Baseball in Greenville, S.C.

Former stars for Upstate South Carolina team 
have included Shoeless Joe Jackson, Nolan Ryan

   Through the 2004 season, Greenville, S.C., located just a couple of hours away from Atlanta, had served as a haven for much of the Braves' future talent. Its proximity to the parent team left Greenville as a prime location for rehabbing injured major leaguers. Greenville hasn't always been a Braves town.

   Baseball made its way to Greenville in 1907 when the town entered a team in the S.C. State League (D Class). The Greenville Eskimos -- an interesting nickname for a team in Upstate South Carolina -- finished 25-28 and 12 games out of first place.

   In 1908, team management changed the nickname from the Eskimos to the Spinners to reflect Greenville's chief industry of textiles. That 1908 team included future Major Leaguer Joe Jackson. Jackson hit .346 and was one of the league leaders. Thomas Stouch managed the team from 1907 until 1912. In 1910, the Spinners finished 63-40 to win the Carolina Baseball Association championship.

   In 1919, the Spinners moved to the South Atlantic Association. Seven years later, in 1926, the Spinners beat Richmond four games to one in the Southern Association playoffs. The next season, the Spinners knocked off Portsmouth in the opening series of the playoffs, but fell to Jacksonville 4-3 in the second round.

   The Spinners finished 85-57 in 1930 and won the league playoff over the Macon, but lost the Southern Championship to Selma.

   In 1930, the team became a part of the D-Class Palmetto League for one season. That league disbanded on July 23, 1931 and the minor league team disappeared from Greenville from 1932 until 1938 when it resurfaced as part of the South Atlantic League.

   The war years of 1943-45 left Greenville without a baseball team. But, in 1946, Greenville rejoined the South Atlantic League. Two years later, the team finsihed 84-69 and won the championship by beating Columbia 4 games to 1 in the championship series.

   In 1951, the Spinners moved to a new league, the Tri-State League, B-Class. In 1955, the Spinners finished second in the league with a 60-55 record, but lost in the playoffs to Spartanburg.

   The Spinners were out of minor league baseball from 1956 until 1960. They reappeared in 1961 as a member of the South Atlantic League. In 1963, the team became a part of the Western Carolinas League (A) and became an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves. In 1965, the team changed its name to the Greenville Mets and were affiliated with the New York club. 

   From 1968 until 1971, the Greenville baseball team was a member of the Boston Red Sox system. In 1972, the team spent a year as part of the Rangers' organization.

   Baseball disappeared from Greenville in 1973 and didn't come back until the city was awarded the AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves for the 1984 season. Since that time, the club has played at Greenville Municipal Stadium. The facility seats 7,027 and opened in 1984.

   Nolan Ryan pitched for Greenville during the 1966 season. He pitched in the Western Carolinas League All-Star game and was named the contest's Outstanding Pitcher.

The Greenville Braves were located in Greenville, S.C., through the end of the 2004 season. That's when the team opted to make the move to Pearl, Miss.  The move brought an end to a streak of AA baseball in Greenville that began in 1984.