A few months ago the Braves announced that they were moving their AAA affiliate from Richmond, VA, to their own backyard in the suburbs: Gwinnett County, whose products include Brian McCann, Jeff Francouer, and Alex Forrest. In fact, the stadium will be an exit down 85 from my parents, so I’m confident that we’ll enjoy a little bit of AAA baseball in the coming years, just like we did during our years in Louisville, home of the AAA Reds. Minor League baseball is a great family activity because it’s far cheaper than the next level, and the smaller stadiums bring you closer to the action. Plus, it’s easier to get there and get out. Here in Greenville, we have a great ballpark downtown, but the baseball is not as good as the Greenville Drive only play A level. The AAA Braves are about as good as minor league ball gets for me.
The Gwinnett Braves cement Gwinnett’s place as pretty cool suburban area, joining the arena football team (Georgia Force), a minor league hockey team (Gwinnett Gladiators), and pretty nice concert arena to give the area some cool things to do. The stadium will be built in a hurry, I guess, as it will open next season.