The complete list of Jacksonville major leaguers, 1880-present

George Suggs was one of three major leaguers on the 1904 Jacksonville Jays, the city’s first minor league team.

The very first minor league baseball team in Jacksonville was the 1904 Jacksonville Jays. Baseball-Reference doesn’t even know the club’s record and only lists 21 players, including just four pitchers, on the roster for the entire season. Of those 21 players, two (INF Jimmy Mathison and C Jack Robinson) had already made their major league debuts in 1902. Right-handed pitcher George Suggs made his MLB debut in 1908, marking the third and final big leaguer on that squad.

In the 116 years since, that 1904 Jacksonville Jays team set the tone for the now 896 players who have donned a Jacksonville uniform (Jumbo Shrimp, Suns, Expos, Braves, Tars, Indians, Scouts, Roses, Tarpons and Jays) and also played in the major leagues. All those players are listed below, and they include Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Phil Niekro, Nolan Ryan, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez and Hoyt Wilhelm, future Hall of Famers like Clayton Kershaw, maybe Hall of Famers like Alex Rodriguez, All-Stars like Luis Tiant, Bret Saberhagen, Amos Otis, Miguel Tejada, Willie Wilson, Giancarlo Stanton and Jerry Koosman and all sorts of players that reached the utmost pinnacle they dreamed about since they were little kids. The earliest debut came in 1880 from Arlie Latham, who went on to play for the 1906 Jacksonville Jays.

I used Baseball-Reference and went through every single Jacksonville team, dating back through 1904, to find every single big leaguer who at some point also played on the First Coast in their minor league journey. To say the least, of those 896 players I found, there were some interesting nuggets:

• Jacksonville touts nine different Hall of Famers as part of its alumni. Catcher Al López (1927 Jacksonville Tars) is the city’s earliest Hall of Famer, though he wasn’t inducted until 1977. He was followed by Hank Aaron, who played for the 1953 Jacksonville Braves, right-handers Hoyt Wilhem (1948 and 1949 Jacksonville Tars), Phil Niekro (1960 Jacksonville Braves), Tom Seaver (1966 Jacksonville Suns) and Nolan Ryan (1967 Jacksonville Suns), left-hander Randy Johnson (1987 Jacksonville Expos), outfielder Larry Walker (1987 Jacksonville Expos) and designated hitter Edgar Martinez (four-game rehab assignment with the 1993 Jacksonville Suns). In addition, Hall of Fame left-hander Rube Marquard managed the Jacksonville Tars in 1929 and 1930 following his 18-year playing career. Bob Uecker, who was inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the Hall of Fame by winning the 2003 Ford C. Frick Award, played catcher for the 1959 Jacksonville Braves.
• Ninety-two Jacksonville alums made their MLB debut with either the Florida or Miami Marlins, the most of any big league team. The Marlins were trailed by the Superbas/Robins/Dodgers (69), Royals (66), Tigers (65), Expos/Nationals (54), Braves (51), Mariners (46), Spiders/Blues/Bronchos/Naps/Indians (47), Cardinals (42), Giants (41) and Mets (40)— that all makes sense, as Jacksonville is currently affiliated with the Marlins (2009-present) and held affiliations with the Dodgers (2001–08), Royals (1972–83), Tigers (1995–2000), Expos (1970, 1984–90), (Milwaukee) Braves (1953–60), Indians (1962–63, 1971), Mariners (1991–94), Cardinals (1964–65), (New York) Giants (1942, 1946–52) and Mets (1966–68).
• Of the teams Jacksonville has never been affiliated with, 32 Jacksonville alums debuted with the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and 25 debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two most represented teams in this category.
• Only two Jacksonville alums made their debut in The Show with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays or Rays, and just three entered the majors with the Colorado Rockies, the least represented teams on this list.
• Right-handed pitchers are most represented among Jacksonville’s alums, with the city counting 334 to reach The Show.
• Interestingly, Jacksonville counts 163 infielders and 158 outfielders (by primary position) among its MLB alums, followed by left-handed pitchers (151) and catchers (90).

The complete list of Jacksonville’s MLB alumni is below, sorted by debut date: