The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in the Southern League. The M-Braves played their home games at Trustmark Park. After the 2024 season, the team relocated to Columbus, Georgia, to become the Columbus Clingstones.
History
Relocation from Greenville and construction of Trustmark Park
The franchise that became the Mississippi Braves previously played as the Greenville Braves in Greenville, South Carolina. The club relocated to Pearl, Mississippi, before the 2005 season after an agreement was reached for a new stadium in Mississippi.
A 2016 Bloomberg Businessweek article traced the origins of the move to 2003, when stadium developer and consultant Tim Bennett approached Pearl mayor Jimmy Foster about the possibility of building a minor league baseball stadium in the city. Bennett did not initially have a team committed to the project, but later learned that the Atlanta Braves' Double-A affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina, was nearing the end of its lease.
Financing and economic debate
The Mississippi Braves' relocation to Pearl was tied to public financing and economic development efforts. According to Mississippi Today, state Rep. Ricky Cummings authored legislation in 2000 that created a sales tax rebate program for tourism-related projects. Trustmark Park and the adjacent Bass Pro Shops development later received $18.9 million through the program, and Atlanta Braves officials cited the rebate program in 2004 as one of the primary reasons they chose Pearl.
Bloomberg reported that Pearl raised $78 million through bonds for the stadium and surrounding development, with $28 million set aside for the ballpark, and that the city paid Bennett a finder's fee of more than $1 million.
In 2008, Mississippi won the second-half South Division title, then defeated the Birmingham Barons, 3-0, in the division series. The Braves went on to defeat the Carolina Mudcats, 3-2, in the Southern League Championship Series. It was the franchise's first championship in Mississippi and the first Southern League title for Atlanta's Double-A affiliate since 1997.
Player development and Atlanta Braves affiliation
Throughout their 20 seasons in Mississippi, the M-Braves served as the Atlanta Braves' Double-A affiliate and were a key stop for many future major league players. Notable alumni included Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, Martin Prado, Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, Andrelton Simmons, Ronald Acuña Jr., Max Fried, and Michael Harris II. Several Atlanta players also appeared in Pearl on injury rehabilitation assignments, including Chipper Jones.
By August 2019, 146 former M-Braves had reached the major leagues. In January 2024, Mississippi Today reported that 169 former Mississippi Braves had advanced to Major League Baseball during the team's time in Pearl.
In January 2020, the M-Braves announced an all-decade team for the 2010s, with selections based on production in Mississippi and later major league success.
Canceled 2020 season
The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the year without M-Braves games, Trustmark Park hosted alternative events, including a Father's Day batting practice event, movie nights, and a target golf event in which participants hit shots from beneath the center-field videoboard to targets placed on the field.
Minor League Baseball restructuring and 2021 championship
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Braves were organized into the Double-A South. They finished the regular season with a 67-44 record, the best record in the league, and qualified for the playoffs.
Mississippi defeated the Montgomery Biscuits, 3-2, in the best-of-five championship series to win the Double-A South title. Shea Langeliers was selected as the league's Top MLB Prospect, and Dan Meyer was named Manager of the Year.
In 2022, the Double-A South resumed use of the Southern League name, which had been used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.
Diamond Baseball Holdings ownership
In December 2021, Diamond Baseball Holdings purchased the Mississippi Braves from Atlanta Braves owner Liberty Media, along with Atlanta's affiliates in Gwinnett and Rome.
Community legacy
The M-Braves' time in Pearl included community and personal milestones tied to Trustmark Park. In a 2024 MLB.com story, David Kerr, then the team's director of group sales, described a guiding idea for working in Minor League Baseball: "Every game is someone's first."
The story centered on Anna Leah Jolly, then Miss Rankin County and a Miss Mississippi candidate, who threw out a ceremonial first pitch during the M-Braves' 2024 home opener. Jolly had first visited Trustmark Park in 2013 as part of a group of children from Ukraine participating in the Joyful Journeys international hosting program. During that game, she met Kelly and Jay Jolly, who later became her adoptive parents. Mississippi Today noted that the relocation came after the Braves had completed the 20-year commitment to Pearl described when the team moved from Greenville in 2004.
