The history of Minor League Baseball goes back to September
5, 1901, when the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues was
formed. Today we know them as Minor League Baseball. It all started with 14
leagues and 96 clubs. By 1909, things had grown to 35 leagues and 246 clubs.
The Minors really began to flourish during
the Great Depression when the teams got their “farm team” nickname. It
started as a joke passed around by major league players when St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey formalized the system, and said these
small town teams were "growing players down on the farm like corn."
Minor League Baseball is a place to develop
talent and prepare players for the majors, “the Show”, MLB. Today, 19
affiliated minor baseball leagues operate with 244 member clubs in large,
medium, and small cities, as well as the suburbs across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Several more independent
leagues operate in the United States and Canada.
Minor League teams are usually
independently owned and operated but are directly affiliated with one of the major
league teams. Today’s farm system has a complex set of layers that take young,
raw talent and get it “Big League” ready.
Triple-A
This classification currently
includes two affiliated leagues: the International League and the Pacific Coast League. The Mexican
League is also classified as a Triple-A league, though its
clubs are not affiliated with MLB clubs.
Double-A
There
are currently three leagues in this classification: Eastern League, Southern League and the Texas League,
Class
A-Advanced
One
level below Double-A, the California League, Carolina League and the Florida State League play at the Class
A-Advanced level.
Class A
Slightly
below Class A-Advanced are the full (140 game) season Class-A leagues.
Class A
Short Season
Class
A Short Season, despite sharing the "Class A" designation, is, in
fact, a separate classification from Class A. Short season leagues, as the name
implies, play a shortened season of 76 games, starting in mid-June and ending
in early September.
Rookie Advanced
The
players in these leagues are thought to be further along in their development
than players in the pure Rookie leagues, and hence games are more competitive.
Rookie
Leagues
in the Rookie classification play a shortened season, similar to, but slightly
shorter than, the short season leagues, starting in mid-June and ending in late
August or early September. This is the lowest level of minor league baseball.
SF
GIANTS FARM SYSTEM
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AA
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Advanced A
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A
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Short Season A
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Rookie
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|
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Arizona
Giants
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OAKLAND
A’S FARM SYSTEM
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Double-A
|
Advanced
A
|
A
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Short-Season A
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Rookie
|
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The San
Jose Giants’ mission is to "provide
fun, affordable, family entertainment to our community, while continually
striving for unprecedented success on and off the field. The organization is
dedicated to creating an environment where players can develop their baseball
skills and learn the humble art of giving back and becoming a Giant. The San
Jose Giants welcome every fan and take pride in maintaining our cherished home,
Municipal Stadium, as a community gathering place since 1942."
Minor League teams have some of the best names in sport. Wouldn't you like to root for the El Paso Chihuahuas, Carolina Mudcats, Hartford Yard Goats or the Las Vegas 51s (as in Area 51). There really are Toledo Mud Hens of M*A*S*H fame. A few other favorites include the Lansing Lugnuts, Hillsboro Hops (yes, those hops) and Homer Simpson's fav Albuquerque Isotopes.
SAN JOSE GIANTS FUN FACTS
·
The San Jose Giants are in the Class
A Advanced California League. The team has been affiliated with the San
Francisco Giants since 1988 and has boasted one of the best records in the
minor leagues after partnering with the big league club, going 2,098-1,673
(.556). The San Jose Giants have played in historic Municipal Stadium for over
70 years. San Jose has won six
California League Championships as a Giants affiliate and eleven overall (2010,
2009, 2007, 2005, 2001, 1998, 1979, 1967, 1962, 1953 and 1949). In 27 seasons,
the San Jose Giants have graduated 173 Major League players, 125 of whom have
played or currently play for the San Francisco Giants. 16 former San Jose
Giants took part in the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants playoff run.
·
Since 1988, the San Jose
Giants have entertained over 4 million fans.
·
The San Jose Giants have extensive
partnerships with local schools, youth sports organizations and non-profits.
More than $300,000 is raised annually for South Bay organizations.
·
Current Giants Buster Posey, Madison
Bumgarner, Trevor Brown, Joe Panik, Matt Duffy, Jarrett Parker, Mac Williamson,
Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, Derek Law, Josh Osich, Brandon Belt and Brandon
Crawford all once played for San Jose. Tim Lincecum too!
.
CALIFORNIA
LEAGUE TEAMS
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Team
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MLB Affiliation
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City
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