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Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB teams. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National League and American League, as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL or NA).
MiLB originated as simply the organization of lower tiers of professional baseball in the United States, consisting of teams that lacked the financial means to compete with the National League and later the American League. The association of minor leagues remained independent throughout the early 20th century, protected by agreements with the major leagues to ensure they were compensated when minor-league players were signed by major-league clubs. Later, MiLB evolved to be constituted entirely of affiliates of larger clubs, giving young prospects a chance to develop their skills before competing in the major leagues.
MiLB teams sign Professional Development League licenses with MLB clubs, requiring that Major League affiliates provide and pay for players and staff for affiliate clubs. In exchange, MLB affiliates maintain full control of the players and may freely move them between levels of play.
MiLB consists of several levels of play. MLB prospects play at each level, typically beginning at the lowest level and earning promotion to higher levels. There are, however, no strict requirements for advancement; prospects may skip levels and some may rarely skip the Minor Leagues altogether. MiLB's levels have been restructured several times, with teams both added and contracted. Most recently, the league eliminated the Short-Season A and Rookie Advanced levels of MiLB in 2021. The five domestic levels of MiLB today are, from lowest to highest, Rookie League, Single-A, High-A, AA (or Double-A) and AAA (or Triple-A). MiLB has also included several foreign leagues throughout its existence, with the only active affiliate being the Dominican Summer League.
Entering the 2021 season, MLB began a significant restructuring of MiLB, reducing the total number of teams to 120 teams (four per each of the 30 MLB franchises) across the four full-season divisions of play. There are also two affiliated rookie leagues based in the United States, with teams based at the parent clubs' spring training complexes in Arizona and Florida; an off-season autumn league; and one affiliated rookie league in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, four independent baseball leagues, comprising teams that are not affiliated with any Major League club, are designated Partner Leagues of MLB.
The earliest professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players of 1871 to 1875, commonly referred to as the National Association, comprised all fully professional teams. This system proved unworkable, however, as there was no way to ensure competitive balance, and financially unsound clubs often folded during the season. The National League (NL) was founded in 1876 with a limited membership which excluded less competitive and financially weaker teams, allowing for the most prosperous teams to compete against each other. Professional clubs outside the NL responded by forming regional associations of their own. There was a series of ad hoc groupings, such as the New England Association of 1877 and the Eastern Championship Association of 1881. These were loose groups of independent clubs which agreed to play a series of games over the course of one season for a championship pennant.
The first true minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League of 1883 to 1884. Unlike the earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization. It also, along with the NL and the American Association (AA), was a party to the National Agreement of 1883. Included in this was the agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league. Teams in the NL and the AA could only reserve players who had been paid at least $1,000. Northwestern League teams could reserve players paid $750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues. Over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues allied to negotiate jointly.
In the late 1890s, the Western League run by Ban Johnson decided to challenge the NL's position. In 1900, he changed the name of the league to the American League (AL) and vowed to make deals to sign contracts with players who were dissatisfied with the pay and terms of their deals with the NL. This led to a turf war that heated up in 1901 enough to concern Patrick T. Powers, president of the Eastern League, and many other minor league owners about the conflict potentially affecting their organizations. Representatives of the different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5, 1901. In response to the NL–AL battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), sometimes shortened to National Association (NA), which would later adopt the trade name "Minor League Baseball". The purpose of the NAPBL at the time was to maintain the independence of the leagues involved. Several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, New York.
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB teams. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National League and American League, as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL or NA).
MiLB originated as simply the organization of lower tiers of professional baseball in the United States, consisting of teams that lacked the financial means to compete with the National League and later the American League. The association of minor leagues remained independent throughout the early 20th century, protected by agreements with the major leagues to ensure they were compensated when minor-league players were signed by major-league clubs. Later, MiLB evolved to be constituted entirely of affiliates of larger clubs, giving young prospects a chance to develop their skills before competing in the major leagues.
MiLB teams sign Professional Development League licenses with MLB clubs, requiring that Major League affiliates provide and pay for players and staff for affiliate clubs. In exchange, MLB affiliates maintain full control of the players and may freely move them between levels of play.
MiLB consists of several levels of play. MLB prospects play at each level, typically beginning at the lowest level and earning promotion to higher levels. There are, however, no strict requirements for advancement; prospects may skip levels and some may rarely skip the Minor Leagues altogether. MiLB's levels have been restructured several times, with teams both added and contracted. Most recently, the league eliminated the Short-Season A and Rookie Advanced levels of MiLB in 2021. The five domestic levels of MiLB today are, from lowest to highest, Rookie League, Single-A, High-A, AA (or Double-A) and AAA (or Triple-A). MiLB has also included several foreign leagues throughout its existence, with the only active affiliate being the Dominican Summer League.
Entering the 2021 season, MLB began a significant restructuring of MiLB, reducing the total number of teams to 120 teams (four per each of the 30 MLB franchises) across the four full-season divisions of play. There are also two affiliated rookie leagues based in the United States, with teams based at the parent clubs' spring training complexes in Arizona and Florida; an off-season autumn league; and one affiliated rookie league in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, four independent baseball leagues, comprising teams that are not affiliated with any Major League club, are designated Partner Leagues of MLB.
The earliest professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players of 1871 to 1875, commonly referred to as the National Association, comprised all fully professional teams. This system proved unworkable, however, as there was no way to ensure competitive balance, and financially unsound clubs often folded during the season. The National League (NL) was founded in 1876 with a limited membership which excluded less competitive and financially weaker teams, allowing for the most prosperous teams to compete against each other. Professional clubs outside the NL responded by forming regional associations of their own. There was a series of ad hoc groupings, such as the New England Association of 1877 and the Eastern Championship Association of 1881. These were loose groups of independent clubs which agreed to play a series of games over the course of one season for a championship pennant.
The first true minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League of 1883 to 1884. Unlike the earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization. It also, along with the NL and the American Association (AA), was a party to the National Agreement of 1883. Included in this was the agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league. Teams in the NL and the AA could only reserve players who had been paid at least $1,000. Northwestern League teams could reserve players paid $750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues. Over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues allied to negotiate jointly.
In the late 1890s, the Western League run by Ban Johnson decided to challenge the NL's position. In 1900, he changed the name of the league to the American League (AL) and vowed to make deals to sign contracts with players who were dissatisfied with the pay and terms of their deals with the NL. This led to a turf war that heated up in 1901 enough to concern Patrick T. Powers, president of the Eastern League, and many other minor league owners about the conflict potentially affecting their organizations. Representatives of the different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5, 1901. In response to the NL–AL battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), sometimes shortened to National Association (NA), which would later adopt the trade name "Minor League Baseball". The purpose of the NAPBL at the time was to maintain the independence of the leagues involved. Several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, New York.