Jackson Generals

For the former Texas League team of the same name, see Corpus Christi Hooks.
Jackson Generals
Founded in 1998
Jackson, Tennessee
Team logoCap insignia
Class-level
Current Double-A (1998–present)
Minor league affiliations
League Southern League (1998–present)
Division North Division
Major league affiliations
Current Seattle Mariners (2007–present)
Previous Chicago Cubs (1998–2006)
Minor league titles
League titles (1) 2000
Division titles (4)
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2005
  • 2012
Team data
Nickname Jackson Generals (2011–present)
Previous names

Memphis Blues (1968–1976) Memphis Chicks (1978–1998)

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (1998–2010)
Mascot Sarge
Ballpark The Ballpark at Jackson (1998–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
 Jackson Baseball Club LP
Manager Jim Horner
General Manager Jason Compton
Generals Park entrance sign.
A baseball game at Pringles Park in August 2005.

The Jackson Generals are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. 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.

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 over the Orlando Sun Rays three games to two.

Chicago Cubs (1998–2006)

Logo as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx

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 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.[1] 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.[1]

Seattle Mariners (2007–present)

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).[1] The sale was approved by the Southern League during the 2007 Baseball Winter Meetings.[2] The majority owner is David Freeman, who is also the majority owner of the Nashville Predators.[3]

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.[4]

Season-by-season record

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Southern League)
Year Regular Season Post-season
Record Win % Finish* Record Win % Result
1998 66–74 .471 3rd – –
1999 84–57 .596 1st 4–4 .500 Won West Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–1
Lost SL Championship vs Orlando Rays, 1–3
2000 80–58 .580 1st 6–4 .600 Won West Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 3–2
Won SL Championship vs Jacksonville Suns, 3–2
2001 59–80 .424 5th – –
2002 73–67 .521 3rd 2–3 .400 Lost West Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 2–3
2003 65–73 .471 4th – –
2004 70–68 .507 3rd – –
2005 83–56 .597 1st 4–3 .571 Won North Division Championship vs Carolina Mudcats, 3–0
Lost SL Championship vs Jacksonville Suns, 1–3
2006 75–65 .536 2nd – –
2007 60–79 .432 4th – –
2008 70–68 .507 3rd 0–3 .000 Lost North Division Championship vs Carolina Mudcats, 0–3
2009 62–78 .443 5th – -
2010 73–66 .525 2nd 1-3 .250 Lost North Division Championship vs Tennessee Smokies, 1–3
2011 68–72 .486 3rd – -
2012 79–61 .564 1st 4–4 .500 Won North Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–1
Lost SL Championship vs Mobile BayBears, 1–3
2013 62–73 .459 3rd – -
2014 63–76 .453 3rd – -
2015 53–83 .390 5th – -
Totals 1245–1254 .498 – 21–24 .467 1 League Championship, 4 Division Championships
Note: * Finish denotes their position in their divisional standings.

Current roster

Jackson Generals roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

  •  3 Jordy Lara
  •  2 Daniel Paolini
  • 33 D. J. Peterson
  • 29 Jack Reinheimer
  •  7 Tyler Smith

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches


7-day disabled list
* On Seattle Mariners 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated December 26, 2015
Transactions
→ More MiLB rosters
→ Seattle Mariners minor league players

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

  1. 1 2 3 Sisk, Chris. "Nashville group buys Jackson baseball clube." The Tennessean. October 2, 2007: 1B.
  2. ↑ "Marlins to deal Willis, Cabrera to Tigers." The Tennessean. December 5, 2007.
  3. ↑ http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080501/SPORTS04/805010359/1002/SPORTS
  4. ↑ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100906&content_id=14376552&vkey=news_t104&fext=.jsp&sid=t104 Jackson Generals Unveiled as 2011 Team Name

Sources

External links

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