Minor League Baseball (MiLB) consists of professional baseball teams that are affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB), the top professional baseball organization in the United States and Canada. MiLB includes about 200 teams in numerous baseball leagues in the United States, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. The term Minor League Baseball also refers generally to all professional baseball beneath the MLB level, and includes leagues in Australia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. MiLB is commonly referred to as the minors.
Most MiLB teams are affiliated with parent clubs in Major League Baseball. MLB parent clubs are the top teams within an organization. Minor league teams act as feeder clubs where players improve their skills and move up through the different tiers of the minor league system, with the ultimate goal of playing for the parent club. There are also numerous independent minor leagues unaffiliated with Major League Baseball. Minor league levels have varied over the years. Today, the levels from bottom to top are Rookie, Low-A, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. The number of minor league teams within an MLB organization often changes, as do the team locations. Players rarely play at every level of an organization. Players good enough to reach the parent club will often skip levels along the way. Most players never get above the lower minor league levels.
The farm system.
Minor league teams are often referred to as farm teams, and each MLB team’s minor league organization is often called a farm system. Former MLB executive Branch Rickey is credited with formalizing the farm system, where minor league teams—located in smaller cities, towns, and rural communities—were “growing players down on the farm like corn.”
As an example of a farm system, the New York Yankees are the parent club for an organization that includes seven minor league teams. In 2023, the Yankees’ foreign Rookie clubs were the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Yankees and the DSL Bombers, two teams of young players competing in the Dominican Republic. The Yankees also fielded a Rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League. The Yankees’ Low-A farm team was the Tampa (Florida) Tarpons, who played in the Florida State League. The Yankees’ High-A team was the Hudson Valley (New York) Renegades of the South Atlantic League. The team’s Double-A club was the Eastern League’s Somerset Patriots, who played in Bridgewater Township (New Jersey). At Triple-A, the last step below MLB, Yankee hopefuls played in the International League for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) RailRiders.
Team names.
Minor league team names are often rather creative. Toledo (Ohio) first acquired a team called the Mud Hens in 1896. The Mud Hens’ Triple-A rivals include the Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania) IronPigs. Other inventive names include the Akron (Ohio) RubberDucks; Albuquerque (New Mexico) Isotopes; Amarillo (Texas) Sod Poodles; Binghamton (New York) Rumble Ponies; El Paso (Texas) Chihuahuas; Hartford (Connecticut) Yard Goats; Lansing (Michigan) Lugnuts; Montgomery (Alabama) Biscuits; Rocket City Trash Pandas, who play in Madison, Alabama; and Sugar Land (Texas) Space Cowboys.
Seasons.
MiLB seasons vary according to league level and team location. The highest MiLB classes have seasons similar to MLB, operating from April to September. This schedule allows players to be in compatible shape to shift between the upper minors and the majors (MLB). Lower minor leagues operate on shorter schedules, often according to the climate of the league’s location. For example, leagues in the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and Venezuela often have multiple short seasons and operate the year around. Some leagues are limited to specific seasons, such as the Arizona Fall League and the Venezuelan Winter League. The Australian Baseball League operates during Australia’s summer, from November through February. Each minor league has its own playoffs and championship at the end the regular season.
History.
The first minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League, formed in 1883. The Northwestern League, with teams from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, was “minor” because its pay levels were lower than pay in “major” leagues. Numerous other minor leagues existed in the late 1800’s. In 1901, the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues was created as an umbrella organization for all minor leagues. In 1999, the National Association formally changed its name to Minor League Baseball. The National Association’s first season in 1902 included 14 leagues and 96 ball clubs. These numbers increased to 35 leagues and 246 teams in 1909, decreased to just 66 teams during World War II (1939-1945), and peaked at 59 leagues with 448 ball clubs in 1949.
In 2020, the minor league season was canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time that the minor league baseball season had ever been canceled. Later that year, Major League Baseball took control of the minor league system from the Minor League Baseball organization. In 2021, MLB overhauled the minor league system. MLB eliminated about 40 minor league teams and reorganized the remaining 120 teams. In addition to the Rookie teams, each of the 30 MLB teams became affiliated with one Low-A, one High-A, one Double-A, and one Triple-A minor league team. The 120 teams were also realigned into different leagues. In 2023, about 200 teams competed in 14 Minor League Baseball leagues.
