Classification | Double-A |
---|---|
Sport | Baseball |
Founded | 1964 |
No. of teams | 8 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Birmingham Barons (2024) |
Most titles | Birmingham Barons (8) |
Official website | milb.com |
The Southern League is a Minor League Baseball league that has operated in the Southern United States since 1964. Along with the Eastern League and Texas League, it is one of three circuits playing at the Double-A level, which is two grades below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The league traces its roots to the original Southern League (1885–1899), the Southern Association (1901–1961), and the original South Atlantic League (1904–1963). The later circuit dissolved and refounded itself as the Southern League in 1964, maintaining a new set of records. Following MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues in 2021, it operated as the Double-A South for one season before switching back to its previous moniker in 2022. In its inaugural 1964 season, the Southern League consisted of eight teams from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Following contractions, expansions, and relocations, the league consists of eight teams in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
A league champion is determined at the end of each season. The Birmingham Barons have won 8 Southern League titles, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Jacksonville Suns (6) and the Montgomery Rebels (5).
The original Southern League was formed prior to the 1885 season as an eight-team circuit playing in the Southern United States. It operated at various times as a Class B league. [1] [2] Fraught with financial problems, teams regularly dropped out before the season's end. After being nonoperational in 1891, 1892, and 1897, it disbanded permanently after halting play during the 1899 season. [3]
The Southern Association was formed in 1901 as a Class B circuit operating in nearly the same footprint as the first Southern League. It was elevated to Class A in 1902, Class A1 in 1936, and Double-A in 1946. [2] The Southern Association remained a premier Southern baseball league until Major League Baseball radio and television broadcasts began to undercut attendance in the 1950s. The league disbanded after 1961. [3]
The original South Atlantic League, nicknamed the "SALLY League" and not related to the current South Atlantic League (formerly the Western Carolinas League), was formed in 1904. It operated at Class C until it was elevated to Class B in 1921 and Class A in 1946. [4] A year after the Southern Association's disbandment, the SALLY League took its place at the Double-A level in 1963. [4]
The Double-A SALLY League dissolved after the 1963 season and refounded itself as the Southern League. It elected to start with a clean slate and not maintain records prior to the 1964 season. The newly minted league wanted to distance itself from the SALLY League's past history in the low minors (Class C was roughly equivalent to an Advanced Rookie league in the pre-2021 classification system, while Class B was roughly equivalent to short-season Class A). Additionally, many leagues had contributed to its legacy. [3] In its inaugural campaign, the six-team Southern League consisted of the Asheville Tourists, Birmingham Barons, Charlotte Hornets, Chattanooga Lookouts, Columbus Confederate Yankees, Knoxville Smokies, Lynchburg White Sox, and Macon Peaches. [1] Sam C. Smith, previously president of the SALLY League, served as its president. [3]
From 1967 to 1969, the league was reduced to six teams. [1] It went back to eight clubs in 1970, but dropped to seven in 1971. [1] [5] With an odd number of teams, the Southern League joined forces with the Double-A Texas League as the Dixie Association in 1971. The two leagues played an interlocking schedule with individual league champions determined at the end of the season. Up to this point, the Southern League champions had been simply the regular season pennant winners. [6] For the first time, the top two Southern League teams met in a best-of-three series to determine champions. [6] The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Asheville Tourists, 2–1, and then defeated the Texas League champion Arkansas Travelers, 3–0, to win the Dixie Association championship. [7] The partnership was dissolved after the season. [7]
President Smith died suddenly in April 1971, and Billy Hitchcock became the new president that August. [3] Hitchcock introduced a number of changes that are still in use today. In 1972, the Southern League was split into two divisions, Eastern and Western. [6] The playoffs, which began in the Dixie Association, were continued and expanded to a best-of-five series. [6] The league also began selecting postseason All-Star teams and issuing awards for the Most Valuable Player, Most Outstanding Pitcher, and Manager of the Year. [8] [9] In 1976, it introduced a split-season format with the schedule divided in half and first and second half champions from each division being crowned. This expanded the playoffs to two rounds with the winners of each half competing for each division's championship and those winners meeting for the league championship. [6] With the addition of two teams in 1978, the Southern League grew to 10 teams. [1] Other improvements under Hitchcock's presidency included stadium refurbishments and efforts to make the league more family-friendly. Attendance figures rose dramatically during his tenure. [3]
