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Triple-A (or Class AAA) refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball. Each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams is affiliated with one Triple-A team. Teams at this level are divided into two leagues: the International League and the Pacific Coast League.

These teams usually hold the remaining 15 players of the 40 man roster who are not eligible to be on the major league club. Often referred to as a "parking lot" because many quality major league players (especially if they chose to sign with some of MLB's worst teams) are held in reserve at the minor league level for major league emergencies (since they would not have to clear waivers to be called up). Still, some of the top prospects might be assigned here if they are not quite ready for the major leagues, with a view towards being called up later in the season.

Players at this level who are on the 40-man roster of a major league team can be invited to come up to the major league club once the major league roster expands on September 1 (though teams will usually wait until their affiliates' playoff runs are over, should they qualify). For teams in contention for a pennant, it gives them fresh arms and bats. For those not in contention, it gives them an opportunity to evaluate their "next best" players for the next season under game conditions.

Triple-A cities[]

Teams are generally located in or near major cities that often (but not always) hold a team in some other professional sport, such as an NFL football or an NBA basketball franchise. The 30 cities that are home to Triple-A teams are:[1]

  • Albuquerque
  • Allentown
  • Round Rock
  • Buffalo
  • Charlotte
  • Colorado Springs
  • Columbus
  • Des Moines
  • Durham
  • Fresno

  • Indianapolis
  • Las Vegas
  • Lawrenceville
  • Louisville
  • Memphis
  • Nashville
  • New Orleans
  • Norfolk
  • Oklahoma City
  • Omaha

  • Pawtucket
  • Portland
  • Reno
  • Rochester
  • Sacramento
  • Salt Lake City
  • Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
  • Syracuse
  • Tacoma
  • Toledo

Current teams[]

International League[]

IL

The International League (IL) is a minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States and Canada. Like the Pacific Coast League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. The league was created from the mergers of member teams from three precursor leagues, the Eastern League, founded in 1884, the New York State League, formed in 1885, and the Ontario League, also organized in 1885. The New York State and Ontario Leagues merged in 1886 to form the International League, and in 1887 when the Eastern League was absorbed to create a 10-club league.

The league collapsed soon afterwards, when the northern teams claimed that it was too onerous to travel to the south, and formed the International Association. Teams and league names came and went over the years. In 1954, a franchise was awarded to Havana, Cuba, but it had to be moved in the middle of the 1960 season because of political upheaval in that country. It was moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. Another foray into the Caribbean failed when the newly-created team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, added in 1961, had to be moved to Charleston, West Virginia in mid-season.

In 1971, an International League all-star team beat the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Rochester, New York, before 11,000 people. In 1984, the all-stars lost to the Cleveland Indians in 11 innings before 11,032 fans in Columbus, Ohio to commemorate the league's 100th Anniversary.

In 1988, the International League and the American Association, another Triple-A league which operated in the Midwest, voted to play interleague games. The league also split into two divisions in the same year. The interleague concept ended in 1992, but the two league divisions remained.

In 1998, with the addition of three new teams from the disbanded American Association and the Durham Bulls moving up to Triple-A from Class-A, the league reorganized into three divisions, the North Division, South Division, and West Division.

At the end of each season, the three divisional leaders and a wild card team square-off in best-of-5 playoffs, with the winning team of the finals awarded the Governors' Cup, the league's championship trophy.

Current Member Teams and Stadiums[]

Current teams[[[International League|edit]]] as of July 8, 2022[]

Current teams[edit][]

Division Team Founded MLB Affiliation Affiliated Since City Stadium Capacity
East Buffalo Bisons 1979 Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Buffalo, New York Sahlen Field 16,600
Charlotte Knights 1976 Chicago White Sox 1999 Charlotte, North Carolina Truist Field 10,200
Durham Bulls 1902 Tampa Bay Rays 1998 Durham, North Carolina Durham Bulls Athletic Park 10,000
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 1962 Miami Marlins 2021 Jacksonville, Florida 121 Financial Ballpark 11,000
Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2008 Philadelphia Phillies 2007 Allentown, Pennsylvania Coca-Cola Park 10,100
Norfolk Tides 1961 Baltimore Orioles 2007 Norfolk, Virginia Harbor Park 11,856
Rochester Red Wings 1899 Washington Nationals 2021 Rochester, New York Innovative Field 10,840
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 1989 New York Yankees 2007 Moosic, Pennsylvania PNC Field 10,000
Syracuse Mets 1934 New York Mets 2019 Syracuse, New York NBT Bank Stadium 10,815
Worcester Red Sox 2021 Boston Red Sox 2021 Worcester, Massachusetts Polar Park 9,508
West Columbus Clippers 1977 Cleveland Guardians 2009 Columbus, Ohio Huntington Park 10,100
Gwinnett Stripers 2009 Atlanta Braves 2009 Lawrenceville, Georgia Coolray Field 10,427
Indianapolis Indians 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates 2005 Indianapolis, Indiana Victory Field 13,750
Iowa Cubs 1969 Chicago Cubs 1981 Des Moines, Iowa Principal Park 11,500
Louisville Bats 1982 Cincinnati Reds 2000 Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Slugger Field 13,131
Memphis Redbirds 1998 St. Louis Cardinals 1998 Memphis, Tennessee AutoZone Park 10,000
Nashville Sounds 1978 Milwaukee Brewers 2021 Nashville, Tennessee First Horizon Park 10,000
Omaha Storm Chasers 1969 Kansas City Royals 1969 Papillion, Nebraska Werner Park 9,023
St. Paul Saints 1993 Minnesota Twins 2021 Saint Paul, Minnesota CHS Field 7,210
Toledo Mud Hens 1965 Detroit Tigers 1987 Toledo, Ohio Fifth Third Field 10,300

See also[]

  • List of International League champions
  • Sports league attendances
  • Triple-A World Series
  • Governors' Cup
  • List of defunct International League teams (1912-)
  • A list of defunct team from International, Eastern, New York State, International Assn and

Eastern Assn teams from 1884 to the present day. (Some data be may be out of date.)


'International (1886, 1890)(A 1887)(AA 1913-45)'(AAA 1946+)


Eastern (1884)(A 1892-1908) (AA 1909-11)


New York' 'State' (1885)


International Assn (A 1888-89)


'Eastern Assn' (A 1891)




Akron, OH: 1920


Albany, NY: 1885, 1888, 1891-93, 1932-36


Allentown, PA: 1884


Little Rock "Arkansas": 1963


Atlanta, GA: 1962-65


Baltimore, MD: 1903-14, 1916-53


Baltimore/Lancaster, MD/PA: 1884


Baltimore/Harrisburg, MD/PA: 1915


Binghamton, NY: 1885-87, 1892-94, 1918-19


Binghamton/Allentown, NY/PA: 1894


Brooklyn, NY: 1884


Buffalo, NY: 1886-89, 1891-98, 1901-69


Buffalo/Montreal/Grand Rapids, NY/Que/MI: 1890


Buffalo/Winnipeg, NY/Man: 1970


Charleston, WV: 1971-83


Charlotte, NC: 1993+


Columbus, OH: 1955-70, 1977+


Detroit, MI: 1889-90


Elmira, NY: 1885, 1892


Erie, PA: 1893-94


Lawrenceville "Gwinnett County”: 2009


Hamilton, Ont: 1886-89, 1918


Hamilton/Montreal/Grand Rapids, Ont/Que/MI: 1890


Harrisburg, PA: 1884


Harrisburg/York, PA: 1884


Hartford, CT: 1899-1901


Havana, Cuba: 1954-59


Havana/Jersey City, Cuba/NJ: 1960


Indianapolis, IN: 1963


Jacksonville, FL: 1962-68


Jersey City, NJ: 1887, 1902-15, 1918-33, 1937-50, 1961


Lebanon, PA: 1891


Allentown “Lehigh Valley”: 2008-Present


London, Ont: 1888-90


Louisville, KY: 1968-72


Portland "Maine": 1984-88


Memphis, TN: 1974-76


Miami, FL: 1956-60


Montreal, Que: 1898-1902, 1904-17, 1928-60


Newark, NJ: 1884, 1887, 1916-19, 1921-49


Newark/Harrisburg, NJ/PA: 1915


Newark/Providence, NJ/RI: 1925


New Haven, CT: 1891-92


Norfolk, VA: 1993+


Oswego, NY: 1885-87


Oswego/Scranton, NY/PA: 1887


Ottawa, Ont: 1951-54, 1993-2007
Pawtucket, RI: 1973-75, 1978+


Hampton "Peninsula": 1972-73


Philadelphia, PA: 1892


Providence, RI: 1891-1917


Reading, PA: 1919-20


Reading/Albany, PA/NY: 1932


Providence “Rhode Island”: 1976


Richmond, VA: 1884, 1915-17, 1954-64, 1966+


Rochester, NY: 1885-89, 1891-92, 1895-96, 1898-Present


Rochester/Montreal, NY/Que: 1897


Saginaw, MI: 1890


San Juan/Charleston, P.R./WVA: 1961


Scranton, PA: 1895-97


“Scranton-Wilkes Barre”, PA: 1989+


Springfield, MA: 1893-1900, 1950-53


Syracuse, NY: 1885-89, 1891-92, 1894-1900, 1920-27, 1935-55, 1961-Present


Syracuse/Brockton: NY/MA: 1901


Syracuse/Hamilton: NY/Ont: 1918


Syracuse/Utica, NY: 1894


Norfolk “Tidewater”: 1969-92


Toledo, OH: 1889, 1965-Present


Toronto, Ont: 1886-90, 1895, 1897-1922, 1924-67


Toronto/Albany, Ont/NY: 1896


Trenton, NJ: 1884


Troy, NY: 1888, 1891-94


Troy/Scranton, NY/PA: 1894


Utica, NY: 1885-87


Wilkes-Barre, PA: 1893-98


Wilmington, DE: 1884


Winnipeg, Man: 1971


Worcester, MA: 1899-1900, 1902


Worcester/Montreal, MA/Que: 1902

External links[]

International League
North Division South Division West Division
Buffalo Bisons | Ottawa Lynx | Pawtucket Red Sox | Rochester Red Wings | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees | Syracuse Chiefs Charlotte Knights | Durham Bulls | Norfolk Tides | Richmond Braves Columbus Clippers | Indianapolis Indians | Louisville Bats | Toledo Mud Hens
Professional Baseball
Americas
Major League Baseball American LeagueNational League
Minor League Baseball *Triple A : International LeagueMexican LeaguePacific Coast League
Mexican League Affilates *Double A : Nothern Mexico League
  • Class A Advanced : Northwestern Mexico Baseball League
Winter *Affilliated: Arizona Fall LeagueDominican Winter Baseball LeagueMexican Pacific LeagueParallel LeagueeVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
  • Independent : Colombian Professional Baseball LeagueNicaraguan Professional Baseball LeaguePuerto Rico Baseball LeagueVeracruz Winter League
Defunct *Major :National AssociationAmerican AssociationUnion AssociationPlayer's League

Federal LeagueNegro League baseballAll-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueContinental LeagueCuban LeagueNational Association of Base Ball Players

Asia
Japan Nippon Professional Baseball : Central LeaguePacific League
South Korea Korea Professional Baseball
Taiwan Chinese Professional Baseball League
China China Baseball League
Defunct Japanese Baseball LeagueTaiwan Major LeagueIsrael Baseball League
Europe
Italy Italian Baseball League
Netherlands Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Oceania
Australia Australian Baseball
Defunct Australian Baseball (1989-1999)International Baseball League of AustraliaHawaii Winter Baseball

Pacific Coast League[]

Triple-A
Pacific Coast League logo
Sport Baseball
Founded 1903
No. of teams 16
Country Flag of the United States United States
Current champions Tacoma Rainiers
Official website www.pclbaseball.com

The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States. It is one of two leagues, along with the International League, playing at the AAA level, which is the highest level below the American major leagues.

