In this part of our web guide, we will focus on Minor League Baseball (MiLB), a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball.
The earliest professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, operated from 1871 to 1875. Commonly known as the National Association, the organization comprised all fully professional teams. It soon became apparent that this system was flawed in that there was no way to ensure a competitive balance, and financially weak teams often failed in midseason.
When the National Association was replaced by the National League in 1876, it had a limited membership that excluded less competitive and financially weaker teams.
Professional teams outside the National League responded by forming their own associations, such as the 1877 New England Association and the 1881 Eastern Championship Association, which agreed to play a series of games over the course of one season.
The first truly minor league was the Northwestern League, organized in 1883. Unlike earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization. Along with the National League and the American Association, the Northwestern League was a party to the National Agreement of 1883, which included an agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league. Over the next couple of decades, other minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement.
In the late 1890s, the Western League, run by Ban Johnson, challenged the National League. Changing the name of the league to the American League, he vowed to sign contracts with players who were dissatisfied with the terms of their contracts with the NL.
In 1901, representatives of different minor leagues formed the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPL), sometimes shortened to the National Association (NA), which would later adopt the trade name "Minor League Baseball."
The turf war between the AL and NL ended with the National Agreement of 1903, creating the National Baseball Commission to oversee the major and minor leagues. The NAPL became involved in developing rules for acquiring players from their leagues by the NL and AL. The agreement ensured that teams would be compensated for the players they had scouted and developed, and this compensation became an essential source of revenue for minor league teams.
National Association teams remained independent, and the term "minor" was not applied to its teams, except by sportswriters.
The Great Depression profoundly affected the independence of NA teams, however. Many of its teams could no longer afford to operate without the patronage of Major League Baseball, creating the first minor league teams in the current sense of the term. Although the Pacific Coast League made a valiant effort to become a third major league, the other leagues were autonomous in name only.
In 1922, the United States Supreme Court granted baseball immunity from antitrust laws, allowing the NL and AL to dictate the terms under which every independent league did business. By 1925, Major League Baseball established a flat-fee purchase amount for the contract of any player from any National Association team.
Thus, today, Minor League Baseball operates under the umbrella of MLB, serving as its developmental system.
MiLB is organized into several leagues, each representing a different level of competition. The highest level is Triple-A, followed by Double-A, High-A, and Single-A. These leagues are further divided into divisions, with teams competing against one another within their respective divisions.
Triple-A is the highest level of MiLB, with teams competing in the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The second-highest, Double-A, competes in the Eastern League (EL), Southern League (SL), and Texas League (TL). High-A is the third-highest level, with teams competing in the Midwest League (MWL), Northwest League (NWL), and South Atlantic League (SAL). Single-A teams compete in the Carolina League (CAR), Florida State League (FSL), and California League (CAL).
Minor League teams are affiliated with MLB teams, with each MLB team having multiple MiLB affiliates, which allow them to develop players and staff within the minor league system. Ownership varies, with some teams owned by their MLB affiliates while others are independently owned.
While MiLB attracts its followers, with high game attendance, its primary purpose is to develop young talent, provide competitive play, and ensure a steady pipeline of players ready for the major leagues, sometimes known as the "Big Game." Although some MiLB players have had long-term careers in the minors, it's more common for players to view MiLB as a stepping stone to the major leagues, either as players, coaches, or scouts.
Categories
Double-AHigh-ARookie | Single-ATriple-A |
Recommended Resources
50 Summers is a documentary about Minor League Baseball, focusing on the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The film follows the team on the opening day of their historic 50th season and provides an in-depth view of the changing business of minor league baseball over the last half-century. It features interviews with figures like George Brett, Warren Buffett, Alex Gordon, and Jack McKeon. It is available on streaming video on demand.
https://50summers.com/
The non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the lives of Minor League Baseball players. The organization's mission is to provide financial support, care packages, and other forms of assistance to minor leaguers who often struggle to make ends meet while pursuing their dreams. The organization offers player sponsorship, community outreach, and matching a sponsor with a player. Sponsors provide financial aid, care packages, and other forms of support to help players through the season.
https://adoptaminorleaguer.com/
Association of Minor League Umpires
AMLU is a national labor union representing professional baseball umpires working in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) throughout the United States and Canada. Founded in 1999, the AMLU is the exclusive recognized bargaining agent for all professional minor league baseball umpires. The organization strives to improve the lives, wages, and working conditions of minor league umpires while upholding the integrity of the game of baseball. Membership information and contacts are featured on the website.
https://www.amlu.org/
Mets Minors is dedicated to providing coverage of the New York Mets' minor league system. It is a companion site to MetsMerized Online, and offers daily recaps, weekly features, player analysis, interviews, rankings, and other highlights for Mets fans who also want to follow the future of the game and learn about upcoming players. Its content includes Minor League news, prospect rankings, prospect features, the MLB draft, and MMN exclusives, which features interviews. Contacts are included.
http://metsmerizedonline.com/
Mike McCann's Minor League Baseball Page
Since 1999, Mike McCann's Minor League Baseball Page is an online resource developed by a fan who has a quest to visit every major and minor league. Included are photos that he has taken of major and minor league baseball stadiums, stories of his visits to these stadiums, and general information about the minor leagues, in particular, such as a blog, Minor League Baseball history, and information on player development licenses and when they expire with each team.
http://minorleaguesource.com/
MiLB is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), and includes teams affiliated with MLB clubs. Formed in 1901, the MiLB currently consists of 208 teams in the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Canada. Minor League teams can be classified as Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, Single-A, or Rookie. Teams, scores, schedules, standings, statistics, prospects, and contacts are featured. Tickets may be purchased and an online shop is included.
https://www.mlb.com/milb
Minor League Splits is an unofficial baseball resource that provides detailed statistics and analysis for Minor League Baseball. The website offers daily organizational recaps, player performance breakdowns, and various statistical leaders across different minor league levels, serving as a resource for fans, analysts, and scouts who want to keep track of player statistics and team performances. The site is not affiliated with MLB, MiLB, NCAA, or member clubs.
https://minorleaguesplits.com/
Using a blog format, Phillies Minor Thoughts provides in-depth analysis and commentary on the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system. The website covers topics such as player rankings, prospect analysis, transactions, and organizational moves. Operated by Matt Winkelman, the site offers a look at the team's minor league operations, including updates on trades, free agency moves, and player development programs. Player pages, rosters, drafts, international prospects and rankings are featured.
http://philliesminorthoughts.com/
The website provides coverage of the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. It offers news, analysis, player rankings, and features on the top prospects within the organization. Includes are the "Top 50 Prospect Rankings," which keeps track of the top fifty prospects for the Pirates in the minor league system, sorted by talent tiers. Also included are transactions, roster moves, injury updates, a draft signing tracker, and prospect watch. Premium player features are also available.
https://piratesprospects.com/
