Monday, September 14

It's July 23, the 204th day of the year. Area code 204 covers Manitoba, a Canadian province which last hosted an affiliated Minor League Baseball team in the form of the 1971 Winnipeg Whips. That franchise began in 1886 as the Buffalo Bisons and exists today as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Welcome to the Baseball Traveler newsletter.

The Braves farm system has one of the smallest footprints in all of Minor League Baseball, as the organization boasts three teams in their home state of Georgia and one in South Carolina. Interested in visiting them all in the shortest amount of time possible? Mark Aug 7-11 on your calendar now.

Within this well aligned stretch of time you can see Atlanta's Minor League teams -- Single-A Augusta GreenJackets, High-A Rome Emperors, Double-A Columbus Clingstones and Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers -- as well as the Braves themselves in a five-day span. If you're a fan of the team, or just like a good ballpark road trip, then this is a great opportunity. The only other organization that can offer all five of its teams within reasonable driving distance from one another is the Baltimore Orioles.

Here's one potential road trip itinerary that could be put together over that stretch of time, along with a list of top Braves prospects who are currently playing at each location. Plan your own Braves system road trip here and check out every Minor League Ballpark Guide here.

Friday, Aug. 7
Team: Double-A Columbus Clingstones vs. Biloxi Shuckers (MIL), 7:06 p.m.
Ballpark: Synovus Park
Top Prospects: None currently on the Braves Top 30 list
Columbus is situated along the western edge of Georgia and the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, with the Chattahoochee River serving as a natural border between it and Phenix City, Ala. The Clingstones, named after a type of peach, set up shop in 2025 after relocating from the Jackson, Miss., suburb of Pearl (where they were known as the Mississippi Braves). The Clingstones' home of Synovus Park, located along the Chattahoochee, opened in 1926 as Golden Park. The facility's seating bowl and ornate brick concourse archways remain, but otherwise it has been extensively renovated and now features the player and fan amenities expected of a 21st-century ballpark. While in Columbus make sure to stop at the Dinglewood Pharmacy for a Scrambled Dog, a hot dog hodgepodge that inspired the Clingstones' first alternate identity. The Clingstones, despite no longer fielding the top prospects they started the season with, are currently battling Biloxi for first place in the Southern League's South Division.

Saturday, Aug. 8
Team: High-A Rome Emperors vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (PIT), 6:45 p.m.
Ballpark: AdventHealth Stadium
Top Prospects: LHP Cam Caminiti (ATL No. 1/MLB No. 42); OF Eric Hartman (No. 2/MLB No. 76); SS/OF Tate Southisene (No. 4/MLB No. 95); LHP Briggs McKenzie (No. 6); SS John Gil (No. 9); RHP Luke Sinnard (No. 10); OF Owen Carey (No. 17); RHP Ethan Bagwell (No. 21); 2B/3B Dixon Williams (No. 25); OF Isaiah Drake (No. 27)
Rome, Ga., got its name, because, like its Italian counterpart, the city was built within a region encompassing seven hills with rivers that run between them. It's located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northwest Georgia, approximately 150 miles from Columbus. Rome's AdventHealth Stadium is the home of the Emperors, who adopted that moniker in 2024 after more than two decades in which they were simply known as the Braves (the team's logo set incorporates both Roman iconography and emperor penguins). AdventHealth Stadium is a charming facility, with a two-level seating bowl offering views of a bucolic wooded backdrop. Make sure to grab a photo with mascot Julius, as he's the only penguin to be found within the entirety of the professional baseball landscape. For Aug. 8's game, plan to arrive early enough to snag a Drake Baldwin bobblehead (limited to the first 1,000 fans). Many of Rome's current players will likely one day be immortalized in bobblehead form; five of the Braves' top 10 prospects are currently on the roster.

