JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Get your hot dogs and big foam fingers ready, the Jumbo Shrimp are ready to roll.
Jacksonville’s Triple-A franchise opens its season on Friday night when Gwinnett arrives at 121 Financial Ballpark for a three-game series to kickstart the 2024 season. A street carnival begins on A. Philip Randolph Blvd. three hours before the game to get fans in the mood for baseball. After the game, stick around for the fireworks.
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Think fans are the only ones excited for the first pitch? Not at all.
“We live off the excitement that the fans bring,” said Jumbo Shrimp first baseman Troy Johnston. “Every cheer that we get when we have a big hit, big strikeout, something like that. Playing in that kind of scenario is a lot different for us. It hypes us up a lot more than what we’re used to.”
The good stuff
Festivities and promotions are at the heart of minor league baseball. The Jumbo Shrimp are headliners in that aspect. Owner Ken Babby made that his calling card when he purchased the team from Peter Bragan Jr. in 2015. He renamed the then-Jacksonville Suns to the Jumbo Shrimp in 2016 and installed the popular mantra — affordable family fun. That continues strong now. Tickets start as low as $5 and hot dogs are $2.
The promotions are stacked
The first seven Saturdays through June will feature postgame fireworks. Active military and veterans get $7 field reserved and $10 dugout reserved tickets for each home game. There are military appreciation nights (April 21, May 30, July 1, Aug. 4) where active military and veterans and their dependents receive free tickets for the game. Thirsty Thursdays remain one of the most popular events with $2 and $3 beers.
| Date | Promotion |
|---|---|
| Friday | Magnet Schedule |
| Saturday | T-Shirt |
| April 13 | Jumbo Shrimp Pajama Pants |
| April 20 | Jumbo Shrimp Hockey Jersey |
| May 4 | Jumbo Shrimp Reversible Bucket Hat |
| May 18 | Jazz Chisholm Bobblehead |
| June 1 | Hip-hop T-shirt |
| June 15 | Jax Red Caps Hat |
| June 29 | Jumbo Shrimp Ball Cap |
| July 3 | 4th of July Hat |
| July 20 | Hawaiian Shirt |
| Aug. 3 | Back-To-School Water Bottle |
| Aug. 17 | Triassic Park II T-shirt |
| Aug. 31 | Crossbody Bag |
| Sept. 21 | Scampi Mascot Plushie |
Dog days and cat day
Dogs are welcome with their owner on Forever Vets Canines and Crustaceans Dog Days (April 21, May 14, June 12, July 30 and Sept. 18). And there’s a Purr in the Park on May 28 where cats are admitted free.
Last Season
The Jumbo Shrimp finished 70-79 overall last season. Jacksonville was in seventh place in the International League’s East division in the second half (38-37), a six-game improvement from a last-place finish in the first half. Manager Daren Brown returns to Jacksonville for his second consecutive season.
“Opening day, no matter where you’re at, it’s a special day. Whether it’s Major Leagues Triple-A, Double-A, A-ball, I’ve had a few of them. They’re all special. Kind of gets your nerves going a little bit,” Brown said. “The excitement you go through spring training, a lot of early days, getting games in, getting work in and get up here and it’s kind of a couple of days and get going and I think it’s always exciting just to see what guys are going to do.”
Changes at the ballpark
Fans will notice some upgrades when they walk through the gates in 2024. For starters, the team has a new video board that is 20% larger than the previous one. New ribbon boards throughout the stadium bring a sleeker look to stadium graphics, too. Those are the first big changes coming to 121 Financial Ballpark as part of a $31.8 million update to the stadium.
The prospects
The Marlins, Jacksonville’s parent club, has tumbled down the farm system rankings considerably. It feels like a century since Miami had the best system in the game in 2013 when it had the likes of Christian Yelich and Jose Fernandez coming up. Miami had a stacked farm system as recently as 2022, a top-six unit, according to MLB.com. Miami has one of the weakest farm systems in baseball now. It ranks No. 29 out of 30 teams, according to MLB.com. They are 28th by Keith Law at The Athletic.
Who is the best one?
Miami’s top prospect, right-handed pitcher Noble Meyer is a bit away from Jacksonville. The No. 10 pick in last year’s draft will open the season at Class A Jupiter. He’s the 56th-best prospect by MLB.com.
But in town, the Jumbo Shrimp have some players who should see the bigs at some point this year. OF Victor Mesa Jr. is the No. 4 prospect in the Miami farm system and hit .242 in Double-A Pensacola last year. IF Jacob Amaya returns to Jacksonville after hitting .252 here a year ago. Jacksonville’s best pure player is 1B Troy Johnston, who hit .307 with 26 homers across Double- and Triple-A last year. P Anthony Maldonado was 7-3 with nine saves in 25 appearances last season. IF Dane Myers is another candidate for a 2024 promotion. Those five players are all top 20 prospects in the Marlins system, and all of them should see the big leagues at some point this year.