High-A

High-A

High-A

Third-highest level of competition in Minor League Baseball

This article is about baseball classification. For scholastic grading high-A, A+, A*, see Grading systems by country.

High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and above Single-A. There are 30 teams classified at the High-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball (MLB), organized into three leagues: the Midwest League, Northwest League, and South Atlantic League.

A High-A game featuring the San Jose Giants, the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, in 1994

History

Class High-A was established as a classification level within Minor League Baseball in 1990 by subdividing the existing Class A.[1] Class A had been the third-highest level in the minor leagues since 1936 (when it was below Double-A and Class A1) and a hierarchy of Triple-A and Double-A above Class A had been in place since 1946.[2]: 15  In 1963, the three classes below Class A (Classes B, C, and D) were abolished, with leagues at those levels moved into Class A.[2]: 15  In 1965, Class A was subdivided for the first time, with the establishment of lower-level Class A Short Season leagues.

The 1965 hierarchy was in place for 25 years, until Class A was further subdivided in 1990, with Class A-Advanced becoming the third-highest classification:

  1. Triple-A
  2. Double-A
  3. Class A-Advanced
  4. Class A ("Full-Season A")
  5. Class A Short Season ("Short-Season A")
  6. Rookie league

Three leagues, each previously Class A, received the Class A-Advanced designation: the California League, Carolina League, and Florida State League.[1] This arrangement continued until 2021, when Major League Baseball (MLB) restructured the minor leagues, eliminating Class A Short Season and discontinuing the use of all historical league names within Minor League Baseball.[3] The existing Class A-Advanced leagues were moved to the Class A level and operated under generic names (Low-A West, Low-A East, and Low-A Southeast) during 2021. The Class A-Advanced level was officially renamed as "Class High-A",[4][5] and also operated three leagues during 2021 with generic names: High-A Central, High-A East, and High-A West.[6] These three High-A leagues had historically been known as the Midwest League, South Atlantic League, and Northwest League—the first two had previously operated at the Class A level, while the latter had previously operated at the Class A Short Season level. 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.[7]

In January 2023, it was announced that Veronica Gajownik had been hired to manage the Hillsboro Hops, making her the first woman to manage a High-A team.[8]

Current teams

  • Midwest League
  • Northwest League
  • South Atlantic League

Midwest League

Main article: Midwest League
More information Division, Team ...

Northwest League

Main article: Northwest League
More information Team, Founded ...

South Atlantic League

Main article: South Atlantic League
More information Division, Team ...

Playoffs

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.[9]

References

  1. [1]
    Cronin, John (2013). "Truth in the Minor League Class Structure: The Case for the Reclassification of the Minors". SABR. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  2. [2]
    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)
  3. [3]
    Creamer, Chris (February 15, 2021). "A Breakdown of Minor League Baseball's Total Realignment for 2021". sportslogos.net. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  4. [4]
    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.
  5. [5]
    The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book (PDF). New York City: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. 2019. pp. 158–159. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. [6]
    "Teams by League and Classification". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Historical league names to return in 2022". milb.com. Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  8. [8]
    "Diamondbacks affiliate Hillsboro names woman as manager". Laredo Morning Times. January 21, 2023.
  9. [9]
    Heneghan, Kelsie (June 30, 2021). "Playoffs return to the Minor Leagues". MiLB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
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