Monday, March 21, 2022
-Clint Manry
The realignment and restructuring of Minor League Baseball last season not only resulted in fewer teams but also name changes for each of the 11 leagues. Why?… who knows. But for many of us it took nearly all season to remember all the different names. Luckily, as of this past Wednesday, the minors will revert back to its original names.
Here’s the list from Baseball America‘s write-up…
- Triple-A East becomes the International League
- Triple-A West becomes the Pacific Coast League
- Double-A Central becomes the Texas League
- Double-A South becomes the Southern League
- Double-A East becomes the Eastern League
- High-A Central becomes the Midwest League
- High-A East becomes the South Atlantic League
- High-A West becomes the Northwest League
- Low-A West becomes the California League
- Low-A East becomes the Carolina League
- Low-A Southeast becomes the Florida State League
As far as Braves affiliates go, Gwinnett will return to the International League (AAA), Mississippi to the Southern League (AA), Rome to the South Atlantic League (A+) and Augusta to the Carolina League (A).
If you recall, before the changes in 2021, Rome was Atlanta’s Single-A club, while the Florida Fire Frogs represented the system’s High-A affiliate (playing in the Florida State League). With the realignment, the Fire Frogs now seize to exist (as does the rookie-advanced level Danville Braves, who played in the Appalachian League), which has been much better given the ultra pitcher-friendliness of the former FSL and the fact that rainouts oftentimes made it difficult to play much of a season.
The M-Braves are the reigning Double-A South (or now Southern League) champs from 2021, finishing 67-44 overall. Opening Day for the Triple-A level will be on April 5, with Gwinnett starting its 2022 campaign in Memphis. The other three Braves affiliates will start the season on April 8, with Mississippi’s opener at home, Rome in Greensboro and Augusta in Columbia. Check back here for daily farm reports throughout the minor league season.
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