Why isn't Jax home to a AAA baseball team? (Jacksonville: 2014, club)

[843904]

Our population size pretty much warrants it. Why haven't we made the jump? What will it take to get there?

I'd rather see our shrimp play peer cities like Charlotte instead of Biloxi.

[bridges23]

Originally Posted by 843904

Our population size pretty much warrants it. Why haven't we made the jump? What will it take to get there?

I'd rather see our shrimp play peer cities like Charlotte instead of Biloxi.

That seems pretty irrelevant. I care nothing about what cities the other teams play in, and mostly about the talent we get to see come through town. If you know anything about baseball, the top tier prospects play a ton more (and develop) at the AA level than AAA. Triple A is full of 4A players (not good enough for MLB but pretty good MILB level player) or crippled has beens.

Jax is fortunate to be in the Southern league and AA level. Just look at the recent players we have been able to watch develop. (Stanton, Yelich, Realmuto, etc).

[orca17]

I am old enough to remember when Jacksonville had AAA baseball. In 1962, the Havana team moved to Jacksonville. The city had AAA baseball until 1969, when the parent New York Mets moved their AAA club to the Tidewater, Virginia area. It allowed me to see Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan pitch in the minors.

Having seen both, there is a marked difference in the level of play between AA and AAA. Basically what has to happen for Jacksonville to get a AAA team is for an International League team to leave its current city (because you won't get in the Pacific Coast League).

[843904]

Originally Posted by bridges23

That seems pretty irrelevant. I care nothing about what cities the other teams play in, and mostly about the talent we get to see come through town. If you know anything about baseball, the top tier prospects play a ton more (and develop) at the AA level than AAA. Triple A is full of 4A players (not good enough for MLB but pretty good MILB level player) or crippled has beens.

Jax is fortunate to be in the Southern league and AA level. Just look at the recent players we have been able to watch develop. (Stanton, Yelich, Realmuto, etc).

Thanks for the rather passive-aggressive reply.....

I think it kinda does matter. Prestige. We are a pro-sports town now, thanks to the Jags. If we can't have other major league teams, it would seem logical to have teams as close to that level as possible.

[sithlord72]

Originally Posted by 843904

Thanks for the rather passive-aggressive reply.....

I think it kinda does matter. Prestige. We are a pro-sports town now, thanks to the Jags. If we can't have other major league teams, it would seem logical to have teams as close to that level as possible.

The Jaguars? The Jaguars make Jacksonville a “pro-sports town “? Are you kidding me ? The team sucked for over 10 years and has 1 excellent season and now it carries the whole city ? Sorry dude, when you need cliches like “Saxonville” and that annoying “Duval” call you are not a pro sports town. Plus the team doesn’t even play it’s entire home schedule in Jacksonville. The last 5 years they play 1 home game in London . It’s scheduled and shows no sign of stopping. Out of the 5 major sports, ( I’ll even throw in MLS), only one team is in Jacksonville. Everything else is lower tier competition ( Minor league baseball, ECHL, ABA, etc)

[Ivan Putski]

I just can't see MLB allowing a team here especially when the Jaguars can't sell out the stadium on a regular basis. There are a ton of seats still available for the upcoming season albeit they've made big strides in selling season tickets for the 2 lower level club areas, endzone and field seats.

MLB attendance on average has been going down across the board for the most part. I know Marlins are a terrible example but they set a record this year for the lowest minimum attendance which is a barometer used by those that track numbers like this. Their lowest number last yr was 15,000. This year they bottomed out at 6,150. There are examples like this across the country.

I'm a Yankees fan and although I can watch all their games via Sling Box or MLB TV, I can honestly say I've watched 2 or 3 games this year. My in-laws have tried to get us to go to the Jumbo Shrimp games but we honestly have zero interest.

[843904]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

The Jaguars? The Jaguars make Jacksonville a “pro-sports town “? Are you kidding me ? The team sucked for over 10 years and has 1 excellent season and now it carries the whole city ? Sorry dude, when you need cliches like “Saxonville” and that annoying “Duval” call you are not a pro sports town. Plus the team doesn’t even play it’s entire home schedule in Jacksonville. The last 5 years they play 1 home game in London . It’s scheduled and shows no sign of stopping. Out of the 5 major sports, ( I’ll even throw in MLS), only one team is in Jacksonville. Everything else is lower tier competition ( Minor league baseball, ECHL, ABA, etc)

You must not know the definition of pro sports.

Good or bad, the Jags ARE a pro sports team. The Jags are based here in Jacksonville, ergo, Jax is a pro-sports town. If I applied your same argument to Green Bay or Oklahoma City, would it hold water?

Your last two sentences cement my original point: If we can't have MLB here, why not have the closest thing to it, which is AAA ball?

[Florida2014]

I think it boils down to fan interest and I don't see enough interest in the Jumbo Shrimp that would warrant a move to AAA in Jacksonville. Our city certainly has the population to support it; however, July games in the mid to upper 90s with 90% humidity is a big detractor from people attending baseball games here. A dome might attract more people but you're not going to get a dome built for a minor league franchise.

Nobody loves baseball more than me, I would LOVE to have MLB here in Jax. I think we're unfortunately stuck with the status quo for the foreseeable future, which is AA ball.

[bridges23]

Originally Posted by Florida2014

I think it boils down to fan interest and I don't see enough interest in the Jumbo Shrimp that would warrant a move to AAA in Jacksonville.

For the record, Jumbo Shrimp are 2nd in avg game attendance in 2018 in southern league, and 2nd last year too. Their average game attendance (5,100/game) would put them about in the middle for 2018 AAA game attendance. Those are good numbers even w/ the crap weather you referenced. I think they do a great job and the support is there to succeed as an AA team or AAA team. Glad we get to see the real talent that AA provides over the bengay geritol boys of AAA

[bridges23]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

Sorry dude, when you need cliches like “Saxonville” and that annoying “Duval” call you are not a pro sports town.

By that outstanding logic, Pittsburgh (Steel Curtain), Minneapolis (purple people eaters), Seattle (legion of boom), Atlanta (dirty birds), and a dozen other cities are not NFL cities either.

But keep going please.