Craig Brown
Craig Brown is the Owner & Chairman of the Greenville Drive -- the High A affiliate of the nine-time World Series Champion Boston Red Sox & the 2017 recipient of the John H. Johnson President’s Award given to the top franchise in all of Minor League Baseball. The Drive won the South Atlantic League Championship for the second time in franchise history this past fall.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Brown spent over 20 years in various executive leadership positions in the global advertising industry before jumping on an opportunity to bring Minor League Baseball back to downtown Greenville in 2005. Brown created the Greenville Drive and helped build Fluor Field which made its debut in Downtown Greenville on April 6th, 2006. One of a select handful of privately owned stadiums in America, Fluor Field was named Ballpark of the Year upon its debut in 2006 and has played a key role in revitalizing Greenville’s West End and helping spur economic growth and development throughout the Upstate region.
Fast forward 18 years and the Greenville Drive and Fluor Field – affectionally known as the “Front Porch of the Community” -- are now truly at the center of the Upstate community hosting our region’s most entertaining, most important, and most impactful events. Fluor Field is home to 66 Greenville Drive home games, 30+ college and high school baseball games, and over 100 community events and programs – providing memories and impact for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the community each year.
What’s more, the Greenville Drive has become a true family business with Craig’s wife Vicki, his daughter Jenny, and son Jeff now all living in Greenville full time and working for the Drive. Craig and Vicki, Jenny & Jeff, along with Jeff’s wife (Erin), and almost all of Craig & Vicki’s grandkids (5 out of 6) are taking part in the parade. Running the Drive at the center of this wonderful community has been a dream come true for Craig and the entire Brown family. We’re extremely grateful for the community’s amazing support of our organization and can’t wait to celebrate many more memories (and Championships!) for years to come.
Manager: Iggy Suarez
Greenville Drive Manager Iggy Suarez completed his fifth season at the helm in 2023, continuing to lead and develop many of the Boston Red Sox top prospects at Fluor Field. The Queens, NY native has been a part of the Red Sox organization since 2003, first as player in the minor league system and now as manger for the High-A Drive. This season, he guided the Drive to the team’s second South Atlantic League Championship in team history.
Coach: Bob Kipper
Drive pitching coach, Bob Kipper is a longtime resident of Greenville and completed his 10th season as pitching coach for the Drive, continuing to help mold the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox minor league system. This year under his guidance, Drive pitching allowed just eight runs across four games in the playoffs, while ringing up 51 strikeouts, to capture the team’s first South Atlantic League Championship since 2017.
Outfielder: Kier Meredith
The outfielder and Winston-Salem, NC native is a Clemson baseball alumnus and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017 before signing a minor league contract with the Red Sox in 2021. In 2023 for the Drive, Meredith played in 26 games, collecting 13 hits and a homerun with 10 RBI. A favorite amongst fans and teammates, Meredith retired from professional baseball this offseason, going out on top as a South Atlantic League champion.
