Atlanta Braves High-A Affiliate Moving to Florida

A shift from the Carolina League to the Florida State League is in store for the Braves Advanced A club as the first moves of the minor league “silly season” have been made.

The announcement from this afternoon was a bit confusing at first, but here is what the Atlanta Braves told us:

It’s a bit confusing because the Brevard Manatees are actually in Melbourne, FL right now.  But it appears that two moves are in store:  Braves’ Advanced-A league farmhands will come to Kissimmee while the franchise currently known as the Brevard County Manatees will join them there and function as the ownership group – just as the Carolina Mudcats did in Zebulon, NC for the past 2 seasons.

Q&A Session

Could the Mudcats have also relocated to Kissimmee, skipping the step involving the Manatees?  No – for at least two reasons.  First, that group owns the stadium in Zebulon:  a facility that they’d put quite a bit of renovation money into when the Braves arrived.  Second, they are ‘members’ of the Carolina League, not the Florida State League.

What will the new team be called?  That’s actually an interesting question.  The group that was trying to bring baseball back to the middle of the state held a naming contest in the anticipation of acquiring a team.  At this time, there are six finalist names that were being voted on at this website.  Voting is over, and the group intends to announce the winner in October from these options:

• Florida Dragonflies
• Florida Fire Frogs
• Florida Mud Kickers
• Florida Rodeo Clowns
• Florida Sorcerers
• Florida Toucans

Ouch.  I could live with some of these, but not happily.  As an explanation, the stadium site – between Kissimmee and St. Cloud along US Highway 192 – is the site of the Osceola County fairgrounds and annual rodeo.  Thus two of the names have that “flavor” involved.

That said, (1) there is no such thing as a Fire Frog; (2) Mud Kickers is … odd; (3) That 4th name is a Clown move, bro; no player will EVER want to be a clown; and (4) The last one is a marketing person’s dream… and a fan’s nightmare.  And then there’s this:

Here’s hoping that the Braves – with the influence that their four year Player Development Contract (PDC) might bring – might have a voice in the outcome of this election selection.  I’m hoping for the Osceola (County) Braves.  Please.

But there was a Brevard Manatees team this year, right?  Yes, and they were an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

What happened to them?  Their PDC deal ran out, so both the Brewers and Manatees were free to renegotiate as free agents do.  The Braves jumped all over this opportunity and sealed the deal early.  The Brewers will now have to make another deal of their own – perhaps in Zebulon, for instance.

Often, you’ll find this game of minor league musical chairs taking place.  You may recall that the Braves ended up getting into Carolina almost as a last resort.  There was a danger that they could have ended up in the California League.  Fortunately, that didn’t happen – Texas was stuck with that site as the music stopped.

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What else is going on here?  Anything involving Spring Training for the big club?  Maybe… but there’s no news yet (I asked this question during the recent #AskCoppy session – received no answer).

The Braves’ lease at Disney World is done after next Spring, and the Astros will conveniently be leaving Osceola County Stadium for good after April, so Atlanta at least will have a “stop gap” opportunity in Kissimmee starting in 2018 – should they choose to take it.

It’s a little closer to the East Coast, which would ease travel in that direction by about 45 minutes (each way), so that’s helpful.  But it’s also a facility that probably needs some updating.  No word yet on whether the stadium ownership authority would be inclined to do that to woo the Braves into town of if the team is still hoping for a coastal home (more likely).

How do you pronounce “Kissimmee”?  This is part of a test to determine if you are a native Floridian (along with pronouncing “Lutz”, “Conch”, “Tohopekaliga” – there’s a trick on that one – and identifying the color of a Key Lime Pie), but I’ll go ahead and give up the answer for this one:

Ki-SIMMY

That last bit is two syllables, but it’s said quickly with all the emphasis on the “SIM” part.  Shockingly enough, Merriam-Webster’s website audio gets it right, though the phonetic bit is misleading.

But definitely don’t say “Kiss-uh-mee”… you’ll be outed as a Yankee faster than Mallex Smith can run the bases.

Anything we should know about the Florida State League?  It used to be known for big ballparks and hot weather.  Many of those old parks are now gone, but the weather is the same.  Still, it looks like the pitching is ahead of the hitting.

There are 12 teams in 2 divisions, currently representing the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Reds, Tigers, Mets, Pirates, Twins, Marlins, Rays, and Cardinals (leaving off the Brewers of course).  Division winners this year were the Yankees, Jays, Mets, and Pirates.

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The Braves would be in the ‘North’ Division, with the first 5 clubs mentioned above – scattered between Daytona Beach and the Tampa Bay region.  Frankly, they should divide into East and West divisions, but that’s just my opinion.