Double-A Braves are moving closer to home
The Atlanta Braves will have one more of its farm teams within arms reach following the next baseball season.
This week, the Mississippi Braves announced the Double-A team will play its final season in Pearl for 2024 before moving to Georgia.
Relocating to Columbus, the club will give parent organization Atlanta nearly ever minor league club within a two-hour drive to Truist Park.
“We want to thank Pearl, the surrounding Jackson community, and the state of Mississippi for the incredible support for the franchise over the past 19 years,” the team said in an open letter to the community and its fanbase. “We have loved creating memories with you at Trustmark Park, and we look forward to bringing you an amazing 2024 season. The M-Braves will be commemorating the 20th season at Trustmark Park throughout the 69-game home schedule in 2024, beginning with Opening Day on Tuesday, April 9th, vs. Biloxi.”
Playing in the storied Southern League, the team moved to Pearl in 2005 when the
Greenville Braves relocated from Greenville, South Carolina, due to the condition of the old Greenville Municipal Stadium, following a failure to reach an agreement for a new ballpark with the county government.
In Columbus, the current plan calls for the team to play home games at historic Golden Park, a 5,000-seat stadium that originally opened in 1951. Trustmark park in Pearl currently holds 8,480 fans and opened in 2005.
The Columbus Council recently approved $50 million in bonding for renovations to Golden Park shortly before the Braves move was announced.
The release also left the possibility open for a new era of professional baseball in Pearl in the future.
“We are hopeful that this is not the end of professional baseball in Pearl, and our organization will support any efforts to bring a team to Trustmark Park in the future,” the letter said.
With the recent changes to the Braves’ Minor League affiliate names in both Gwinnett (from Braves to Stripers), and Rome (from Braves to Emperors), it’s unclear if the team will keep its current team name.