| Gwinnett Stripers | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Triple-A (2009–present) | ||||
| League | International League (2009–present) | ||||
| Division | West Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Atlanta Braves (2009–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(0) | None | ||||
| Division titles(2) |
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| Wild card berths(1) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Gwinnett Stripers (2018–present) | ||||
Previous names | Gwinnett Braves (2009–2017) | ||||
| Colors | Navy blue, sea green, red, white | ||||
| Mascot | Chopper | ||||
| Ballpark | Coolray Field (2009–present) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Diamond Baseball Holdings[1] | ||||
| General manager | Erin McCormick[2] | ||||
| Manager | Kanekoa Texeira | ||||
| Media | MiLB.TV and99.3 FM | ||||
| Website | milb.com/gwinnett | ||||
TheGwinnett Stripers are aMinor League Baseball team of theInternational League (IL) and theTriple-A affiliate of theAtlanta Braves. They play their home games atCoolray Field in unincorporatedGwinnett County, Georgia (with aLawrenceville address) in suburbanAtlanta, Georgia. They are named forstriped bass in reference to the popularity of fishing in the region.
The team was established in 2009 after the International League'sRichmond Braves relocated fromRichmond, Virginia. Named theGwinnett Braves after their major league affiliate, they adopted their current moniker in 2018. The Stripers moved from the IL to the Triple-A East in conjunction with MLB's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, but this league was renamed the International League in 2022.
In January 2008, theAtlanta Braves announced plans to relocate itsTriple-AMinor League Baseball affiliate fromRichmond, Virginia, toGwinnett County in suburbanAtlanta,Georgia. The move came after years of trying to reach a suitable plan with the city of Richmond to finance the construction of a new stadium to replaceThe Diamond, which had been home to theRichmond Braves since 1985, or find a new location altogether.[3] The relocated team was to begin play in 2009 at the newly constructed Gwinnett Stadium, renamedCoolray Field in 2010.[4] Known as the Gwinnett Braves, they were members of the Triple-AInternational League (IL), as were the Richmond Braves who preceded them.[5]
The move to Gwinnett County marked a return home of sorts for the franchise, which traces its roots to the founding of theAtlanta Crackers in 1895. They became the top affiliate of the then-Milwaukee Braves in 1965. When the Braves moved fromMilwaukee,Wisconsin, to Atlanta in 1966, they moved the Crackers to Richmond, where the minor league franchise took the name of the parent club.
The Gwinnett Braves played their first game on April 9, 2009, defeating theCharlotte Knights, 9–1, atKnights Stadium inCharlotte, North Carolina.[6] Their first home game was played on April 17.[7] With 10,427 people in attendance, the Braves lost to the visitingNorfolk Tides, 7–4.[8] Their first home win occurred three nights later when Gwinnett defeated theDurham Bulls, 5–2.[9] The Braves ended their inaugural season in second place in the South Division, two games behind Durham, at 81–63. Though failing to win the division title, they did qualify for the International League's wildcard playoff spot undermanagerDave Brundage. They were eliminated in the semifinals by theScranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, 3–1.[10]
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From 2010 to 2012, a trio of Gwinnett players won theInternational League Rookie of the Year Award.First basemanFreddie Freeman won the honor in 2010. At the time of his selection, he led the IL with 147 hits and 240 total bases, was second inbatting average (.319),runs batted in (RBI) (87),doubles (35) andextra-base hits (55), and led all first baseman with a .994 fielding percentage.[11] In 2011,Julio Teherán, who also won theMost Valuable Pitcher Award, was the Rookie of the Year after leading the league with 15 wins and a 2.22 ERA in 24 games.[12] First basemanErnesto Mejía, who led the circuit with 91 RBI, 148 hits, and 253 total bases at the time of his selection, was the 2012 Rookie of the Year.[13]
Despite narrow second-place finishes in 2011 and 2015, the Braves did not return to the postseason until 2016. ManagerBrian Snitker led the team until May 17 when he was promoted to manage the major league club in Atlanta.[14] Rick Albert andJohn Moses, his replacements on an interim basis, led the 2016 Braves to win the South Division title with a 65–78 record. They defeated theColumbus Clippers, 3–1, in the semifinals to advance to the finals of theGovernors' Cup playoffs in which they lost the International League championship versus theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 3–1.[15]
