Savannah Sand Gnats

Savannah Sand Gnats Founded in 1984 Savannah, Georgia
100px 100px Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Single-A (1984–2015)
Minor league affiliations
League	South Atlantic League (1984–2015)
Division	Southern Division
Major league affiliations
Current	New York Mets (2007–2015)
Previous	Washington Nationals (2003–2006) Montreal Expos (2003–2004) Texas Rangers (1998–2002) Los Angeles Dodgers (1996–1997) St. Louis Cardinals (1984–1995)
Minor league titles
League titles (4)	1993 1994 1996 2013
Division titles (2)	1993 2013
Team data
Nickname	Savannah Sand Gnats (1996–2015)
Previous names	Savannah Cardinals (1984–1995)
Ballpark	Grayson Stadium (1984–2015)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Hardball Capital LLC
Manager	Jose Leger
President	John Katz

The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team in Savannah, Georgia and were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. Starting in the 2007 season, the Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets. It was announced on May 21, 2015, that the team would relocate to Columbia, South Carolina for the 2016 season and would be known as the Columbia Fireflies.

History

Formerly known as the Savannah Cardinals, the team played their inaugural season in 1984, affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1996, the team changed its name to the Sand Gnats, and became an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team was affiliated with the Texas Rangers from 1998 to 2002 and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals from 2003 to 2006.

The Sand Gnats played their home games at Grayson Stadium. Opened in 1927, Grayson Stadium seats 4,700 fans. The Sand Gnats won four SAL championships (1993, 1994, 1997, 2013).

On January 11, 2007, the Sand Gnats named Tim Teufel as manager for the 2007 season.

On May 8, 2007, Jorge Reyes, a pitcher for the Sand Gnats, was suspended for violating Minor League Baseball's substance abuse policy. Reyes was the first player to receive a 100-game suspension for his second violation.

Among their notable alumni are Adrián Beltré, Éric Gagné, Edwin Encarnación, Travis Hafner, Hank Blalock, Josh Whitesell, Josh Satin, and Ryan Zimmerman.

Season-by-season records

Former Sand Gnats, Josh Whitesell and Ryan Zimmerman (left)

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses

Season	W	L	Finish	Postseason
1984	78	61	3rd, Southern	Lost in Semi-Finals
1985	57	78	4th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1986	75	60	2nd, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1987	69	69	4th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1988	68	67	5th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1989	69	70	4th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1990	73	68	6th, Southern	Lost League Finals
1991	61	77	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1992	62	78	5th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1993	94	48	1st, Southern	League Champions
1994	82	55	2nd, Southern	League Champions
1995	56	83	6th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1996	72	69	2nd, Southern	League Champions
1997	63	77	3rd, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1998	66	76	3rd, Southern	Did Not Qualify
1999	62	78	4th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2000	74	65	4th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2001	54	82	8th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2002	49	89	8th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2003	58	80	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2004	58	80	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2005	62	76	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2006	56	83	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2007	41	94	8th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2008	61	76	7th, Southern	Did Not Qualify
2009	65	72	Southern	Did Not Qualify
2010	75	64	Southern	Lost in Semi-Finals
2011	79	60	Southern	Lost League Finals
2012	69	67	Southern	Did Not Qualify
2013	77	61	Southern	League Champions
2014	85	51	Southern	Lost in Semi-Finals
2015	83	54	1st, Southern	Lost in League Finals

1984–1995: Savannah Cardinals

In popular culture

• The team was featured in the first season of Da Ali G Show, when the character Borat sang his national anthem, and then ventured into the locker room.
• The Gnats were featured on the Food Network show Paula's Home Cooking during the episode "Ball Game", when Paula Deen threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a game and wore a team jersey while cooking.
• They were featured on the television sitcom George Lopez, when the character Jason McNamara is drafted by the Nationals, and is going to play for the Sand Gnats.
• In June 2013, the Royal Pains episode "Lawson Translation" features two main characters attending Sand Gnats games and taking a (fictional) veteran player on as a medical patient.

Roster

Columbia Fireflies roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 16 Tyler Badamo 11 Tyler Bashlor  3 Kevin Canelon 30 Andrew Church 33 P.J. Conlon 23 Seth Davis -- Cameron Griffin 10px 17 Witt Haggard  6 Chase Ingram 45 Johnny Magliozzi 20 Thomas McIlraith 10px 25 Craig Missigman 32 Christian Montgomery 15 Alex Palsha 28 Joe Shaw		Catchers -- Adrian Abreu 10px  4 Jose Garcia 36 Patrick Mazeika 21 Tyler Moore 10px 40 Nathanael Ramos 10px Infielders 24 Jeff Diehl -- Eudor Garcia ‡ 35 Luis Ortega  7 Milton Ramos 13 Jean Rodriguez  9 Vinny Siena  8 David Thompson 34 Dash Winningham Outfielders 10 Kevin Kaczmarski  5 Tucker Tharp 10px 22 Joe Tuschak 18 Ivan Wilson		Manager 19 Jose Leger Coaches 12 Joel Fuentes (hitting) 48 Jonathan Hurst (pitching) 10px 7-day disabled list * On New York Mets 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated May 31, 2016 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → New York Mets minor league players

External links

• Savannah Sand Gnats Official Site