This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition host Kent Justice caught up with Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp owner Ken Babby.

Before the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp take the field for their home opener Tuesday night, the team will celebrate its newly renovated ballpark.

VyStar Ballpark is expected to open for the 2025 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp season.

The Jumbo Shrimp season begins at home on Friday night. Here's what you need to know about the 2024 season, from the team's top prospects to a list of the popular promotions.

Ken Babby, the Jumbo Shrimp owner, is our guest for This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition. He speaks with gratitude, conviction, and appreciation of the business he owns and operates in Jacksonville.

Downtown businesses are pumped for future “transformational changes” coming to the baseball grounds.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp unveiled plans for stadium improvements at 121 Financial Ballpark on Wednesday. Scroll through the gallery above to see what those look like.

The Jumbo Shrimp took the wraps off the most ambitious plans in franchise history, a $31.8 million project that will help take 121Financial Ballpark into the next era of minor league baseball and beyond.

The Savannah Bananas are coming back to Jacksonville.

Triple-A ball is back in the River City as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp prepare for their home opener at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday against the Durham Bulls at 121 Financial Ball Park.

Are you ready for some baseball, Jacksonville? The Jumbo Shrimp are.

Harold Craw wanted the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to connect with the area’s storied and diverse baseball tradition. What better way to do that than by connecting several local schools with Jacksonville’s past and making an event out of it.

The Savannah Bananas are adding an additional game in Jacksonville next March as part of their 2023 Banana Ball World Tour, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp announced Wednesday.

The Savannah Bananas are coming to town.

The Jumbo Shrimp plan to start operating at 100% capacity starting in June. The announcement was made in an email to season ticket holders that was sent out Saturday and confirmed by the team on Monday afternoon.

The Jumbo Shrimp are planning to stay in Jacksonville for a long time.

On this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” legislation to increase the local option gas tax is finally getting attention from the Jacksonville City Council. City Council President Tommy Hazouri explains the impact on transportation and infrastructure. OurJax Chairman David Miller weighs in on various city projects and developments. And it’s been a long time since the Jumbo Shrimp hit the diamond. That changes soon. Jumbo Shrimp Owner Ken Babby talks about what to expect for the upcoming season.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The start of the minor league baseball season in Jacksonville is on hold. The Jumbo Shrimp’s 2021 season, and the team’s return to Triple-A, is being pushed back by roughly a month by Major League Baseball. But Major League Baseball aligned everything on Wednesday, pushing the Triple-A season back to start when the other levels do. “All of our energy is now shifting to creating a memorable Triple-A season that will begin in early May. A total of 120 minor league clubs accepted Professional Development League licenses with Major League Baseball affiliates in order to modernize the farm system and be better geographically aligned.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp’s move to Triple-A is complete. The Jumbo Shrimp will play in the Triple-A East league and in the Southeast Division. Minor league baseball underwent a massive overhaul last offseason to reduce the number of teams from 162 to 120 and provide four affiliates for each Major League Baseball team. The full leagues were released Friday as well, with the Triple-A league replaced what was the International League and the Pacific Coast League. “This is a momentous day for Jumbo Shrimp fans to officially bring the top level of Minor League Baseball to 121 Financial Ballpark,” said Jumbo Shrimp owner and CEO Ken Babby.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are moving up. Jacksonville’s baseball team is moving from Double A to Triple A, a move announced Wednesday afternoon. “We are incredibly excited about the prospects of bringing the top level of Minor League Baseball to the excellent Jumbo Shrimp fans in Jacksonville and throughout Northeast Florida,” said Jumbo Shrimp owner & CEO Ken Babby. The Jumbo Shrimp didn’t play in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Jumbo Shrimp played in Triple A from 1962-68 when they were known as the Suns and were in the International League.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. On Tuesday, we told you about the season being canceled for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and all of Minor League Baseball. Now were learning that despite the cancelation, the Jumbo Shrimp will not layoff any full-time employees. Were committed. And that allows us to keep our staff on board and thats exactly what weve committed to do. Our entire full staff is it full-time staff is completely intactThis was supposed to be the first year of a new naming rights deal on the stadium. 121 Financial Ballpark never saw a Jumbo Shrimp game played in the newly named stadium.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The minor league baseball season was officially canceled Tuesday afternoon, ending the seasons of teams like the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp before they began and shifting focus to the next phase of planning for teams. “The news that we will not have Jumbo Shrimp baseball at 121 Financial Ballpark is devastating,” Jumbo Shrimp owner/CEO Ken Babby said in a statement. The Jumbo Shrimp have ranked in the top 25 of minor league baseball merchandise sales in back-to-back seasons, a first for the franchise. “We are incredibly disappointed and crushed to not have a Jumbo Shrimp baseball season at 121 Financial Ballpark in 2020,” said Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president/general manager Harold Craw said in a statement. We will hopefully await Jumbo Shrimp baseball to return in 2021.”

Jumbo Shrimp sales have never been better. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have merchandising 101 down to an art. For the second consecutive season the Jumbo Shrimp were ranked in the top 25 in licensed merchandise sales across minor league baseball. Where teams rank on that top 25 list werent disclosed, but the Jumbo Shrimp continue to maximize their brand since Ken Babby bought the team in 2015. That name has since caught on, as evidenced by being top 25 in licensed merchandise sales in both 2017 and 18.

Jumbo Shrimp sales have never been better. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have merchandising 101 down to an art. For the second consecutive season the Jumbo Shrimp were ranked in the top 25 in licensed merchandise sales across minor league baseball. That name has since caught on, as evidenced by being top 25 in licensed merchandise sales in both 2017 and ’18. In all, the 160 minor league teams pulled in more than $73.8 million in merchandise sales.