The M-Braves finished their final season in Pearl with a 63-73 record. Professional baseball continued at Trustmark Park in 2025 with the debut of the Mississippi Mud Monsters of the Frontier League.
Ballpark
The Mississippi Braves played all 20 seasons at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi. The ballpark opened in 2005 and was described by MLB.com as the place "where the Braves of tomorrow start to picture life in Atlanta."
An asterisk (*) indicates a player who was promoted directly from Mississippi to the Atlanta Braves.
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File:Alex Wood pitching for the Mississippi Braves in 2013.jpg|Alex Wood pitching for the Mississippi Braves
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Position players
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (2017)
- Ozzie Albies (2016)
- Drake Baldwin (2023-2024)
- José Ascanio* (2006-2007)
- Christian Bethancourt (2012-2013)
- Gregor Blanco (2005-2006)
- William Contreras (2019)
- Travis Demeritte (2017-2018)
- Yunel Escobar (2006)
- Freddie Freeman (2009)
- Jeff Francoeur* (2005, 2008)
- Evan Gattis (2012)
- Philip Gosselin (2012-2013)
- Michael Harris II (2022)
- Jason Heyward (2009)
- Tommy La Stella (2013)
- Shea Langeliers (2021)
- Brian McCann* (2005)
- Nate McLouth* (2009)
- Cristian Pache (2018)
- Martín Prado* (2005-2006)
- Austin Riley (2017-2018)
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia* (2006-2007)
- Jordan Schafer (2008, 2010)
- Andrelton Simmons* (2012)
- Mallex Smith (2015)
- Dansby Swanson* (2016)
- Drew Waters (2019)
Pitchers
- Manny Acosta (2006)
- Kolby Allard (2017)
- Ian Anderson (2019)
- Blaine Boyer* (2005)
- Danny Burawa
- Román Colón (2005)
- Tucker Davidson (2018-2019)
- Joey Devine* (2005-2007)
- Bryce Elder (2021)
- David Fletcher (2024)
- Max Fried* (2017)
- Tommy Hanson (2008)
- Matt Harrison (2006)
- Chuck James (2005)
- Craig Kimbrel (2009)
- Kris Medlen (2007-2008)
- A. J. Minter (2016)
- Mike Minor (2010, 2014)
- Kyle Muller (2019, 2021)
- Sean Newcomb (2016)
- Brian O'Connor (2005)
- Jay Powell* (2005)
- Lucas Sims (2015-2016)
- Mike Soroka (2017)
- Spencer Strider (2021)
- A. J. Smith-Shawver (2023)
- Spencer Schwellenbach* (2024)
- Julio Teherán (2010)
- Touki Toussaint (2018)
- Arodys Vizcaíno (2011, 2015)
- Hurston Waldrep (2023-2024)
- Alex Wood* (2013)
- Kyle Wright (2018)
Rehabilitation assignments
- Chipper Jones (2006)
- Matt Diaz (2008)
Selected awards and honors
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Person
! Honor
! Notes
|-
| 2018
| Ronald Acuña Jr.
| National League Rookie of the Year
| Acuña won the BBWAA Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award after playing for Mississippi in 2017.
|-
| 2019
| Drew Waters
| Southern League Most Valuable Player
| Waters became the first Mississippi Braves player to win the Southern League MVP award.
|-
| 2020
| Freddie Freeman
| National League Most Valuable Player
| Freeman became the first Mississippi Braves alumnus to win a major league MVP award.
|-
| 2021
| Shea Langeliers
| Double-A South Top MLB Prospect
| Langeliers received the league's Top MLB Prospect honor after Mississippi's championship season.
|-
| 2021
| Dan Meyer
| Double-A South Manager of the Year
| Meyer led Mississippi to the Double-A South championship.
|-
| 2025
| Drake Baldwin
| National League Rookie of the Year
| Baldwin won the BBWAA Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award after playing for Mississippi in 2023 and 2024.
|}