History[]

The PCL has had a long tradition on the West Coast, with teams with evocative names such as the Hollywood Stars, Los Angeles Angels, Mission Reds (representing San Francisco's Mission District), Oakland Oaks, Portland Beavers, Sacramento Solons, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Seals, and Seattle Rainiers.

A Near-Major League[]

In the early 20th century, the Pacific Coast League developed into one of the premier regional baseball leagues. With no Major League Baseball team existing west of St. Louis, the PCL was unrivalled as the vehicle for West Coast baseball. Although never recognized as a true major league, the quality of play was considered very high. Drawing from a strong pool of talent in the area, the PCL produced a number of outstanding players, including future major-league stars Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Tony Lazzeri, Paul Waner, Earl Averill and Ernie Lombardi.

While many PCL stars went on to play in the major leagues, teams in the league were often successful enough that they could offer competitive salaries to avoid being outbid for their stars' services. In addition, the mild climate of the West Coast, especially in California, allowed the league to play longer seasons, sometimes starting in late February and ending as late as the beginning of December. This let players earn an extra month or two worth of pay and reduced the need to find offseason work, something which even some major league players found necessary because of the low salaries, by today's standards, paid to many players. The longer playing season also provided room for additional games on the schedule, giving team owners a chance at generating more revenue. Teams sometimes played over 200 games in a single season. One consequence is that a number of the all-time minor league records for season statistical totals are held by players from the PCL.

In 1952, the PCL became the only minor league in history to be given the "open" classification, a step above the AAA level. This limited the rights of major league clubs to draft players from the PCL, and was seen as a step toward the circuit becoming a third major league.

Sudden Decline[]

The shift to the Open classification came just as minor league teams from coast to coast suffered a sharp drop in attendance, primarily due to the availability of major league games on television. The hammer blow to the PCL's major league dreams came in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. As a result, three of the PCL's flagship teams (the Los Angeles Angels, the Hollywood Stars, and the San Francisco Seals) were immediately forced to relocate to smaller markets. Additionally, the PCL did not benefit from the comparison with the major leagues, which now occupied the same territory and drew away much of the attention of its former fans. The league never recovered from this blow. It reverted to AAA classification, and soon diminished in the public eye to nothing more than another minor league.

Of the cities represented in the PCL in its heyday, only Salt Lake City, Portland and Sacramento remain, and even these are represented by different franchises than those that had originally called these cities home. The Oakland Oaks had moved to Canada two years before the arrival of the Giants. The San Diego Padres and Seattle Rainiers were displaced by Major League teams in 1968, but by this time the PCL's decline was already far advanced.

Recent Expansion[]

In 1997, the Pacific Coast League agreed to take teams from the disbanding American Association, which had operated in the Midwest. The league now stretches from western Washington to Middle Tennessee. The league is divided into two conferences, the American Conference and Pacific Conference; after a realignment for 2005 necessitated by the move of the Edmonton Trappers to Round Rock, Texas, each is divided into a Northern Division and a Southern Division. The Trappers' move also ended the league's presence in Canada; as recently as 1999 the league had teams north of the border in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, but they left for Sacramento in 2000, Albuquerque in 2003 and Round Rock in 2005 respectively. In 2005, the Pacific Coast League became the first minor league ever to achieve a season attendance over 7 million.

