Double-A (baseball)

This article is about the level of Minor League Baseball. For the baseball league in Curaçao, see Curaçao National Championship AA League.

Double-A (officially Class AA^[1]) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only 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: the Eastern League, the Southern League, and the Texas League.

Action during a Double-A baseball game featuring the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Altoona Curve in 2016

History

 

Jigger Statz played in over 2500 minor league games, all in the Pacific Coast League at the Class AA level, 1920–1942.

Class AA ("Double-A") was established in 1912, as the new highest classification of Minor League Baseball.^[2] Previously, Class A had been the highest level, predating the establishment of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues—the formal name of Minor League Baseball—in 1901.^[3]: 15 Entering the 1912 season, three leagues were designated as Class AA:^[3]: 236

• American Association (AA)
• International League (IL)
• Pacific Coast League (PCL)

Each of these leagues had previously been in Class A.^[3]: 230 Each remained in Class AA through 1945,^[3]: 396 then moved into Class AAA ("Triple-A") when it was established in 1946.^[3]: 15 No other leagues were designated Class AA during 1912–1945, although a Class A1 level (between Class A and Class AA) was established in 1936.^[3]: 15

The contemporary Double-A classification, as the second-highest level in Minor League Baseball, was established in 1946. Entering that season, the three aforementioned leagues in Class AA all moved to the newly established Triple-A, and Class A1 became Double-A with two leagues:^[3]: 401

• Southern Association, previously Class A1 (1936–1945)
• Texas League, previously Class A1 (1936–1942; idle for three seasons during World War II)

The Texas League remained in Double-A for the next 75 years. During this time, there were limited changes to leagues at the Double-A level:

• 1955: the Mexican League, previously independent, was classified as Double-A^[3]: 732
• 1961: final season of the Southern Association^[3]: 743
• 1963: the Eastern League and original South Atlantic League were moved from Class A to Double-A^{[3]: 731, 743}
• 1964: the original South Atlantic League was reconstituted as the Southern League^[3]: 733
• 1967: the Mexican League moved to Triple-A^[3]: 732

Entering the 2020 minor league season (which was not played, due to the COVID-19 pandemic) the Texas League had been in Double-A since 1946, the Eastern League since 1963, and the Southern League since 1964. Prior to the 2021 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) reorganized the minor leagues. At that time, the existing leagues were temporarily renamed: Eastern League as Double-A Northeast, Southern League as Double-A South, and Texas League as Double-A Central. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, MLB announced on March 16, 2022, that the leagues would revert to their prior names, effective with the 2022 season.^[4]

System

 

Jeff Hearron jumped from Double-A to MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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 lower-level leagues,^[5] with Class A-Advanced ("High-A") being immediately below Double-A in the minor league hierarchy.

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.^[6] Some players may be placed in Double-A to begin their minor league careers, usually veterans from foreign leagues or top prospects out of college. Additionally, major league clubs sometimes send players to their Double-A team to rehabilitate from injuries.^[5]

While Triple-A is the highest level in the minor leagues, players may also advance to the major leagues directly from Double-A. For example, within the Toronto Blue Jays organization, 17 position players were promoted from Double-A directly to MLB during 1978–2018;^[7] approximately one player every two seasons. As players at the Double-A level are, generally, still improving their skills, it could be argued that the pure talent level is higher in Double-A than Triple-A, where there may be some stagnation of talent.^[6]

Because players are not moving back and forth from the major leagues at this level, as often happens in Triple-A, the rosters tend to be more stable.^[8] 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.^[8]

Current teams

 

 

Travelers

 

Naturals

 

Cardinals

 

Drillers

 

Hooks

 

RoughRiders

 

RockHounds

 

Sod Poodles

 

Missions

 

Wind Surge

 

Rumble
Ponies

 

Yard Goats

 

Fisher Cats

 

Sea
Dogs

 

Fightin Phils

 

Patriots

 

RubberDucks

 

Curve

 

Baysox

 

SeaWolves

 

Senators

 

Flying Squirrels

 

Barons

 

Lookouts

 

Biscuits

 

Smokies

 

Shuckers

 

Braves

 

Trash Pandas

 

Blue Wahoos

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Current Double-A team locations:

