Braves Add Augusta As Affiliate: What To Know About SRP Park

What had been anticipated for months was announced Wednesday with the official invitations for minor league affiliates from their new parent clubs. The Atlanta Braves saw a couple changes.

The four Braves affiliates are as follows:

Triple-A: Gwinnett

Double-A: Mississippi

High-A: Rome

Low-A: Augusta

I’m not sure yet how the leagues will be restructured. The purpose of Wednesday’s announcement was to list the official invitations to affiliates. You can go through the list and create an idea of what the leagues may look like, but I’m sure that will be announced soon.

Gwinnett and Mississippi remain the same. The two changes are Rome moving up one level to Class-A Advanced and Augusta becoming a Braves affiliate. Augusta takes the place of Florida, which was on the list of teams cut from affiliated ball. Rome technically takes its spot as the High-A team with Augusta remaining in Low-A. The Wednesday list was for invitations to the affiliates to join their systems, not the actual naming of affiliates. But it seems like a foregone conclusion that they will accept.

While the news is exciting for me, personally, because I now have much greater access to Braves prospect coverage, and for Braves fans in the region, it was a very difficult day for many in the minor leagues. Florida joins Danville as the two former Braves affiliates no longer tied to a major league organization. Danville is becoming a college wood bat team in a summer development league, but Florida’s fate is unknown.

The purpose of minor league consolidation is largely tied to Major League Baseball’s efforts to make the minors more efficient by cutting operating costs and honing in on player development. Fewer teams in each system means fewer players to pay and more focus on developing those within the system. The vast majority of organizations are now involved with affiliates that make more sense geographically, such as the Braves adding an Augusta team that’s two hours down the interstate, or other orgs turning their High-A teams into Low-A to keep low-level prospects at their spring facilities.

As I said, the addition of Augusta is a tremendous one for me. I now have easier access to all four Braves affiliates and will be able to see their prospects on almost any given night. It’s also big for Braves fans within driving distance of Augusta. They now have another nice facility at which to attend games.

I was born and raised in Augusta, and the town will always be a home for me. The old GreenJackets park, Lake Olmstead Stadium, is where I gained my love for baseball, spending countless summer nights there watching prospects, first as a Pirates affiliate, then Red Sox and most recently Giants. It’s also where I developed my scouting eye. My first job out of college was covering the GreenJackets for the local newspaper, so I spent my summer nights sitting with scouts and talking to coaches, instructors and players. Having that sort of access on a nightly basis was invaluable and is the reason this newsletter exists.

Being the baseball writer also meant covering the GreenJackets’ efforts to build a new ballpark and development. I was there from the first city council meeting unveiling the idea, to wearing a hard hat and walking around the site while under construction, to opening night and beyond. Their ownership and staff put in tremendous amounts of work to see the dream fulfilled, and it turned out beautifully.

SRP Park is on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River in North Augusta, sitting on the banks of the river with downtown Augusta on the other side. The main bridge linking the two sides is just beyond the batter’s eye in center field, and the river runs just beyond right field.

The field was cut out with San Francisco’s park in mind, because the GreenJackets were still affiliated with the Giants at the time. Left and right fields are straightforward, center is fairly neutral and right-center is deep. The wind is blocked in left by a large building comprising the team clubhouses, business space and apartments. The wind will blow in or out in right, but it takes a shot to get out regardless, especially as you get deeper into right-center. The hardest-hit ball I’ve seen at the park so far came from Drew Waters, who barreled it at 111 mph and drove it on a line over the right field fence, bouncing down the river bank to the water.

There is one lower bowl of seating ranging from padded seats and tables behind home plate (typically season ticket holders) to normal field level seating to a grass berm in the left field corner. The upper level contains indoor/outdoor suites that companies typically purchase. The concourse runs 360 degrees around the field so fans can watch the game from literally every angle if they want to walk or stand. There’s a second level in right field where fans can stand with a beer to watch the game from above, with views of the river and downtown Augusta behind them.

The GreenJackets have implemented local and regional favorites in their food and beer selections. Aside from the typical ballpark concessions, they mix in pimento cheese and barbecue in different ways. SweetWater has a heavy presence as well. An attached barbecue restaurant in the right field corner has two levels with an upstairs bar and tons of SweetWater choices. Southbound Smokehouse is a personal favorite of mine and is recommended. Also, the team did a great job on its rebranding when it moved into the new park. The store at the park is roomy and has a good selection.

Outside, the surrounding development includes a good Mexican restaurant with outdoor seating and an upscale restaurant inside the Crowne Plaza next door. The hotel also has a rooftop bar with great views. Otherwise, the development is largely home to apartments. If you’re looking to kill time before a game and don’t want to eat or drink, the development is walkable with a path by the river and an amphitheater. There are garages for parking. Traffic in and out of the development is a breeze on slow nights, but bring a little patience on packed weekends if you’re trying to get out immediately after a game.

Outside the development, North Augusta is largely residential. To find places to eat and drink, your best bet is across the river. Downtown Augusta has several good places to do both. There are notable spots sprinkled around Augusta, too, if you do your research. If you want specific recommendations, feel free to reach out on Twitter.

And yes, what people say about the heat is true. Summer nights in Augusta are brutally humid. And I’ve been to almost every major town in the South.

The GreenJackets did an outstanding job of planning the ballpark and surrounding development. I know how much effort it took just to see it come to fruition, and I’m proud and happy for them that it worked out so well.

If you’re a Braves fan or just a baseball fan who is able to but hasn’t made the trip to the park yet, I highly recommend doing so in the future. Not only will you now get to see Braves prospects, but the park itself is worth the drive. The facility will be a valuable addition to Atlanta’s system for its development purposes and for fans.