The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama . They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida , in 1973 as the Orlando Twins, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins . After remaining in the Minnesota minor league organization for 20 seasons, the team became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs for four seasons and then the Seattle Mariners for one. In 1999, the team became an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and they have remained in the organization ever since. They became members of the Double-A South in 2021, though this was renamed the Southern League in 2022.
25-642: Over the years, the club changed names several times. They were the Orlando Twins for 17 seasons, then were known as the SunRays, Cubs, and Rays. The club became known as the Biscuits when it moved from the Orlando area to Montgomery in 2004. The club played at Tinker Field near downtown Orlando from 1973 until 2000, when they moved to Champion Stadium in nearby Lake Buena Vista, Florida . Since moving to Montgomery in 2004,
50-871: A farm in Wetumpka" in 2016. Major League Baseball players who played for the Biscuits (or earlier incarnations) include: Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches 60-day injured list [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 18, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Southern League → Tampa Bay Rays minor league players All Montgomery Biscuits games are televised live on MiLB.TV and select games are also televised live on WSFA . WMSP 740 AM provides radio broadcasts of games. Since 2016,
75-588: A loss to the Montgomery Biscuits . In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Braves were organized into the Double-A South . They won the 2021 Southern Division title with a first-place 67–44 record. They qualified for the playoffs by having the best record in the league. The Braves defeated the Montgomery Biscuits , 3–2, in the best-of-five series to win
100-483: A transaction that closed on April 27, 2017. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Biscuits were organized into the Double-A South . Though finishing the 2021 season in second place in the Southern Division at 62–55, the two teams with the highest winning percentages in the regular season competed in a best-of-five series to determine the league champion. With
125-667: The Electric Daisy Carnival —a three-day festival that features electronic dance music with celebrity DJs, visual effects, rides, and art. On September 6, 2015, Tinker Field was the site of West Lakes Family Fun Day—an event held by members of the neighborhoods surrounding the field prior to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge . Each June or July, Tinker Field hosted the Orlando Vans Warped Tour —a one-day festival that features rock music with popular bands from around
150-569: The Montgomery Rebels , a Detroit Tigers affiliate, played their final season in the Southern League at Montgomery's Paterson Field . The Biscuits' owners, Sherrie Myers and Tom Dickson, were selected from six different ownership groups during an extensive search for a public-private partner by the City of Montgomery. Myers and Dickson selected the team's nickname from over 4,000 entries in a "name
175-614: The Orlando Citrus Bowl football stadium (later renamed as Camping World Stadium ). The ballpark is now memorialized by Tinker Field History Plaza. Constructed in 1914, Tinker Field was the spring training home of the Brooklyn Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds , Washington Senators , and Minnesota Twins . It was also the home park of the Orlando Rays minor league baseball team before they moved to Cracker Jack Stadium in 2000. It
200-640: The Washington Senators to Orlando, where the Senators (who later relocated as the Minnesota Twins ) trained until after the 1990 season. The stadium was rebuilt again in 1963, and when Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., was demolished, nearly 1,000 of the stadium's seats were moved to Tinker Field. The remaining seats were sold by the City of Orlando in 2015. The old press box next to the home side dugout
225-633: The 2024 season, the team relocated to Columbus, Georgia , to become the Columbus Clingstones . In 2005, the Southern League 's Greenville Braves relocated to Pearl, Mississippi , from Greenville, South Carolina , due to the poor condition of Greenville Municipal Stadium , and the failure to reach an agreement with the Greenville County council for a new ballpark. The M-Braves' first season began on April 18, 2005 at Trustmark Park with
250-628: The Biscuits defeated the Huntsville Stars to win the team's first Southern League championship in Montgomery. One year later, in 2007, the Biscuits again defeated the Huntsville Stars to win their second consecutive Southern League championship. They became the first team since the 1975 to 1977 Montgomery Rebels to win back-to-back championships. The Biscuits were sold to a group of investors led by Richmond Flying Squirrels owner Lou DiBella in
275-554: The Biscuits have played at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium , a 7,000-seat facility which was built for the club in the downtown area. The franchise joined the Southern League in 1973 as the Orlando Twins, a minor-league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins , which held spring training in Orlando, Florida at the time. The Orlando Twins played at Tinker Field in downtown Orlando, near the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. In 1990,
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#1732852806144300-499: The Biscuits play-by-play commentator is Chris Adams-Wall. Tinker Field Tinker Field was an outdoor baseball stadium in Orlando, Florida , United States. Named after Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Joe Tinker , it was located in the West Lakes neighborhoods of Downtown Orlando . In April 2015, the City of Orlando tore down the grandstands and removed all other extant buildings, due to its proximity to renovation work on