  Texas League

  Eastern League

  Southern League

Texas League

Main article: Texas League

Division	Team	MLB Affiliation	City	Stadium	Capacity
North	Arkansas Travelers	Seattle Mariners	North Little Rock, Arkansas	Dickey–Stephens Park	7,200^[9]
	Northwest Arkansas Naturals	Kansas City Royals	Springdale, Arkansas	Arvest Ballpark	7,305^[10]
	Springfield Cardinals	St. Louis Cardinals	Springfield, Missouri	Hammons Field	10,486^[11]
	Tulsa Drillers	Los Angeles Dodgers	Tulsa, Oklahoma	ONEOK Field	7,833^[12]
	Wichita Wind Surge	Minnesota Twins	Wichita, Kansas	Riverfront Stadium	12,000
South	Amarillo Sod Poodles	Arizona Diamondbacks	Amarillo, Texas	Hodgetown	6,631^[13]
	Corpus Christi Hooks	Houston Astros	Corpus Christi, Texas	Whataburger Field	7,679^[14]
	Frisco RoughRiders	Texas Rangers	Frisco, Texas	Riders Field	10,316^[15]
	Midland RockHounds	Oakland Athletics	Midland, Texas	Momentum Bank Ballpark	6,669^[16]
	San Antonio Missions	San Diego Padres	San Antonio, Texas	Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium	9,200

Eastern League

Main article: Eastern League (1938–present)

Division	Team	MLB Affiliation	City	Stadium	Capacity
Northeast	Binghamton Rumble Ponies	New York Mets	Binghamton, New York	Mirabito Stadium	6,012^[17]
	Hartford Yard Goats	Colorado Rockies	Hartford, Connecticut	Dunkin' Park	6,121^[18]
	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Toronto Blue Jays	Manchester, New Hampshire	Delta Dental Stadium	6,500^[19]
	Portland Sea Dogs	Boston Red Sox	Portland, Maine	Hadlock Field	7,368^[20]
	Reading Fightin Phils	Philadelphia Phillies	Reading, Pennsylvania	FirstEnergy Stadium	9,000^[21]
	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^[22]
	Altoona Curve	Pittsburgh Pirates	Altoona, Pennsylvania	Peoples Natural Gas Field	7,210^[23]
	Bowie Baysox	Baltimore Orioles	Bowie, Maryland	Prince George's Stadium	10,000^[24]
	Erie SeaWolves	Detroit Tigers	Erie, Pennsylvania	UPMC Park	6,000^[25]
	Harrisburg Senators	Washington Nationals	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	FNB Field	6,187^[26]
	Richmond Flying Squirrels	San Francisco Giants	Richmond, Virginia	The Diamond	9,560^[27]

Southern League

Main article: Southern League (1964–present)

Division	Team	MLB Affiliation	City	Stadium	Capacity
North	Birmingham Barons	Chicago White Sox	Birmingham, Alabama	Regions Field	8,500^[28]
	Chattanooga Lookouts	Cincinnati Reds	Chattanooga, Tennessee	AT&T Field	6,362^[29]
	Rocket City Trash Pandas	Los Angeles Angels	Madison, Alabama	Toyota Field	7,000^[30]
	Tennessee Smokies	Chicago Cubs	Kodak, Tennessee	Smokies Stadium	6,412^[31]
South	Biloxi Shuckers	Milwaukee Brewers	Biloxi, Mississippi	MGM Park	6,076^[32]
	Mississippi Braves	Atlanta Braves	Pearl, Mississippi	Trustmark Park	8,480^[33]
	Montgomery Biscuits	Tampa Bay Rays	Montgomery, Alabama	Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium	7,000^[34]
	Pensacola Blue Wahoos	Miami Marlins	Pensacola, Florida	Admiral Fetterman Field	5,038^[35]

Playoffs

Prior to the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, all three active Double-A leagues played split seasons, with the Eastern League moving to that system in 2019. Teams winning their division in either half of the season qualified for the postseason, with wild card teams filling out the remaining spots in a bracket tournament, usually composed of four teams.^[36][37][38]

On June 30, 2021, Minor League Baseball announced that the top two teams in each league (based on full-season winning percentage, and regardless of division) would meet in a best-of-five postseason series to determine league champions.^[39]

All-Star Games

Prior to the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, each of the active Double-a leagues held its own midseason All-Star Game.^[40] 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.^[41][42]

After the start of the 2021 minor league season was delayed by a month,^[43] team schedules were released without a break for an all-star game.^[44]

Awards

See also: Baseball awards § Double-A

Pace-of-play initiatives

As a part of pace-of-play initiatives implemented in 2015, 20-second pitch clocks entered use at Double-A stadiums in 2015.^[45] In 2018, the time was shortened to 15 seconds when no runners are on base. Other significant changes implemented in 2018 included beginning extra innings with a runner on second base and limiting teams to eight mound visits during a nine-inning game.^[46] In 2019, the number of mound visits was reduced to seven, and pitchers were required to face a minimum of three consecutive batters, unless the side is retired or the pitcher is injured and unable to continue.^[47]

