Greenville Drive

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Greenville Drive
Founded in 2006
Greenville, South Carolina

Team Logo
Cap Insignia
Class-Level
  • A
Minor League affiliations
Major League affiliations
Name
  • Greenville Drive (2006-present)
  • Greenville Bombers (2005)
  • Capital City Bombers (1993-2004)
  • Columbia Mets (1983-1992)
  • Shelby Mets (1981-1982)
  • Shelby Pirates (1979-1980)
  • Shelby Reds (1977-1978)
Ballpark
Minor League titles
League titles 3 (1986, 1991, 1998)
Division titles
Owner(s)/Operated by: Craig Brown, Roy Bostock, Paul Raether
Manager: Kevin Boles
General Manager: Mike deMaine

The Greenville Drive is a minor league baseball team that plays in Greenville, South Carolina. They are a Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and a member of the South Atlantic League. Prior to the 2005 SAL season, the team played in Columbia, South Carolina, was affiliated with the New York Mets, and was known as the Capital City Bombers. Their mascot is a frog named Reedy Rip'it.

Contents

[edit] History

The Drive began their history in 1960 in Shelby, North Carolina as the Shelby Reds. In 1983, the team moved to Columbia, which had lacked a minor league team since the departure of the Columbia Reds in 1961. The team was originally known as the Columbia Mets and made their home at Capital City Stadium. In 1993, the team changed its name to the Bombers to honor members of the Doolittle Raiders, who had conducted their initial training in Columbia.

Following the 2004 season, the Bombers changed affiliations and became the affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, who had previously been affiliated with the Augusta GreenJackets, also of the South Atlantic League. On February 11, 2005, Minor League Baseball announced that the Bombers had been granted permission to move to Greenville, where a new park opened in 2006. The Bombers would play in Greenville Municipal Stadium in 2005.

On October 27, 2005, the Bombers announced a team name change to the Drive. The name was given due to both the strong presence of the automobile industry (specifically BMW) in the area and the strong entrepreneurial spirit in the business community. The current name change has not been accepted by the community, however, as many residents have criticized the new name for its lack of historical relevance and failure to reflect community traditions. In fact, team owners reportedly wanted to call the team the "Joes," after Greenville County native Shoeless Joe Jackson. But Jackson is on Major League Baseball's permanent ineligibility list due to his role in the Black Sox Scandal in 1919.

The Bombers had a rich history within the South Atlantic League, winning the league championship in 1986, 1991, and 1998.

[edit] Stadium

Logo of the former Columbia/Greenville Bombers
Logo of the former Columbia/Greenville Bombers

Capital City Stadium, at Downtown Columbia, was the home of the Bombers. The stadium was originally built in 1927, but was completely rebuilt in 1991. Capital City Stadium has a seating capacity for 6,000 spectators, has a grass surface and features the following fence dimensions: (LF) 330 ft., CF 400 ft., RF 320 ft.

The stadium often proved inadequate for baseball due to poor field conditions. Situated in a low-lying area, Capital City Stadium features poor drainage and heavy rains often resulted in a flooded infield.

The Bombers had sought assistance from the City of Columbia in building a new stadium located in the Congaree Vista area of Columbia. Efforts to construct a stadium to be shared with the University of South Carolina's baseball team fell through when the University demanded the Bombers pay $6,000,000 in fees upfront. Since then, Bombers owner Rich Mozingo had sought to relocate the team, finally becoming successful in 2005 (see above). The Bombers played their home contests in Greenville Municipal Stadium in Greenville.

The Drive (formerly the Bombers), now play at Fluor Field at the West End in downtown Greenville. The stadium shares the dimensions of their parent club's major league park, Fenway Park.


[edit] 2008 Roster

Pitchers
No Player Pos B/T HT WT DOB
13 Kyle Fernandes LHP L/L 6-0 190 09/12/85


25 Ryan Phillips LHP L/L 6-4 210 05/29/84
23 Terry Large RHP R/R 6-4 185 05/28/83
22 Christopher Jones LHP R/L 6-3 205 06/09/84
38 Eric Beattie RHP R/R 6-3 190 04/02/83



36 Travis Beazley RHP R/R 6-0 175 06/17/83


21 Josh Papelbon RHP R/R 6-1 210 06/24/83
34 Dustin Richardson LHP L/L 6-5 195 01/19/84
17 Jorge Rodriguez RHP R/R 6-1 160 03/11/85
18 Brian Steinocher RHP R/R 6-1 190 08/01/84
Catchers
No Player Pos B/T HT WT DOB
28 Jonathan Egan C R/R 6-4 210 10/12/86
29 Jonathan Still C R/R 6-2 210 11/16/84
Infielders
No Player Pos B/T HT WT DOB
-- Christian Lara SS S/R 5-11 150 04/11/85



26 Lars Anderson 1B L/L 6-4 215 09/25/87
16 Manuel Arambarris IF R/R 6-0 180 08/25/85
5 Michael Chambers 2B R/R 6-0 175 01/20/84
11 Argenis Diaz SS R/R 5-11 155 02/12/87
7 Kristopher Negron SS R/R 6-0 180 02/01/86
Outfielders
No Player Pos B/T HT WT DOB



2 Reid Engel OF L/R 6-2 175 05/07/87
24 Jason Place OF R/R 6-3 205 05/08/88

[edit] Field Staff

Manager: Hitting Coach: Pitching Coach: Trainer: Athletic Intern:
TBD Walter Miranda Paul Buchheit Vince Federovich

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Boston Red Sox Minor League Affiliates
AAA AA A Rookie
Pawtucket Red Sox Portland Sea Dogs
 Lancaster JetHawks
Greenville Drive
Lowell Spinners		 Gulf Coast Red Sox
DSL Red Sox
v • d • e
South Atlantic League
Northern Division
Southern Division


Flag of South Carolina
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Sports teams based in South Carolina
Baseball

CL: Myrtle Beach Pelicans, SAL: Charleston RiverDogs • Greenville Drive
Football AIFA: Carolina Sandsharks • Florence Phantoms
Hockey ECHL: Columbia Inferno • South Carolina Stingrays
Soccer USL-1: Charleston Battery
College athletics
(NCAA Division I)		 Charleston Southern • Clemson • Coastal Carolina • College of Charleston • Furman • Presbyterian • South Carolina • South Carolina State • The Citadel • USC Upstate • Winthrop • Wofford