325-724: The Braves announced that the 2024 season would be their final season in Mississippi, and that they would be relocating to Columbus, Georgia , for the start of the 2025 season as the Columbus Clingstones . On September 13, 2008, the Mississippi Braves beat the Carolina Mudcats , 3–2, in the 10th inning of the decisive Game 5 of the Southern League Championship Series. This was the M-Braves first championship and
350-583: The Double-A South championship. Shea Langeliers was selected as the league's Top MLB Prospect and Dan Meyer as the Manager of the Year. In December 2021, Diamond Baseball Holdings bought the Mississippi Braves from Atlanta Braves owner Liberty Media . In 2022, the Double-A South became known as the Southern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. In 2024,
375-678: The Orlando Rays' major-league affiliation the following year. The Orlando Rays' last season at Tinker Field was 1999. From 2000 to 2003, the Orlando Rays played in Lake Buena Vista, Florida , in Champion Stadium at Walt Disney World Resort . Despite the fact that the team played in a state-of-the-art stadium that was built in 1997 and used during spring training by the Atlanta Braves , attendance did not meet expectations; after trailing
400-625: The Southern League in attendance in multiple years, the Rays' owners announced the team would move to Montgomery in 2004 (terminating their 10-year lease with Disney after four seasons). While in Orlando, the franchise won three Southern League championships: in 1981 (as the Twins), 1991 (as the Sun Rays), and 1999 (as the Rays). The Biscuits became Montgomery's first Major League Baseball -affiliated team since 1980, when
425-549: The circuit's second-best record, the Biscuits faced the Mississippi Braves in the best-of-five series but lost the championship, 3–2. Jonathan Aranda won the league Most Valuable Player Award. In 2022, the Double-A South became known as the Southern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. Their mascots are "Big Mo", an orange beast that loves biscuits, and "Monty", an anthropomorphized buttermilk biscuit . Monty appears in
450-525: The entire building complex was renovated. On March 9, 2015, Orlando City Council approved an ordinance to demolish the grandstands and buildings, and allocated money to re-create the area surrounding the field. In September, 2015, the City of Orlando held a public input meeting and unveiled preliminary plans to memorialize Tinker Field. Tinker Field History Plaza opened in May 2018, memorializing civil rights and baseball in Orlando. Each November, Tinker Field hosts
475-607: The logo and on the hat. The mascot for the Orlando Rays was "Spike", a bear . The origin of Spike is unknown but presumed to predate the Devil Rays, as the club has been controlled by the Cubs and by the Twins (who have a bear mascot, T.C. Bear ). In 2014, a new live mascot was introduced and also named with a contest in which 4,800 entries submitted ideas for a micro-mini pot belly pig which became Miss Gravy, Duchess of Pork. Miss Gravy "retired to
500-506: The pitcher's mound in his only public speech in the city. On January 28, 2014, during the groundbreaking of the Orlando Citrus Bowl stadium reconstruction, it was announced that the grandstands and all other extant buildings surrounding Tinker Field would be torn down. The reasons cited were that the expansion of the Orlando Citrus Bowl stadium would shorten right field of Tinker Field so much that it would make it unusable even if it
525-672: The team was renamed the Orlando Sun Rays. In 1993, the Chicago Cubs became the team's new major-league affiliate, and the team was renamed the Orlando Cubs. While still a Chicago Cubs affiliate, the team renamed itself again in 1997 and became the Orlando Rays. The following year, for one season only, the Seattle Mariners were the Rays' major-league affiliate. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, an American League expansion team in 1998, assumed
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#1732852806144550-487: The team" contest, due in part to tying into indigenous affiliation and potential marketing and pun possibilities (for example, "Hey, Butter, Butter, Butter" or the team's souvenir store, the "Biscuit Basket"). Several successful minor league teams have campy, quirky names to relate to families and kids. During games, biscuits are shot from an air cannon, into the stands. The official team colors are Butter and Blue. On September 15, 2006, in just their third year of existence,
575-554: The world. [REDACTED] Media related to Tinker Field at Wikimedia Commons Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves , or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi , a suburb of Jackson , from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in the Southern League . The M-Braves played their home games at Trustmark Park . After
600-584: Was located directly adjacent to the western side of the aforementioned football stadium and boasted a capacity of 5,100 before the grandstands were removed in 2015. The field first saw use for baseball in 1914; the first known stadium built on the site was in 1923. It was all-wood construction and seated 1,500. For the next 10 years, the Cincinnati Reds called Tinker Field their spring training home until 1933. The Brooklyn Dodgers trained there in 1934 and 1935. In 1936, Clark Griffith moved spring training of
625-681: Was the original press box and can be seen in photographs as early as the 1920s. Some college football games were played at the stadium, one example being the 1937 edition of the Orange Blossom Classic . Tinker Field was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 2004. One of the most historical non-baseball events to take place at Tinker Field was a visit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on March 6, 1964. He spoke before thousands of people from
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