See also

• List of Double-A baseball stadiums

References

1. The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book (PDF). New York City: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. 2021. p. 10. Retrieved May 1, 2021 – via mlbpa.org.
2. "National Commission Grants Minor Leaguers Everything Asked For: Big Moguls of Baseball...Establish Much Wanted Class AA". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 5, 1912. p. 10. Retrieved April 14, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
3. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, editors (Third ed.). Baseball America. 2007. ISBN 978-1932391176.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
4. "Historical league names to return in 2022". milb.com. Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
5. "What is Double AA Baseball?". SportingCharts. 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
6. Moore, Jeff (July 2, 2013). "Understanding Minor League Levels". The Hardball Times. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
7. Hunter, Ian (May 11, 2018). "Flashback Friday: Blue Jays Position Players Who Leapt From Double-A to MLB". bluejayhunter.com. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
8. Santelli, Robert; Santelli, Jenna (2010). The Baseball Fan's Bucket List: 162 Things You Must Do, See, Get, and Experience Before You Die. Running Press. p. 218. ISBN 9780762438556.
9. . Arkansas Diamonds: The Ballparks of Arkansas and Their History. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
10. Bergeron, Angela (2008). . Engineering News-Record. McGraw-Hill. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
11. Mock, Joe. "Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri". Baseball Parks. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
12. "ONEOK Field". Tulsa Sports Commission. 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
13. Reichard, Kevin (April 10, 2019). "Sod Poodles Launch Crowd-Pleasing Ballpark". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
14. Goldberg-Strassler, Jesse (November 19, 2012). "Whataburger Field / Corpus Christi Hooks". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
15. Goldberg-Strassler, Jesse (November 14, 2012). "Dr Pepper Ballpark / Frisco RoughRiders". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
16. . Stadiums USA. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
17. Knight, Graham (September 17, 2010). "NYSEG Stadium". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
18. Mock, Joe. "Dunkin' Donuts Park". www.baseballparks.com. Grand Slam Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
19. "2012 New Hampshire Fisher Cats Media Guide" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. April 9, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
20. Knight, Graham (July 6, 2010). "Hadlock Field – Portland Sea Dogs". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
21. Leon, Matt (May 17, 2011). "Minor League Ballpark Guide". KYW. Philadelphia. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
22. "Akron RubberDucks Canal Park". Minor League Baseball. November 27, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
23. "2012 Altoona Curve Media Guide". Minor League Baseball. 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
24. "Bowie Baysox Baysox/Stadium Info". Minor League Baseball. March 11, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
25. . Erie County Convention Center Authority. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
26. Reichard, Kevin (June 28, 2010). "Metro Bank Park / Harrisburg Senators". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
27. O'Connor, John (March 27, 2010). "Bleacher Banners Give Diamond New Look, Fewer Seats". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
28. "Regions Field Birmingham Barons". Minor League Baseball. January 27, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
29. Knight, Graham (July 27, 2010). "AT&T Field". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
30. Gattis, Paul (April 15, 2019). "Countdown is on: 1 year from today until first Trash Pandas game in Madison". AL.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
31. Reichard, Kevin (May 1, 2015). "Smokies Park / Tennessee Smokies". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
32. Harris, Chris (February 12, 2015). "A Walking Tour of MGM Park". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
33. "Mississippi Braves Stadium Information". Minor League Baseball. November 13, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
34. "Riverwalk Stadium Information". Minor League Baseball. February 25, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
35. Pillon, Dennis (April 20, 2012). "Pensacola's Class AA Baseball Fever Still Going Strong". Press-Register. Mobile. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
36. "Texas League Playoff Procedures". Retrieved March 28, 2015.
37. "Eastern League Playoff Procedures". Retrieved March 28, 2015.
38. "Southern League Playoff Procedures". Retrieved March 28, 2015.
39. Heneghan, Kelsie (June 30, 2021). "Playoffs return to the Minor Leagues". MiLB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
40. "Important Dates". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
41. "SL Sets First All-Star Tilt". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando. July 11, 1991. p. B-4 – via Newspapers.com.
42. Gonzalez, Roberto (July 11, 2002). "End Comes in Seventh". Hartford Courant. Hartford. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
43. Acquavella, Katherine (January 5, 2021). "MLB delays start of 2021 season for most minor-league teams, per report". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
44. "Sea Dogs 2021 Season Schedule" (PDF). Portland Sea Dogs. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via mlbstatic.com.
45. Jackson, Josh (January 15, 2015). "Triple-A, Double-A to Implement Pitch Clock". MILB.com. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
46. "MiLB announces pace-of-play rules for 2018". MILB.com. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
47. "MiLB announces pace-of-play rules for 2019". MILB.com. March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.

External links

• Official website