Triple-A Baseball Highest classification in Minor League Baseball 30 Teams 16 Pacific Coast League 14 International League Over 14 million fans attended games in 2009 25 new facilities built since 1990 Nearly every current MLB standout played at Triple-A: Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Johan Santana, Derek Jeter, Ryan Braum as well as the HOF s Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio 2
International League 14 Team League from Pawtucket to the East, Indianapolis to the West and Gwinnett to the South Major League Affiliates include Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox and Mets 3
Gwinnett Braves Owned and operated by the Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media) Member of the International League Won league titles in 1978, 1986, 1989, 1994 and 2007 Franchise alumni include: Dale Murphy, David Justice, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Yunel Escobar and Tommy Hanson 4
Gwinnett Braves Top affiliate in the Atlanta Braves Minor League System Gwinnett: Triple-A Mississippi: Double-A Myrtle Beach: Advanced A Rome: Single-A Danville: Rookie 5
Inaugural Season Highlights Eight Atlanta Braves players had rehab stints at Coolray Field in 2009. Brian McCann, Tom Glavine, Casey Kotchman, Greg Norton, Kelly Johnson, Jeff Bennett, Tim Hudson and Omar Infante have all spent time in Gwinnett this season. Gwinnett Braves infielders Barbaro Canizares and Wes Timmons, along with relief pitcher Luis Valdez, represented the G-Braves at the Cricket Wireless Triple-A All-Star Game in Portland, OR. Canizares and Valdez also made the IL Post-Season All-Star Team. Wes Timmons had a 48-game on-base streak from May 27-August 16. It was the longest in the International League in 2009 and the third-longest in Triple-A Baseball since 2005, when they began keeping the record. Barbaro Canizares rolled up one of the longest hitting streaks in the International League in 2009, from April 25 to May 8. He hit in 13 consecutive games, good enough for the seventh best hitting streak in the league. The Gwinnett Braves All-Star reliever, Luis Valdez, led the International League in saves and appearances for nearly the entire season. Three of the starting pitchers who began the season in the Gwinnett Braves rotation, Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen and Charlie Morton, have gone on to play in the majors. Eleven Gwinnett Braves players were called up to the Atlanta Braves during the regular season, including Brandon Jones, Clint Sammons, Brian Barton, Barbaro Canizares and Brooks Conrad. Clinched a playoff berth in the 2009 International League Playoffs as the Wild Card. 6
Coolray Field Opening Night April 17, 2009 10,427 capacity 7
Coolray Field Facts and Figures 7,262 Fixed Seats 22 Suites, 1 Party Suite 2 Party Decks 2 Picnic Areas Outfield grass berm seating 2009 Stadium Events 87 total events 72 Gwinnett Braves games 10 Stadium of Scream Nights 2 College Baseball Games 1 Mega-church Service 2 International League playoff games Gwinnett County has the right to host 10 additional events at the stadium each year 8
Gwinnett Braves Fan Testimonials Over 96% of attendees would recommend to a friend Our second Gwinnett Braves game this year, and we will definitely go more next year Overall great experience for the whole family. atmosphere was awesome...ushers were very attentive...promotions were good...between inning activities were very entertaining...concession & facilities were very convenient. From the moment we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted with incredibly friendly people who helped us Just a really wonderful experience! My wife and I took our sons to the game yesterday and it was a blast. We had unbelievably priced tickets After the game all the kids got to go down on the field and run the bases. It is very clear that whoever is running that place knows how to appeal to families. Source: Ticketmaster Ratings and Reviews 9
Gwinnett Braves Fan Base Education Level: Some College 25% College Degree 42% Some Post Graduate 5% Post Graduate Degree 16% Other 2% Gender: Female 37% Male 63% Race: African American 3% Asian 1% Caucasian 94% Hispanic 1% Other 2% Key Demographics: 59% of fans are between the ages of 25-44 61.4% of fans have Household Incomes above $75,000 49.3% of fans have children in the household 63% of fans have a college degree Source: Alexander Babbage and MiLB Online Surveys Age: 18-24 7% 25-34 26% 35-44 33% 45-54 19% 55-64 9% Household Income; Less than $30K 7% $30K-$49K 6% $50K-$74K 26% $75K-$149 48% More than $150K 13% Games Attended: 1 to 5 70% 5 to 10 18% 10 to 20 6% 20+ 6% 10
Gwinnett Braves Attendance A New Major Draw in Metro Atlanta 686,688 599,673 512,527 423,556 All Other Counties 26% Gwinnett 42% Cobb 5% Hall 6% Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta Falcons Gwinnett Braves Forsyth 6% Dekalb 6% Fulton 9% 2009 Attendance Numbers 2009 Fan Footprint 11
Gwinnett Braves In the News Multi Media Impressions Over 350 newspaper articles 40 million plus impressions Over 75 television features, stories 6 million plus impressions 25 home games broadcast on Comcast Sports Southeast Reaches 5.9 million subscribers across 10 southeastern states 144 games broadcast on WDUN 550 AM 10,000 watt signal Reaches over 2 million listeners 11 Alive News Access North Georgia Associated Press Athens Banner Herald Atlanta Journal- Constitution Baseball America CBS Atlanta My FOX Atlanta Gainesville Times Gwinnett Daily Post Media Outlets Gwinnett Herald MiLB.com MLB.com Sports Illustrated USA Today WNEG 32 TV Channel 2 12
gwinnettbraves.com gwinnettbraves.com launched in 2009 783,818 visitors as of 8/31 610,554 unique visitors (78% of all visitors) Average of 101,691 unique visitors per month during season (April August) 3,447,672 total page views Average of 6 page views per unique visitor 4 th most visited site in Minor League Baseball 13