Ken Babby, pictured in 2023, owned the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for 10 years. He purchased the club from Peter Bragan. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on December 9, 2025 at 9:30 pm
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Prospector Baseball Group has purchased the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, as well as the Akron RubberDucks, the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, from Ken Babby on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Prospector co-founder Ben Boyer says it was apparent how much Jacksonville loved the Shrimp when he and co-founder John Abbamondi visited the ballpark in August.
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“This is a special asset and a special city,” Boyer said Tuesday. “We are going to work really hard to ensure that we are able to continue to grow it the same way Ken did.”
Shrimpin’ is easy
Babby purchased the Jacksonville Suns from Peter Bragan in 2015. In 2017 the team rebranded as the Jumbo Shrimp. In 2021, the team moved from the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins to the Triple- A affiliate.
The Shrimp won the Triple-A National Championship in September with a walk-off win in the deciding game over the Las Vegas Aviators.
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Earlier this year, Babby purchased a minority ownership stake in the Tampa Bay Rays and serves as the major league team’s CEO.
“This is a bittersweet moment for me and for our family, but we also couldn’t be more excited about the future of Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp baseball,” Babby said in a written statement. “We were very careful in selecting Prospector Baseball Group as the new owner of Jumbo Shrimp, and there is no question John and his team will be worthy stewards of this beloved franchise, bringing the passion, integrity and commitment that this community deserves.”
Jacksonville City Council member Ron Salem has been an avid baseball fan since he grew up in Murray Hill in the 1960s. He praised Babby for the way he operated the team and spurred attendance.
“I love Ken Babby,” Salem told Jacksonville Today. “He’s done a heck of a job running the Shrimp and (I) have enjoyed getting to know him. But, I am extremely happy on his new position with the Rays. I think that will be positive for Jacksonville. …The person buying the team is someone who is in baseball already. I think we will be very comfortable with that process.”
Under the Shrimp’s lease agreement with the city at VyStar Ballpark, the council was required to sign off on the sale. On Tuesday, city lawmakers voted 18-0 on Resolution 2025-0895 consenting to the deal.
Council member Terrance Freeman, a former Minor League Baseball player, was absent from the meeting.
The Shrimp’s current lease for the city-owned ballpark was signed in April 2019.
Abbamondi said the renovations at VyStar Ballpark have turned the facility into a jewel box. He says the group looks to invest further in the facilities and the fan experience.
“We don’t think this is anything other than an extraordinary franchise, or we wouldn’t be here,” Abbamondi said. “We’re looking to continuing along the path, supporting leadership. I want to be very clear: Ben and I aren’t the presidents of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. That role has been filled by (outgoing General Manager) Harold (Craw) and now by (current General Manager) Matt (Goudreau). We’re here to support them and give them the resources they need to be successful.”
‘Affordable Family Fun’ pays off
The Jumbo Shrimp averaged 4,796 fans during the 2025 season, a slight increase from attendance in 2024.
In 2016, during Babby’s first full year of ownership, Jacksonville’s pro baseball team averaged 3,804 spectators. Today, the team has more home dates because the Triple-A season is longer than Double-A’s.
Abbamondi and Boyer say they plan to meet with city leadership this week.
For now, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says she’s happy the community’s baseball club has stewards who are committed to Jacksonville. Before Tuesday night’s vote, she expressed confidence that the team’s new owner would not change what has made the Shrimp special and successful.
“I don’t think Ken Babby would sell this team to somebody who wasn’t committed to giving the same kind of experience to the people of Jacksonville,” Deegan told news reporters at City Hall.
“It’s been such a part of who they are. … I always call them the most Jacksonville team ever, because they’re just very much Jacksonville the way they perform, the way they treat the crowd, everything. And I don’t see that changing at all.”
Opening Day is set for March 27 against the Rochester Red Wings.
Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall contributed to this report.