Current teams[]

<onlyinclude>

Current teams[edit][]

Division Team Founded MLB Affiliation Affiliated Since City Stadium Capacity
East Albuquerque Isotopes 2003 Colorado Rockies 2015 Albuquerque, New Mexico Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park 13,500
El Paso Chihuahuas 2014 San Diego Padres 2014 El Paso, Texas Southwest University Park 9,500
Oklahoma City Dodgers 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers 2015 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark 9,000
Round Rock Express 2000 Texas Rangers 2021 Round Rock, Texas Dell Diamond 11,631
Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2012 Houston Astros 2021 Sugar Land, Texas Constellation Field 7,500
West Las Vegas Aviators 1983 Oakland Athletics 2019 Summerlin South, Nevada Las Vegas Ballpark 10,000
Reno Aces 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks 2009 Reno, Nevada Greater Nevada Field 9,013
Sacramento River Cats 2000 San Francisco Giants 2015 West Sacramento, California Sutter Health Park 14,014
Salt Lake Bees 1994 Los Angeles Angels 2001 Salt Lake City, Utah Smith's Ballpark 14,511
Tacoma Rainiers 1960 Seattle Mariners 1995 Tacoma, Washington Cheney Stadium 6,500

2006 Standings[]

Final Standings for 2006

American Conference[]

Northern Division W L Win % GB
Nashville Sounds 76 68 .528 ---
Iowa Cubs 76 68 .528 ---
Memphis Redbirds 58 86 .403 18.0
Omaha Royals 53 91 .368 23.0
Southern Division W L Win % GB
Round Rock Express 85 59 .590 ---
Oklahoma RedHawks 74 70 .514 11.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 72 71 .503 12.5
Albuquerque Isotopes 70 72 .493 14.0

Pacific Conference[]

Northern Division W L Win % GB
Salt Lake Bees 81 63 .563 ---
Tacoma Rainiers 74 70 .514 7
Portland Beavers 68 76 .472 13.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 66 77 .462 14.5
Southern Division W L Win % GB
Tucson Sidewinders 91 53 .632 ---
Sacramento River Cats 78 66 .542 13.0
Las Vegas 51s 67 77 .465 24.0
Fresno Grizzlies 61 83 .424 30.0

1903-1957 Teams[]

  • Hollywood Stars (1938-1957) → Salt Lake Bees (1958-1965) → Tacoma Rainiers
  • Los Angeles Angels (1903-1957) → Spokane Indians (1958-1970) → Albuquerque Dukes (1971-1999) → Portland Beavers
  • Oakland Oaks (1903-1955) → Vancouver Mounties (1956-1969) → Salt Lake City Gulls (1970-1984) → Calgary Cannons (1985-2002) → Albuquerque Isotopes
  • Portland Beavers (1903-1972) → Spokane Indians (1973-1982) → Las Vegas 51s
  • Sacramento Solons (1903-1960) → Hawaii Islanders (1961-1986) → Colorado Springs Sky Sox
  • San Diego Padres (1936-1968) moved from Hollywood
  • San Francisco Seals (1903-1957) → Phoenix Firebirds (1958-1997) → Fresno Grizzlies
  • Seattle Rainiers (1903-1968)
  • Salt Lake Bees (1915-1925) → Hollywood Stars (1926-1935) → San Diego Padres
  • Vernon Tigers (1909-1925) → Mission Reds (1926-1937) → Hollywood Stars

Present Franchise Genealogy[]

The roots of many of today's Pacific Coast League teams can be traced back to "classic" PCL franchises. as of 2019

Albuquerque Isotopes

Calgary Cannons 1985-2002
Salt Lake Gulls 1975-84
Salt Lake Angels 1970-74
Vancouver Mounties 1965-69
Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers 1962-64
Vancouver Mounties 1956-61
Oakland Oaks 1903-55

Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Hawaii Islanders 1961-86
Sacramento Solons 1918-60
Portland Beavers 1905-17
Portland Giants 1904
Portland Browns 1903

Fresno Grizzlies

Phoenix Firebirds 1986-97
Phoenix Giants 1966-85
Tacoma Giants 1960-65
Phoenix Giants 1958-59
San Francisco Seals 1903-57

Las Vegas 51s

Las Vegas Stars 1983-2000
Spokane Indians 1973-82
Portland Beavers 1915-72

Reno Aces

Tucson Sidewinders 1998-2009
Tucson Toros 1969-97
Seattle Angels 1965-68
Seattle Rainiers 1938-64
Seattle Indians 1919-37