Sunday, Aug. 9
Team: Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A) vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 4:05 p.m.
Ballpark: Gwinnett Field
Top Prospects: RHP Owen Murphy (ATL No. 5); RHP Lucas Braun (No. 8); RHP Garrett Baumann (No. 11); LHP Herick Hernandez (No. 13); RHP Blake Burkhalter (No. 14); RHP Drue Hackenburg (No. 15); RHP Rolddy Muñoz (No. 16); LHP Hayden Harris (No. 19); OF Patrick Clohisy (No. 23)
After Rome, it's time to head 90 miles southeast to the greater Atlanta area. The Gwinnett Stripers play in Lawrenceville, which is part of Gwinnett County (named in honor of founding father Button Gwinnett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence). The Stripers, whose name is a tribute to striped bass fish and those who try to catch them, play in a facility currently known simply as Gwinnett Field. It's a spacious ballpark, and a lap or two along its 360-degree concourse will expose you to its myriad nooks and crannies. A magnolia tree looms beyond the batter's eye, a tribute to a tree of similar stature that stood at Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Park (the city's home for Minor League Baseball from 1907-64). It's always Groundhog Day at Gwinnett Field, thanks to an irrepressible rodent mascot named Chopper. He cheers on a loaded squad stocked with many of the organization's top pitching prospects as well as a pair of battle-tested veterans: Carlos Santana and Andrew McCutchen!

Monday, Aug. 10
Team: Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets, 7:10 p.m.
Ballpark: Truist Park
While the inevitable traffic may make it seem longer, the distance from Gwinnett Field to Truist Park is a mere 36 miles. Even after dealing with road congestion you should have ample time to explore The Battery Atlanta before heading into the ballpark. The mixed-use development area -- perhaps you prefer the term "entertainment village" -- stands behind the outfield and includes hotels, retail stores, entertainment destinations and plenty of places to eat and drink. Once inside the ballpark head to Monument Garden to explore the Braves history and see a statue that commemorates Hank Aaron's 715th home run. Aug. 10's game features a Michael Harris II football jersey giveaway.

Aug. 11
Team: Augusta GreenJackets (Single-A) vs. Charleston RiverDogs, 6:35 p.m.
Ballpark: SRP Park
Top Prospects: SS Alex Lodise (No. 4); OF Connor Essenburg (No. 12); OF Luis Guanipa (No.18); LHP Landon Beidelschies (No. 20); SS Jose Perdomo (No. 22); 2B/3B Cody Miller (No. 30)
After reaching the apex of the system in Atlanta, it's time to take four steps down the organizational ladder. Hop on I-20 East and make the drive east to SRP Park, home of the Augusta GreenJackets. (One would think the GreenJackets played in Georgia, but note that the ballpark is located across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C.) The team is named for the green jackets worn by the winners of the Augusta National Golf Club's Masters Tournament, leading to a green bee mascot named Auggie. SRP Ballpark is the centerpiece of Riverside Village, a mixed-use development that features hotels, restaurants and retail destination. Consider it the Minor League version of The Battery.

I'll be in Richmond this weekend, July 25 and 26, visiting the Flying Squirrels' new home of CarMax Park. Hit me up if there's anything about the city or ballpark you'd like to share. Last week I visited the Williamsport Crosscutters and Wilmington Blue Rocks, stay tuned for some (hopefully) great material from those locales.

If you enjoyed last week's article about Sister Ros, the St. Paul Saints massaging nun, then check out episode 561 of The Show Before the Show podcast. It contains an interview with longtime Saints front office member Tom Whaley, who hired Sister Ros in 1993 after stumbling upon a phone book listing for her massage clinic.

Oh, and nod if you agree: These are 9 of the greatest bobbleheads from the Minor League season so far.

Thank you for reading. Get in touch anytime via email at benjamin.hill@mlb.com and please follow me on Instagram (@thebensbiz), X (@bensbiz) and Bluesky (@bensbiz.bsky.social). I enjoy hearing from you.

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