The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are located at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the High-A East before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) groups Spartanburg and Union counties together as the Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and play their home games at Atrium Health Ballpark. The team was established in 1995 as the Piedmont Phillies. From 1996 to 2000, they were known as the Piedmont Boll Weevils. From 2001 to 2019, they were known as the Kannapolis Intimidators, after Kannapolis native NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, who was known as "The Intimidator," purchased a share of the team before the 2001 season.
The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened in 1993 and has roughly 4,000 fixed seats.
The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area from 1937 to 1952.
Sims Legion Park is a 3,000-seat baseball park in Gastonia, North Carolina that is the home field for Gaston College baseball. It has hosted the Gastonia Grizzlies of the Coastal Plain League, as well as American Legion baseball. The Grizzlies moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina starting with the 2021 season and were renamed the Spartanburgers.
WSPG is a radio station licensed to Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is owned by Ryan Delaney, through licensee Fox Sports Spartanburg 2 LLC. The WSPG studios and transmitter are located at 340 Garner Road in Spartanburg.
Douglas Raymond Davis is an American former professional baseball player and coach. Davis is currently the manager of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. During his playing career, he appeared in seven games over two seasons as a catcher and third baseman for the California Angels and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Below are select minor league players and the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Texas Rangers:
The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West End, and their mascot is a frog named Reedy Rip'it.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5th, 1901 in response to the growing dominance of the National League and American League as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, shortened to the NAPBL or NA.
The Down East Wood Ducks were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a colorful local waterfowl. Established in 2017, the team played its home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949 and holds 4,100 people.
Leslie Arnold "Bubba" Thompson is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. Thompson was drafted by the Rangers with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft.
The Spartanburgers were a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League in 2021. The team played its home games at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The team, formerly the Gastonia Grizzlies, relocated from Gastonia, North Carolina for the 2021 season. The team name, announced in February 2021, was just the one word, not using the city name. On December 21, 2020, Wesley Brown was named head coach. The team played their first game on May 27, 2021, losing at home to the Lexington County Blowfish. The team's mascot was Tom 8-0, a giant ketchup bottle.
Fifth Third Park is a baseball stadium under construction in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The 2025 Carolina League season will be a Single-A baseball season played between April 4 and September 7. Twelve teams will play a 132-game schedule, with two teams in each division qualifying for the post-season.
