Jacksonville gets a taste of the big leaguesMarlins visit the Baseball Grounds tonight for an exhibition game with the SunsJACKSONVILLE SUNS VS. FLORIDA MARLINSWhat: An exhibition game between the Double-A Suns and their parent club.When: 7:05 p.m. Friday.Where: Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.Tickets: Available at the stadium box office and www.jaxsuns.com.By Jeff ElliottMajor League Baseball returns to Jacksonville for the first time since 2006 when the Florida Marlins take on the Jacksonville Suns in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. today at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.A near-capacity crowd of about 10,000 is expected to watch the first major-league club play in Jacksonville since the Los Angeles Dodgers played here four years ago. The Suns, a minor-league affiliate of the Dodgers then, had won the Southern League title the previous season and been tabbed by Baseball America as the minor-league team of the year for 2005.The Suns are now affiliated with the Marlins and are coming off another championship season, having won six of their seven playoff games to claim their third league title this decade.Several players who led the Suns to the 2009 title will return to Jacksonville for today’s game, and many will then stay to start the season in Jacksonville.Some others, including Suns outfielder Bryan Petersen, who was voted MVP of the championship series against Tennessee last September, could still catch on with the Marlins and accompany the team to Greensboro, N.C., on Saturday. That’s when Florida will play an exhibition game against its Class-A affiliate, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who were scheduled to accompany the Marlins and Suns to Jacksonville on buses from Jupiter this morning.A few players also could be assigned to start the year with the Marlins’ Triple-A club, the New Orleans Zephyrs.The game is an exhibition, but the team that takes the field for the Marlins tonight will likely be the same group that will open the season Monday against the New York Mets. One exception is on the mound, where Ricky Nolasco, likely to be No. 3 in the Marlins rotation this year, will start against the Suns. Josh Johnson, who signed a four-year contract extension during the offseason, is scheduled to get the call in the Marlins’ regular-season opener in New York.The Marlins bring the 2009 National League batting champion to town, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who finished with a .342 average. The team also has rookie of the year Chris Coghlan, who blistered opposing pitchers in the final two months of the season.Suns owner Peter Bragan Sr. and son Pedro, the team’s president and general manager, were only able to convince the Dodgers to come to Jacksonville one time in the eight years that the Suns served as the team’s Double-A affiliate. The Marlins agreed to the exhibition after their first season as partners with the Suns in 2009. That left Bragan Jr. with a desire to continue the relationship with the Marlins.“When we signed with them a year ago, I thought it was the best thing to do at the time,” he said. “The Dodgers were leaving Vero Beach and relocating their spring training in Arizona, and that didn’t appeal to us. The Marlins told us they were going to help us win a championship in the first year, and darn if they didn’t.“I was ecstatic when they told us they would come to town for an exhibition at the end of spring training. This has been a great relationship with them, even better than I had imagined. We signed a two-year deal with them last year, but the way everything has gone so smoothly with them, I feel we’ll be ready to sign an extended deal with them in the very near future.”That’s welcome news to Marlins officials who have expressed delight with the way the first year worked out. “We couldn’t ask for a better partnership at the Double-A level,” said Brian Chattin, the Marlins’ director of player personnel. “The Bragans treated us very well last year in our first season and provided a great atmosphere and a great fan base at the Baseball Grounds. It’s a natural fit with our location down south in Florida.“We’re excited to call them our partners and to be affiliated with them.”jeff.elliott@jacksonville.com,
