Minor League Baseball

Minor League Baseball is an organization of many different baseball teams that prepares young professional baseball players for the Major Leagues. There are 2 or 3 and sometimes 4 leagues at each level of minor league baseball. The different levels are classes, and they are based on the ability and readiness of their typical players.

Class AAA

The highest level of minor league baseball before the major leagues, Class AAA teams are often located in the biggest cities without a professional franchise. The players in AAA are the best young players in every team's organization. Many of them are on the Major League team's 40-man roster and they often get called up due to injuries and personnel changes at the major league level. There are two leagues in AAA, the Pacific Coast League, which is consisted of teams on the west coast and due to expansion, the league now spans all the way out to New Orleans and Memphis. The Pacific Coast League is the most popular league in minor league baseball, drawing a record of more than 7 million fans in 2005. The other league is the International League, which is predominantly on the east coast and also has a team in Canada. The International League brought in over 5 million fans in 2005.

Class AA

Class AA is the most active minor league baseball level. Players at this level are either on the way up to the top or dwindling down a frustrating career. Many of the players in AA are young prospects looking to gain a full season's worth of experience before moving to the next level and a lot of players are foreign-born players from Asia or Latin America that are new to the United States but have been playing at the highest levels in their home countries. There are 3 AA leagues, the Eastern League, which is mostly the northeast, the Southern League, which is located along the Sun Belt in the southeast, and then the Texas League, which has minor league baseball teams scattered all over the state of Texas.

Class A – Advanced

Class A – Advanced is mostly designated for the organization's highest draft picks to begin their professional careers and also for players who excelled in Rookie ball or A ball and are not quite ready for AA. The 3 leagues in Advanced A ball are the California League, which is compiled of teams in the Golden State, the Carolina League, which has teams spread out in North and South Carolina and also the Florida State League with teams mixed around the smaller cities in Florida.

Class A

Class A is the minor league baseball level for players who were late draft picks playing their 2^nd or 3^rd season and not improving at a rapid pace. Class A has 2 leagues: the Midwest League, with teams in small cities all across the Midwest United States and the South Atlantic League, with teams located along the east coast.

Class A – Short Season

The short season Class A minor league baseball level is designed primarily for teams to get their recent draftees on the field and playing competitively as quickly as possible. With the New York-Penn League and the Northwest League, this level is often just a learning experience for young players unfamiliar with the professional level.

Rookie

Rookie leagues are built for young players who have struggled at higher levels of minor league baseball and also for recently drafted players or free agents to get their careers started. There are 4 Rookie leagues, the Appalachian League, the Arizona League, the Gulf Coast League, and the Pioneer League. All 4 leagues cater to the young players and give them great experience.

Independent Leagues

Aside from the minor league baseball teams that are affiliated with major league teams, there are also Independent leagues. Independent leagues are often filled with old major league veterans trying to get one last chance or old minor league baseball players that never could make the leap to the top. Independent leagues are often more laid back and fan friendly than the Minor Leagues. There are many Independent leagues, The Golden League based on the west coast, the Northern League based in the northern United States and into Canada, the Atlantic League based on the east coast, and the American League, based in Middle America. These teams are technically minor league baseball teams but they have no affiliations and do not compete against major league affiliated minor league baseball teams.