David Carpenter will serve as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp manager for the 2025 season. Carpenter made more than 200 appearances in the majors as a pitcher for six different clubs. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on May 6, 2025 at 5:40 pm
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The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp open this week’s homestand against the Syracuse Mets with the best home record in Triple-A baseball.
Jacksonville is 16-2 at VyStar Ballpark. The Shrimp (21-12) have relied on first-pitch strikes and minimizing baserunners. Jacksonville is second in the International League with a 1.22 WHIP and has the third-best batting average against.
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First-year manager and former major league pitcher David Carpenter has credited pitching coach Rob Marcello for instilling the importance of finding the strike zone.
Jacksonville starter Janson Junk leads the team with a 3-2 record and 2.48 earned run average in 36.1 innings. The 29-year-old, who is in his first year in the Marlins organization, pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics in 2024 and the Los Angeles Angels in the two years prior.
Relievers Christian Roa and Cade Gibson have been a dynamic duo for the Shrimp so far. Gibson has 23 strikeouts in 17 innings across seven relief appearances. Roa has a 0.60 WHIP and a 1.35 ERA across 12 appearances this spring.
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The Shrimp were swept in a six-game series against the Durham Bulls last week. Still, their 21-12 record through the first six weeks of the season is their best since the club became a Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins in 2021.
Jacksonville has been a top team in close games. The Shrimp entered Tuesdays’ contest 10-3 in one-run games.
“You try to come off to a good start, maintain that momentum as best you can,” Carpenter says. “There are going to be lulls during the season. You have to be able to deal with those. So, not getting too, too excited and focusing energy on those records and that kind of stuff. It’s how you play the game each and every day.”
This week’s series will also serve as a homecoming for Syracuse relief pitcher and Sandalwood graduate Sean Reid-Foley. The 29-year-old has made 11 appearances for Syracuse this season and produced 16 strikeouts in nine innings.
