The Jackson Generals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team is located in Jackson, Tennessee, and plays their home games at The Ballpark at Jackson. Opened in 1998, the park currently holds 6,000 fans.
From their inaugural season until 2010, the Generals were known as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. The new name is reflective of the Jackson Generals minor league team based in Jackson during the first half of the 20th century.
Video Jackson Generals
Team history
Franchise beginnings (1978-1997)
Before moving to Jackson and becoming the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the franchise was known as the Memphis Chicks. The Chicks played at Tim McCarver Stadium from 1978 to 1997, winning the Southern League Championship in 1990 over the Orlando Sun Rays three games to two.
Chicago Cubs (1998-2006)
The Generals began play as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in Jackson, Tennessee in 1998 as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. In the following season, 1999, manager Dave Trembley led the team to win the West Division title. They went on to play in the Southern League Championship series where they were defeated by the Orlando Rays, three games to one. The Diamond Jaxx also hosted the SL All-Star Game that season.
The 2000 team was managed by Dave Bialas and featured such future major league stars as Carlos Zambrano and Corey Patterson. The team also won its first, and only, SL Championship. They defeated the Birmingham Barons (3-2) to win the West Division title, and then beat the Jacksonville Suns (3-2) to take the league title.
The Diamond Jaxx's worst season came in 2001 when the team won only 59 games and lost 80, finishing with a .424 average, their worst average to-date. In 2002, the team lost the West Division Championship to the Birmingham Barons, two games to three. In 2004, Sammy Sosa appeared in two games for the club.
In 2005, Nomar Garciaparra played in four games for the Diamond Jaxx. The team, managed by Bobby Dickerson, returned to post-season action for the first time since 2002. They won the North Division Championship versus the Carolina Mudcats before losing the league championship to the Jacksonville Suns, one game to three.
After the 2005 season, the team considered a move to South Carolina, citing financial problems, but team owner Bob Lozinak was denied permission by Major League Baseball. They later signed a three-year lease to play at The Ballpark at Jackson through the 2008 season.
Following the 2006 season, the Diamond Jaxx ended their affiliation with the Cubs. Team ownership made an attempt to sell the team to a group of investors in Florida which was approved by the city, but failed to meet deadlines for approval by MLB, Minor League Baseball, and the Southern League.
Seattle Mariners (2007-2016)
The Diamond Jaxx began their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners in 2007. They finished the season with a .432 winning percentage.
On October 2, 2007, The Tennessean, reported that the team's owners entered into an agreement to sell the team to a group of Nashville-based investors. Low attendance and financial problems were cited as reasons for the sale. One of the new owners is Reese Smith III, who was also a minority partner in the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. The new owners planned to keep the team in Jackson for the 2008 season in an attempt to increase attendance and break even (financially). The sale was approved by the Southern League during the 2007 Baseball Winter Meetings. The majority owner is David Freeman, who is also the majority owner of the Nashville Predators.
On September 6, 2010, the team announced that they were retiring the Diamond Jaxx nickname after the 2010 SL playoffs, rebranding as the Jackson Generals for 2011 and beyond.
The Generals won the Southern League championship in 2016, their final season as a Mariners affiliate.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2017-present)
The Generals entered into a four-year player-development contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks to begin with the 2017 season.
Maps Jackson Generals
Television and Radio
All Jackson Generals games are televised on MiLB.TV. All games are also broadcast on radio by Radio Willie 94.1 FM, 94.3, and 1390 AM with sportscaster Tyler Springs handling the play-by-play for the 2018 season.
Season-by-season records
Roster
Notable former players
Many current and former major leaguers have played for the Diamond Jaxx/Generals. A list of notable players includes:
Ballpark
The Generals' current, and only, ballpark is The Ballpark at Jackson. The park, which is owned by the City of Jackson, was opened in 1998 and seats 6,000 fans.
References
Notes
Sources
External links
- Official Jackson Generals website
- Jackson Generals statistics at The Baseball Cube
Source of article : Wikipedia
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