The Braves rebranded as the Gwinnett Stripers prior to the 2018 season. The moniker refers tostriped bass, which are fished out of nearbyLake Lanier, and serves as a nod to the popularity of outdoor activities in the region. A name-the-team contest was held to select the nickname. Among the finalists were "Big Mouths", "Buttons", "Gobblers", "Hush Puppies", "Lambchops", and "Sweet Teas". The selection committee initially chose Big Mouths, referring tolargemouth bass, but decided Stripers would be a better fit for their vision of the team's identity.[16] The 2019 Stripers won the South Division title with an 80–59 record underDamon Berryhill. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the semifinals by Columbus, 3–1.[17] Berryhill was selected to win theInternational League Manager of the Year Award.[18]
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30.[19][20] Following the 2020 season,Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Braves retained Gwinnett as their Triple-A affiliate. However, the International League disbanded, and the Stripers followed the rest of the IL teams into theTriple-A East.[21] Gwinnett ended the season in third place in the Southeastern Division with a 68–51 record.[22] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.[23] However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.[23] Gwinnett finished the tournament in 25th place with a 3–7 record.[24] In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[25]
The Stripers are located only 35 miles (56 km) from their parent club's home stadium,Truist Park inCobb County, the third-shortest distance between a Triple-A team and its major-league parent. Only theSt. Paul Saints, based 12 miles (19 km) east ofMinneapolis, and theTacoma Rainiers, based 26 miles (42 km) south ofSeattle, are closer to their MLB parent clubs. The 2021 season marked the 57th season of affiliation between the Braves and Stripers (and their predecessors), the longest-running affiliation agreement in Triple-A.[citation needed]
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| Season | League | Regular-season | Postseason | MLB affiliate | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Record | Win % | Result | ||||
| 2021 | AAAE | 68–51 | .571 | 6th | 3rd | 8+1⁄2 | 3–7 | .300 | Lost series vs.Durham Bulls, 5–0 Won series vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 3–2 Placed 25th in the Triple-A Final Stretch[24] | Atlanta Braves | [22] |
| 2022 | IL | 69–79 | .466 | 15th | 8th | 21+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Atlanta Braves | [26] |
| 2023 | IL | 70–78 | .473 | 12th (tie) | 6th (tie) | 14 | — | — | — | Atlanta Braves | [27] |
| 2024 | IL | 72–78 | .480 | 11th (tie) | 6th | 18 | — | — | — | Atlanta Braves | [28] |
| 2025 | IL | 63–87 | .420 | 16th | 8th | 24+1⁄2 | — | — | — | Atlanta Braves | [29] |
| Totals | — | 342–373 | .478 | — | — | — | 3–7 | .300 | — | — | — |
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From 2009 to 2017, the colors of the Gwinnett Braves were navy blue and red, the same as their Atlanta parent. The primary logo resembled the Atlanta Braves' primary logo, but with a silver outline and "Gwinnett" centered above. The home jersey had the classic Braves' wordmark centered on the front, with the "Gwinnett" underscore underlining it. However, unlike Atlanta's jersey with navy blue and red piping, Gwinnett's jersey featured red sleeves with blue stripes.[30]
Along with the Braves' 2018 rebrand as the Stripers, the team adopted new colors and logos. Their primary colors became dark blue and sea green, with red retained as an accent color. The new logos feature a greenstriped bass.[31]
From the inaugural 2009 season through 2019,Tony Schiavone, former voice of the Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Knights,World Championship Wrestling, andWorld Wrestling Entertainment, was theplay-by-play announcer.[32] Dave Lezotte has been the lead broadcaster since the beginning of the 2021 season.[33]
All Stripers home and road broadcasts are broadcast on My Country 99.3WCON-FM.[33] Live audio broadcasts are also available online through the station's website as well as on the team's website and the MiLB First Pitch app. Games can be viewed through theMiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast.[34]
| Players | Coaches/Other |
|---|---|
Pitchers Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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The Stripers have not honored any players from their franchise history in Gwinnett byretiring theiruniform numbers. When a number is retired, only the player with the retired number can wear that number if he returns to that team as a player or coach. This ensures that the number will be associated with one player of particular importance to the team. However, they have honored former Richmond Braves player and managerTommie Aaron, brother ofHank Aaron, by retiring his number 23 on April 12, 2012.[35] Additionally,Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997.[36]
Three players and one manager won International League awards in recognition for their performance with Gwinnett.[37]
Gwinnett has had eightmanagers since their inaugural 2009 season.[38]
| Manager | Season(s) |
|---|---|
| Dave Brundage | 2009–2012 |
| Randy Ready | 2013 |
| Brian Snitker | 2014–2016 |
| Rick Albert* | 2016 |
| John Moses* | 2016 |
| Damon Berryhill | 2017–2020 |
| Matt Tuiasosopo | 2021–2023 |
| Kanekoa Texeira | 2024–present |
| * Interim manager | |
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