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  • Writer's pictureSteve Potter

12/9/2020 : 2021 Minor League Structure

Updated: Dec 10, 2020



I can’t post the entire Baseball America article but here’s an excerpt explaining a little bit on how the 120 sites were chosen ...


“MLB reached out to hear from it’s 30 clubs who they wanted as affiliates, it quickly learned that for some it was important to have all four affiliates as close to the big league city as possible only for some teams. For others, that was not nearly as important. While few MLB teams got their full wishlist, MLB did not push too hard to get teams to drop current affiliates. As multiple MLB front office officials explained, there was a “if you want to keep your affiliate, you can keep it” rule that governed all of the moves.”


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There are two AAA full season level leagues ... one in the Eastern US and one in the Western US. Here’s my guess at the alignment ...


International League : 20 teams


Lehigh Valley, Allentown, PA - Phillies

Syracuse, NY - Mets

Rochester, NY - Nationals

Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA - Yankees

Buffalo, NY - Blue Jays

Worcester, MA - Red Sox

Toledo, OH - Tigers

Columbus, OH - Indians


Indianapolis, IN - Pirates

Des Moines, IA - Cubs

Nashville, TN - Brewers

Memphis, TN - Cardinals

St. Paul, MN - Twins

Omaha, NE - Royals


Gwinnett, GA - Braves

Durham, NC - Rays

Norfolk, VA - Orioles

Charlotte, NC - White Sox

Jacksonville, FL - Marlins

Louisville, KY - Reds


Pacific Coast League : - 10 teams


Round Rock, TX - Rangers

Oklahoma City, OK - Dodgers

Sugar Land, TX - Astros

Sacramento, CA - Giants

Reno, NV - Diamondbacks

Tacoma, WA - Mariners

Albuquerque, NM - Rockies

Salt Lake City, UT - Angels

Las Vegas NV - Athletics

El Paso, TX - Padres


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There will be three AA full season leagues ... one in Central US, one in the South and another in the Northeast. Here’s my guess at the alignment ...


Eastern League : 12 teams


Reading, PA - Phillies

Somerset, NJ - Yankees

Hartford, CT - Rockies

Manchester, NH - Jays

Portland, ME - Red Sox

Binghamton, NY - Mets


Harrisburg, PA - Nationals

Altoona, PA - Pirates

Richmond, VA - Giants

Bowie, MD - Orioles

Erie, PA - Tigers

Akron, OH - Indians


Southern League : 8 teams


Montgomery, AL - Rays

Birmingham, AL - White Sox

Chattanooga, TN - Reds

Knoxville, TN - Cubs


Pensacola, FL - Marlins

Pearl, MS - Braves

Biloxi, MS - Brewers

Rocket City, AL - Angels


Texas League : 10 teams


Springfield, MO - Cardinals

Tulsa, OK - Dodgers

Northwest Arkansas, AR - Royals

Little Rock, AR - Mariners

Wichita, KS - Twins


Amarillo, TX - Diamondbacks

Corpus Christi, TX - Astros

Frisco, TX - Rangers

Midland, TX - Athletics

San Antonio, TX - Padres


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Three Advanced A full season leagues will exist ... one in the Mid Atlantic, one in the Midwest and one in the Northwest. Here’s my guess at the alignment ...


Mid Atlantic League : 12 teams


Jersey Shore, NJ - Phillies

Brooklyn, NY - Mets

Wilmington, DE - Nationals

Hudson Valley, NY - Yankees

Aberdeen, MD - Orioles


Bowling Green, KY - Rays

Rome, GA - Braves

Greensboro, NC - Pirates

Greenville, SC - Red Sox

Winston Salem, NC - White Sox

Asheville, NC - Astros

Hickory, NC - Rangers


Midwest League : 12 teams


South Bend, IN - Cubs

Midland, MI - Dodgers

Lansing, MI - Athletics

East Lake, OH - Indians

Dayton, OH - Reds

Fort Wayne, IN - Padres

West Michigan, MI - Tigers

Beloit, WI - Marlins

Cedar Rapids, IA - Twins

Quad Cities, IA - Royals

Grand Chute, WS - Brewers

Peoria, IL - Cardinals



Western League : 6 teams


Eugene, OR - Giants

Spokane, WA - Rockies

Hillsboro, OR - Diamondbacks

Vancouver, CAN - Jays

Tri City, WA - Angels

Everett, WA - Mariners


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Low Class A will have three leagues ... one in California taken largely from the current California League, one in Florida - Here’s my guess at the alignment ...


Florida State League - 10 teams


Clearwater,FL - Phillies

Bradenton,FL - Pirates

Daytona,FL - Reds

Tampa,FL - Yankees

Dunedin,FL - Blue Jays

Lakeland, FL - Tigers

Fort Myers, FL - Twins

Jupiter, FL - Marlins

St Lucie,FL - Mets

Palm Beach,FL - Cardinals


South Atlantic League : 12 teams


Augusta, GA - Braves

Fredericksburg, VA - Nationals

Lynchburg, VA - Indians

Salem, VA - Red Sox

Salisbury, MD - Orioles

Kannapolis, NC - White Sox


Myrtle Beach, SC - Cubs

Zebulon, NC - Brewers

Charleston, SC - Rays

Columbia, SC - Royals

Fayetteville, NC - Astros

Kinston, NC - Rangers


California League : 8 teams


Rancho Cucamonga, CA - Dodgers

San Jose, CA - Giants

Fresno, CA - Rockies

Visalia, CA - Diamondbacks

Lake Elsinore, CA - Padres

Inland Empire, CA - Angels

Modesto, CA - Mariners

Stockton, CA - Athletics


Things won’t fully shake out till mid to late January ...


Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️












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