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.
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:
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]
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 | Ron Tonkin Field | 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 needs expansionwith: playoff structure prior to the 2021 re-org. You can help by adding to it. (June 2021) |
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]
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 as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams, such as Austin, Jacksonville, Columbus, and Indianapolis. Four Triple-A teams play in the same metro areas as their parent clubs.
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players of the minor league affiliates of the Arizona Diamondbacks:
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 as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They play their home games at Ron Tonkin Field, which opened in 2013.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), including teams affiliated with MLB clubs.
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