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 play their home games at Grayson Stadium. Opened in 1927, Grayson Stadium seats 4,700 fans. 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 also 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 also featured to the television show George Lopez, when the character Jason McNamara is drafted by the Nationals, and is going to play for the Sand Gnats.
The Sand Gnats have won three SAL championships (1993, 1994, 1997).
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.
Read more about this topic: Savannah Sand Gnats
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