Home > Minor league baseball

Part of the History of baseball series.

Minor leagues are baseball leagues which are at a lower pay level and play in smaller cities and towns than do Major League Baseball. In North America, most but not all of the minor leagues are under the control of the two major leagues and are used for development of younger players. (Member organizations are known as "farm teams.") There are, however, "independent" leagues, whose teams are not affiliated with any major league team. In addition, there are also sandlot leagues.

The existence of the minor league system is partly due to major league baseball's ability to include a reserve clause in the contracts with minor league baseball players which gives a major league team exclusive rights to a player even after the contract has expired. This is possible in baseball because of a 1922 Supreme Court decision which grants baseball a special immunity from antitrust laws.

The first league recognized as minor was the Northwestern League, which in 1883 entered into an agreement with the two major leagues at the time (the National League and the American Association), under which it would have a lower salary limit than the other two leagues. The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, now known as Minor League Baseball, was formed in Chicago, Illinois on September 5, 1901 as a type of "minor league". Then the National Agreement of 1903, which made peace between the National League and the new American League, also further codified the notion of "minor league" and establshed classifications for different levels.

Even so, until about 1925, many minor league teams operated largely independently of any major league influence. Some teams in the higher minor leagues actually outdrew some major leagues teams and had players who made more money than some major leaguers. Many baseball writers of that time regarded the greatest of the minor league stars, such as Buzz Arlett, Jigger Statz , Ike Boone and Frank Shellenback , as equal to some major league stars.

It wasn't until after the 1925 season that the minor leagues began to be fully subordinated to the majors. Following that season, the majors and minors signed an agreement allowing any player on a minor league roster to be purchased for $5,000 from his minor league team. This power was leveled primarily at the Baltimore Orioles, then a Triple-A team that had dominated the minors for years with stars such as Babe Ruth and Lefty Grove because owner Jack Dunn refused to sell them to the majors for years.

Often affiliations between teams changes for financial or competitive reasons. In 2002, for example, the AAA-level Rochester Red Wings terminated their 43-year-long affiliation with the major league Baltimore Orioles because of the poor quality of players being selected by the Orioles' organization. This helped lead to a shake up in the Orioles' front office.

Minor leagues associated with Major League Baseball are classified by level of play. Currently, the most experienced and skilled minor leaguers play in the 'AAA'-level ("Triple A") leagues, the International League and the Pacific Coast LeagueBaseball leagues The Pacific Coast League is a minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States and Canada. The Pacific Coast League has a long tradition on the West Coast, with teams with evocative names such as the San. Major League players often move to AAA affiliates during a slump caused by injury or a change in the major league team's lineup. For this reason, AAA is often thought of as the Major 'minor league' and its teams are usually in the biggest cities in the U.S. and CanadaCanada historically the Dominion of Canada is the second-largest, and northernmost, country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a constitutional monarchy, and formed in 1867 through an act of Confe not served by Major League Baseball.

Below the 'AAA'-level leagues are the 'AA'-level leagues, the Eastern LeagueThe Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it now has a team in Ohio. It plays at the 'AA' (double-A) level. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League, the Southern LeagueBaseball leagues The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. The original league was formed in 1885, but it had to shut down in 1899. A new league, the Southern Association was formed in 1900, consis, and the Texas LeagueBaseball leagues The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a AA double-A league. The league was first formed in 1888, and has had member teams located in several of the surroundi. There are more Single-A leagues, such as the Carolina LeagueBaseball leagues The Carolina League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The modern league is classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with a higher level of c, which play a full season, as well as short-season single-A leagues and rookie development leagues.

Until the 1950sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb., there were also Class B, C, and D leagues.

The Mexican League summer and winter leagues are classifed as AAA-level, as are Caribbean winter leagues .