| Carolina League | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1945 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country |  United States
|
| Current champions | Potomac Nationals |
| Official website | Official Website |
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth step between Rookie ball and the major leagues. Although Minor League Baseball, the umbrella organization for minor leagues that are affiliated with Major League Baseball, has eliminated the distinction between High-A and other full-season A leagues, most major-league teams still use such leagues as a standard promotion step. A few draftees, generally those taken in the early rounds of the draft and those with significant college experience, will be assigned to a High-A team upon signing a professional contract, but most players do not reach the High-A level until their third or fourth year of professional play.
The organization that later became the Carolina League formed in 1945, just as World War II was ending, and consisted of only two teams based in southern Virginia. Historically, however, as many as 12 teams in a given year have competed for the Carolina League pennant, and most of the league's teams have represented towns and cities in North Carolina. Today, the league consists of eight teams in a region stretching from Delaware to South Carolina, and is divided into a Northern Division and a Southern Division. The division champions from the first half and second half of each season compete in a best-of-five divisional playoff, with the winners advancing to the best-of-five league championship, the winner of which receives the Mills Cup.
History[]
A few of the many Carolina League players who have gone on to star in the Major Leagues are: Johnny Bench (Peninsula, 1966), Wade Boggs (Winston-Salem, 1977), Barry Bonds (Prince William, 1985), Rod Carew (Wilson, 1966), Dock Ellis (Kinston, 1965), Dwight Evans (Winston-Salem, 1971), Dwight Gooden (Lynchburg, 1983), Andruw Jones (Durham, 1996), Chipper Jones (Durham, 1992), Willie McCovey (Danville, 1956), Joe Morgan (Durham, 1963), Dave Parker (Salem, 1972), Tony Pérez (Rocky Mount, 1962), Andy Pettitte (Prince William, 1993), Jorge Posada (Prince William, 1993), Darryl Strawberry (Lynchburg, 1981), Bernie Williams (Prince William, 1988), and Carl Yastrzemski (Raleigh, 1959).
Director and screenwriter Ron Shelton's 1988 film “Bull Durham,” starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon, depicted a fictionalized account of the Durham Bulls, at that time a Carolina League team (they have since become a Class AAA team in the International League). Before he began making films, Shelton had a five-year minor league career in the Baltimore Orioles' organization, which included a stint in the Carolina League.
The California League's Bakersfield Blaze have announced that the franchise will be moved to the Carolina League for 2010 [1]. Another California League franchise would have to move to the Carolina League, although the second team's identity has not been determined, in order to keep both leagues at an even number of teams for scheduling purposes.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Carolina League was demoted to Single-A and temporarily renamed the "Low-A East" for the 2021 season. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Low-A East was renamed the Carolina League effective with the 2022 season.
CURRENT TEAMS (AS OF 6/27/2023)
| North | Carolina Mudcats | Milwaukee Brewers | Zebulon, North Carolina | Five County Stadium | 6,500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delmarva Shorebirds | Baltimore Orioles | Salisbury, Maryland | Arthur W. Perdue Stadium | 5,200 | |
| Down East Wood Ducks | Texas Rangers | Kinston, North Carolina | Grainger Stadium | 4,100 | |
| Fredericksburg Nationals | Washington Nationals | Fredericksburg, Virginia | Virginia Credit Union Stadium | 5,000 | |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | Cleveland Guardians | Lynchburg, Virginia | Bank of the James Stadium | 4,000 | |
| Salem Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | Salem, Virginia | Salem Memorial Ballpark | 6,300 | |
| South | Augusta GreenJackets | Atlanta Braves | North Augusta, South Carolina | SRP Park | 4,782 |
| Charleston RiverDogs | Tampa Bay Rays | Charleston, South Carolina | Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park | 6,000 | |
| Columbia Fireflies | Kansas City Royals | Columbia, South Carolina | Segra Park | 7,501 | |
| Fayetteville Woodpeckers | Houston Astros | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Segra Stadium | 4,786 | |
| Kannapolis Cannon Ballers | Chicago White Sox | Kannapolis, North Carolina | Atrium Health Ballpark | 4,930 | |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Chicago Cubs | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | TicketReturn.com Field | 6,599 |
Current team rosters[]
- Main article: Carolina League rosters
Carolina League Champions[]
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(1) Series tied 2-2 when canceled because of Hurricane Floyd. Teams declared co-champions.
Complete team list (1945-present)[]
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Composite Standings[]
(through 62 years)
| Team | Years | W | L | Pct. | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 14 | 1070 | 879 | .549 | 4 |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 8 | 590 | 524 | .530 | 2 |
| Kinston Indians | 43 | 3137 | 2809 | .528 | 6 |
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 62 | 4373 | 4265 | .506 | 11 |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 41 | 2861 | 2812 | .504 | 5 |
| Frederick Keys | 26 | 1780 | 1818 | .495 | 3 |
| Salem Red Sox | 39 | 2599 | 2810 | .480 | 4 |
| Potomac Nationals | 29 | 1899 | 2118 | .473 | 2 |
See also[]
- Sports league attendances
External links[]
- Carolina League Official site
- Carolinal League Champions
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