Photos courtesy of Garrett Haupt
Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville 301 A Philip Randolph Blvd., Jacksonville Home of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami Marlins affiliate) › Class AA, Southern League › 102 miles from Ocala › ›
Imagine the odd focus groups that led the Jacksonville Suns to decide to change their nickname to… Jumbo Shrimp. And imagine those same folks deciding to create an alternate logo featuring a jumbo shrimp hurtling out of a boiling pot of water. The descent into nickname madness doesn’t belie how utterly spectacular Bragan Field is. The biggest park in Class AA (11,000 seats) is made improbably cozy by an intimate seating bowl and throwback façade and design. Bragan Field is what you might imagine a modern Ebbets Field or polo grounds to look like if built today; it combines old-school roots with modern flair like the video scoreboard, 12 luxury suites and four party decks. Bragan Field’s traditionalist ways extend to how it interacts with its Jacksonville neighborhood. In a nod to Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego, Bragan melds the surrounding architecture into its design—most notably the
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Old St. Andrew’s Church and its stately steeple incorporated seamlessly down the left-field line. Thus, there are no bad seats in the park. Downtown Jacksonville looms behind home plate, and most fans will have views of the Hart and Matthews Bridges over the St. John’s River. And the 360-degree concourse inside the park ensures a view of the field no matter how long it takes to gather souvenirs or concessions during the game. In as traditionalist an endeavor as baseball, it’s hard to balance fun and respect for the game, but no park in Florida accomplishes that like Bragan Field. Tickets: $5 (outfield general admission) to $18 (dugout box). Call (904) 358-2846 or visit JaxShrimp.com. Game times: Vary from 12:05pm to 7:05pm, with most start times at 7:05pm Hot tix: June 4 is Star Wars Night. June 5, July 19 and August 14 celebrate Canines & Crustaceans (dogs welcome in the park). July 9 is Christmas in July. August 8 is Silent Movie Night (no noise allowed in the park). Jacksonville attractions: You may not need to leave the immediate area, as Jacksonville’s new basketball/hockey arena nears completion a block to the west and EverBank Field housing the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars is within walking distance, beyond the right-field fence. The less-sports addled
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traveler can spin less than an hour south to St. Augustine to visit the oldest city in the United States. Famous feats: In 2005, Joel Guzman hit the longest home run in Bragan Field history, and an “X” in the playground area beyond the centerfield wall marks the spot the ball landed. Alumni: Jacksonville’s long baseball history means multitudes of legends have passed through its uniform, most notably Hall-of-Famers Hank Aaron, Randy Johnson, Phil Niekro, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Hoyt Wilhelm. In 2016, 64 ex-Jacksonvillians were active in the major leagues. 2017’s player to watch: Austin Nola is an unusual case, as a 27-year-old in Class AA. The former blue-chip middle infielder is the only Jumbo Shrimp who’s protected on the 40-man roster, and this year begins a conversion to catcher. It’s an unusual move—players often move out from behind the plate, not toward it. Nola hit .261 in 113 at Class AAA New Orleans in 2016.