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.
What is now Class High-A was established as Class A-Advanced 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:
Three Class A leagues 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]
Midwest League
Northwest League
South Atlantic League| Team | Founded | MLB affiliation | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene Emeralds | 1955 | San Francisco Giants | Eugene, Oregon | PK Park | 4,000 |
| Everett AquaSox | 1995 | Seattle Mariners | Everett, Washington | Funko Field | 3,682 |
| Hillsboro Hops | 2013 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Hillsboro, Oregon | Hillsboro Ballpark | 4,500 |
| Spokane Indians | 1898 | Colorado Rockies | Spokane, Washington | Avista Stadium | 6,803 |
| Tri-City Dust Devils | 2001 | Los Angeles Angels | Pasco, Washington | Gesa Stadium | 3,654 |
| Vancouver Canadians | 2000 | Toronto Blue Jays | Vancouver, British Columbia | Nat Bailey Stadium | 6,500 |
 | This section is missing information about pre-2021 playoff structure.(September 2024) |
The format for the 2024 postseason at High-A will consist of four teams per league in a best-of-three division series, followed by a best-of-three championship series. The four playoff participants per league will be the winners of each division from both halves based on the best winning percentage of each half. In the event the same club wins both halves, the club with the next-best winning percentage in the second half will advance.
However, with only six clubs in the Northwest League, the format for the postseason will consist of a single, best-of-five championship series. The two playoff participants will be decided based on the best winning percentage of each half. In the event the same club wins both halves, the club with the next-best winning percentage in the second half will advance.
In the event of any ties, the following tiebreakers will apply in the order below: [9]
The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it forms the lowest rung on the North American minor-league ladder.
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Texas native Nolan Ryan, who was nicknamed "The Ryan Express." Ryan, along with son Reid Ryan and Don Sanders make up the team's ownership group, Ryan Sanders Baseball.
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team plays their home games at 121 Financial Ballpark, which opened in 2003. They previously played at Sam W. Wolfson Baseball Park from 1962 until the end of the 2002 season.
The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 2014 and is located in Uptown Charlotte. The team previously played at Knights Park (1976–1988), Knights Castle (1989), and Knights Stadium (1990–2013).
The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball postseason. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League.
Joseph Melton Oliver is an American former professional baseball catcher. During a 19-year professional playing career, Oliver played parts of 13 seasons in MLB for seven different teams during 1989–2001, and was a member of the World Series-winning 1990 Cincinnati Reds. He later managed in Minor League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox organization from 2014 through 2020, and in collegiate summer baseball in 2021 and 2022. As a player, Oliver was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg); he batted and threw right-handed.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
Derrick Brant May is an American former outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs (1990–94), Milwaukee Brewers (1995), Houston Astros (1995–96), Philadelphia Phillies (1997), Montreal Expos (1998) and Baltimore Orioles (1999). He also played three seasons in Japan, from 2001 until 2003, for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. He was the manager of the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League in 2021. In 2022 he was the Organization Hitting Coordinator for SSG Lander’s in Korea.
A split season is a schedule format implemented in a variety of sports leagues. The season is divided into two parts, with the winners of both halves playing each other at the end for the overall championship.
Triple-A has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There are 30 teams, one per each Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, with 20 in the IL and 10 in the PCL. Triple-A teams are generally located in smaller cities who do not have major sports league teams such as Syracuse, Toledo, Reno and Omaha as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams that may also have teams in other major sports leagues, such as Austin, Jacksonville, Columbus, Buffalo, and Indianapolis. Four Triple-A teams play in the same metro areas as their parent clubs.
Double-A 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.
Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball (MLB), organized into three leagues: the California League, Carolina League, and Florida State League.
Class A Short Season was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced, and Class A. Teams in Class A Short Season played about 75 to 80 games per season, compared to the 130- to 140-game seasons of most professional baseball minor leagues.
The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They play their home games at Hillsboro Ballpark, which opened in 2013.
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. "Mudcats" is a Southern synonym for catfish.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), including teams affiliated with MLB clubs.
