Double-A (baseball)

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File:Fisher Cats vs. Curve - August 21, 2016.png
Double-A baseball game in action: New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Double-A (or Class AA) is the second highest level of play in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in the United States after Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball, organized into three leagues: Double-A Central, Double-A Northeast, and Double-A South.[1] As part of the 2021 Minor League Baseball reorganization, the three current Double-A leagues replaced the Texas League, Eastern League, and Southern League, respectively.[2]

History

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The modern Double-A classification was created in 1946 with the renaming of Class A1, which then contained the Texas League and the Southern Association. After the Southern Association disbanded in 1961, the Eastern League and the original South Atlantic "Sally" League were bumped up to Double-A in the 1963 minor league reorganization. The Sally League changed its name to the Southern League in 1964.

System

The Double-A classification usually hosts developing players that have been part of professional baseball for only a couple of years. These players can get to the Double-A level by earning a promotion from any of the Single-A or Rookie leagues.[3] Players often advance directly to the Major League Baseball from this level, as the level of competition is higher. Because they are still advancing in their careers, the average talent level of Double-A may be higher than in Triple-A, which has minor and major league veterans who have been in the minor league system for a longer period of time and may have stagnated.[4] A small handful of players might be placed in Double-A to start, usually veterans from foreign leagues or top prospects out of college. The step up to the Double-A level can be one of the hardest promotions for such players because it is the level at which pitchers need to have a good off-speed pitch in their repertoires. In addition, it is the level where fastball-only hitters need to learn how to hit off-speed pitches, or their hopes of advancing to the majors will diminish.[4] Major league teams sometimes send players to play at the Double-A level to rehabilitate from injuries.[3]

Because players are not moving back and forth from the major leagues at this level, the rosters tend to be more stable.[5] Fans of Double-A teams have a longer amount of time to get acquainted with the players, which helps create a better relationship between the team and its fans.[5]

Current teams

Current Double-A team locations:
  Double-A Central
  Double-A Northeast
  Double-A South

Double-A Central

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Main article: Double-A Central
Division Team Current MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
North Arkansas Travelers Seattle Mariners North Little Rock, Arkansas Dickey–Stephens Park 7,200[6]
Northwest Arkansas Naturals Kansas City Royals Springdale, Arkansas Arvest Ballpark 7,305[7]
Springfield Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Springfield, Missouri Hammons Field 10,486[8]
Tulsa Drillers Los Angeles Dodgers Tulsa, Oklahoma ONEOK Field 7,833[9]
Wichita Wind Surge Minnesota Twins Wichita, Kansas Riverfront Stadium 12,000
South Amarillo Sod Poodles Arizona Diamondbacks Amarillo, Texas Hodgetown 6,631[10]
Corpus Christi Hooks Houston Astros Corpus Christi, Texas Whataburger Field 7,679[11]
Frisco RoughRiders Texas Rangers Frisco, Texas Riders Field 10,316[12]
Midland RockHounds Oakland Athletics Midland, Texas Momentum Bank Ballpark 6,669[13]
San Antonio Missions San Diego Padres San Antonio, Texas Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium 9,200

Double-A Northeast

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Main article: Double-A Northeast
Division Team Current MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
Northeast Binghamton Rumble Ponies New York Mets Binghamton, New York Mirabito Stadium 6,012[14]
Hartford Yard Goats Colorado Rockies Hartford, Connecticut Dunkin' Donuts Park 6,121[15]
New Hampshire Fisher Cats Toronto Blue Jays Manchester, New Hampshire Northeast Delta Dental Stadium 6,500[16]
Portland Sea Dogs Boston Red Sox Portland, Maine Hadlock Field 7,368[17]
Reading Fightin Phils Philadelphia Phillies Reading, Pennsylvania FirstEnergy Stadium 9,000[18]
Somerset Patriots New York Yankees Bridgewater Township, New Jersey TD Bank Ballpark 6,100
Southwest Akron RubberDucks Cleveland Guardians Akron, Ohio Canal Park 7,630[19]
Altoona Curve Pittsburgh Pirates Altoona, Pennsylvania Peoples Natural Gas Field 7,210[20]
Bowie Baysox Baltimore Orioles Bowie, Maryland Prince George's Stadium 10,000[21]
Erie SeaWolves Detroit Tigers Erie, Pennsylvania UPMC Park 6,000[22]
Harrisburg Senators Washington Nationals Harrisburg, Pennsylvania FNB Field 6,187[23]
Richmond Flying Squirrels San Francisco Giants Richmond, Virginia The Diamond 9,560[24]

Double-A South

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Main article: Double-A South
Division Team Current MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
North Birmingham Barons Chicago White Sox Birmingham, Alabama Regions Field 8,500[25]
Chattanooga Lookouts Cincinnati Reds Chattanooga, Tennessee AT&T Field 6,362[26]
Rocket City Trash Pandas Los Angeles Angels Madison, Alabama Toyota Field 7,000[27]
Tennessee Smokies Chicago Cubs Kodak, Tennessee Smokies Stadium 6,412[28]
South Biloxi Shuckers Milwaukee Brewers Biloxi, Mississippi MGM Park 6,076[29]
Mississippi Braves Atlanta Braves Pearl, Mississippi Trustmark Park 8,480[30]
Montgomery Biscuits Tampa Bay Rays Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium 7,000[31]
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Miami Marlins Pensacola, Florida Admiral Fetterman Field at Community Maritime Park 5,038[32]

Playoffs

Unlike the major league and the Triple-A level, all three Double-A leagues have their season divided into two parts, after the Eastern League announced that it would move to that system starting in 2019. One team may clinch a spot in the playoffs by winning the division in first half of the season. The teams' records are then cleared and another team will also clinch a playoff slot during the second half. Wild cards are used to fill out the remaining teams. Usually, four teams qualify for the league playoffs. This system is used at the Class A level as well.[33][34][35]

All-Star Games

Each of the three leagues holds its own midseason All-Star Game.[36] From 1991 to 2002, the three combined to hold the Double-A All-Star Game between teams of American League-affiliated All-Stars and National League-affiliated All-Stars.[37][38]

Awards

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See also: Baseball awards § Double-A

Pace-of-play initiatives

As a part of professional baseball's pace-of-play initiatives implemented in 2015, 20-second pitch clocks entered use at Double-A stadiums in 2015.[39] In 2018, the time was shortened to 15 seconds when no runners are on base. Other significant changes implemented in 2018 include beginning extra innings with a runner on second base and limiting teams to eight mound visits during a nine-inning game.[40] Beginning in 2019, the number of mound visits is reduced to seven, and pitchers are required to face a minimum of three consecutive batters until the side is retired or the pitcher becomes injured and is unable to continue playing.[41]

See also

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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