1st | — | 4–4 | .500 | Won First Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs.Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–1 LostSL championship vs.Mobile BayBears, 3–1[25] | Seattle Mariners | [57] |
| 2013 | 62–73 | .459 | 7th | 3rd | 12+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [58] |
| 2014 | 63–76 | .453 | 7th | 3rd | 13+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [59] |
| 2015 | 53–84 | .387 | 10th | 5th | 23+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Seattle Mariners | [28] |
| 2016 ‡ † * | 84–55 | .604 | 1st | 1st | — | 6–1 | .857 | Won First Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs.Montgomery Biscuits, 3–1 WonSL championship vs.Mississippi Braves, 3–0[30] | Seattle Mariners | [29] |
| 2017 | 71–69 | .507 | 5th | 3rd | 20 | — | — | — | Arizona Diamondbacks | [60] |
| 2018 ‡ † * | 75–64 | .540 | 3rd | 2nd | 3+1⁄2 | 6–3 | .667 | Won First Half Northern Division title Won Northern Division title vs.Montgomery Biscuits, 3–2 WonSL championship vs.Biloxi Shuckers, 3–1[30] | Arizona Diamondbacks | [61] |
| 2019 ‡ † * | 78–57 | .578 | 3rd | 2nd | 8+1⁄2 | 6–3 | .667 | Won Northern Division title vs.Montgomery Biscuits, 3–1 WonSL championship vs.Biloxi Shuckers, 3–2[34] | Arizona Diamondbacks | [33] |
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[36] | Arizona Diamondbacks | [62] | |||||||
| Totals | 1,553–1,500 | .509 | — | — | — | 39–31 | .557 | — | — | — |
| Affiliation | Regular season | Postseason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Win % | Appearances | Record | Win % | |
| Chicago Cubs (1998–2006) | 655–598 | .523 | 4 | 16–14 | .533 |
| Seattle Mariners (2007–2016) | 674–712 | .486 | 4 | 11–11 | .500 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks (2017–2020) | 224–190 | .541 | 2 | 12–6 | .667 |
| Totals | 1,553–1,500 | .509 | 10 | 39–31 | .557 |
All Jackson Generals games were shown onMiLB.TV. All games were also broadcast on radio by Radio Willie 94.1 FM and 1390 AM with sportscaster Tyler Springs handling the play-by-play since 2017.[63]
Six Generals players won Southern League awards in recognition for their performance with Jackson. Three wonMost Valuable Player Awards, while three won theMost Outstanding Pitcher Award. Three managers won theManager of the Year Award. The team also won one Executive of the Year Award. Altogether, the Generals won 10 Southern League awards.
| Award | Recipient | Season | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | Richard Lewis | 2004 | [16] |
| Most Valuable Player Award | Tyler O'Neill | 2016 | [16] |
| Most Valuable Player Award | Kevin Cron | 2017 | [16] |
| Most Outstanding Pitcher Award | Ricky Nolasco | 2005 | [16] |
| Most Outstanding Pitcher Award | Brandon Maurer | 2012 | [16] |
| Most Outstanding Pitcher Award | Ryan Yarbrough | 2016 | [16] |
| Manager of the Year Award | Dave Trembley | 1999 | [16] |
| Manager of the Year Award | Dave Bialas | 2000 | [16] |
| Manager of the Year Award | Daren Brown | 2016 | [16] |
| Executive of the Year Award | David Hersh | 1999 | [16] |