Round Rock Express

Edmonton Trappers 1981-2004
Ogden A's 1979-80
San Jose Missions 1977-78
Sacramento Solons 1974-77
Eugene Emeralds 1969-73
San Diego Padres 1936-68
Hollywood Stars 1926-35
Salt Lake Bees 1915-25
Sacramento Sacts 1909-14

Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Tigers 1980-94
Tacoma Tugs 1979
Tacoma Yankees 1978
Tacoma Twins 1972-77
Tacoma Cubs 1966-71
Salt Lake Bees 1958-65
Hollywood Stars 1938-57
Mission Reds 1926-37
Vernon (and Venice) Tigers 1909-25

Tucson Padres

Portland Beavers 2000-10
Albuquerque Dukes 1971-99
Spokane Indians 1958-70
Los Angeles Angels 1903-57

Presidents of the PCL[]

  • 1903-1906 Eugene F. Bert
  • 1907-1909 J. Cal Ewing
  • 1910-1911 Judge Thomas F. Graham
  • 1912-1919 Allan T. Baum
  • 1920-1923 William H. McCarthy
  • 1924-1931 Harry A. Williams
  • 1932-1935 Hyland H. Baggerly
  • 1936-1943 William C. Tuttle
  • 1944-1954 Clarence H. Rowland
  • 1955-1955 Claire V. Goodwin
  • 1956-1959 Leslie M. O’ Connor
  • 1960-1968 Dewey Soriano
  • 1968-1973 William B. McKechnie, Jr.
  • 1974-1978 Roy Jackson
  • 1979-1997 William S. Cutler
  • 1998-Present Branch B. Rickey

See also[]

  • Pacific Coast League champions
  • Triple-A World Series
  • Sports league attendances
  • List of defunct PCL teams

External links[]

Professional Baseball
Americas
Major League Baseball American LeagueNational League
Minor League Baseball *Triple A : International LeagueMexican LeaguePacific Coast League
Mexican League Affilates *Double A : Nothern Mexico League
  • Class A Advanced : Northwestern Mexico Baseball League
Winter *Affilliated: Arizona Fall LeagueDominican Winter Baseball LeagueMexican Pacific LeagueParallel LeagueeVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
  • Independent : Colombian Professional Baseball LeagueNicaraguan Professional Baseball LeaguePuerto Rico Baseball LeagueVeracruz Winter League
Defunct *Major :National AssociationAmerican AssociationUnion AssociationPlayer's League

Federal LeagueNegro League baseballAll-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueContinental LeagueCuban LeagueNational Association of Base Ball Players

Asia
Japan Nippon Professional Baseball : Central LeaguePacific League
South Korea Korea Professional Baseball
Taiwan Chinese Professional Baseball League
China China Baseball League
Defunct Japanese Baseball LeagueTaiwan Major LeagueIsrael Baseball League
Europe
Italy Italian Baseball League
Netherlands Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Oceania
Australia Australian Baseball
Defunct Australian Baseball (1989-1999)International Baseball League of AustraliaHawaii Winter Baseball

Triple-A All-Star Game[]

Main article: Triple-A All-Star Game

The Triple-A All-Star Game is a single game held between the both Triple-A leagues. Each league fields a team composed of the top stars in their respective leagues as voted on by fans, the media, and club field managers and general managers.

The event has taken place every year since 1988 when the first Triple-A All-Star Game was played in Buffalo, New York. Prior to 1998, a team of American League Triple-A All-Stars faced off against a team of National League Triple-A All-Stars. Traditionally, the game has taken place on the day after the mid-summer Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Bricktown Showdown[]

Main article: Bricktown Showdown

Since 2006, the annual Bricktown Showdown has been held to serve as a single championship game between the champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball. It is held annually at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. "Triple-A Baseball Markets." Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved on 25 September 2008.
  2. "Bricktown Showdown To Determine Triple-A Baseball Champion." Triple-A Baseball. Press Release. 12 July 2006.

External links[]

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