Jim Bragan became president in 1981 after Hitchcock's retirement. [3] Over his 14 years leading the Southern League, attendance continued to grow as several cities built new ballparks. [3] In 1994, Arnie Fielkow succeeded Bragan as president, and Don Mincher took over in 2000. [3] Lori Webb became president in 2012 after Mincher's death that March. [3] [10]
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. [11] [12] As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Southern League was reduced to eight teams and temporarily renamed the "Double-A South" for the 2021 season. [13] Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the historical names of the minor leagues, the Double-A South was renamed the Southern League effective with the 2022 season. [14]
The Southern League is currently divided into two divisions, North and South, of four teams each. [22] Previously, from 1972 to 2004, the league was split into Eastern and Western divisions. There were no divisions in place from 1964 to 1970. [6] As of 2020, each club had 140 games scheduled per season. Utilizing a split-season schedule, each half consisted of 70 games. The season typically began during the first or second week of April and concluded in the first week of September on Labor Day. [23]
The Southern League All-Star Game was an annual midsummer game between two teams of the league's players, one made up of All-Stars from North Division teams and the other from South Division teams. First held in 1964, [24] the event predominantly consisted of a single team of the league's All-Stars versus a Major League Baseball team through 1998. The division versus division format was used continuously from 1999 to 2019. No game was held from 1991 to 1995 as the Southern League and the other two Double-A leagues, the Eastern League and Texas League, participated in the Double-A All-Star Game instead. [25]
League membersDixie AssociationOther active leagueOther Defunct League
A "^" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of an active team formerly of the Southern League
League champions have been determined by different means since the Southern League's formation in 1964. [26] Through 1970, champions were the regular-season pennant winners—the team with the best win–loss record at the conclusion of the regular season. The 1971 title was decided in a postseason series between the two teams with the best records. From 1972 to 1975, the winners of each of two divisions competed in a series to determine champions. The league operated using a split season format from 1976 to 2020. Under this format, the winners of each half within each division played for the division championship, and the division winners met to play for the SL title. [6] The 2021 winner was crowned via a series between the two teams with the best full-season records. [27] The 2022 championship will be decided through the same split-season divisional format used for most of the league's existence. [28]
The Birmingham Barons have won 8 Southern League championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Jacksonville Suns (6) and the Montgomery Rebels (5). [26]
The SL recognizes outstanding players and team personnel annually near the end of each season.
The Most Valuable Player Award is given to honor the best player in the league.
The Pitcher of the Year Award, originally known as the Most Outstanding Pitcher Award, serves to recognize the league's best pitcher.
The Manager of the Year Award is given to the league's top manager.
The Top MLB Prospect Award, created in 2021, is given to the league's top rookie prospect.
Season | Winner | Team | Organization | Position | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Shea Langeliers | Mississippi Braves | Atlanta Braves | Catcher | [29] [30] |
2022 | Taj Bradley | Montgomery Biscuits | Tampa Bay Rays | Pitcher | [31] [32] |
2023 | Junior Caminero | Montgomery Biscuits | Tampa Bay Rays | Third baseman | [33] [34] |
2024 | Carson Williams | Montgomery Biscuits | Tampa Bay Rays | Shortstop | [35] [36] |
Six presidents led the Southern League since its formation: [37]
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 Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milwaukee Brewers from 1999 to 2014. The Stars played their home games at Joe W. Davis Stadium and were named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied.
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 Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, from 2000 to 2024 as the Tennessee Smokies at Smokies Stadium. The team will move into the new Covenant Health Park in Knoxville in 2025. The team's nickname refers to the Great Smoky Mountains which permeate the region; mountains in the chain are often clouded in a hazy mist that may appear as smoke rising from the forest.
The Southern Association' (SA) was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class B (1901), Class A (1902–1935), Class A1 (1936–1945), and Double-A (1946–1961). Although the SA was known as the Southern League through 1919, the later Double-A Southern League was not descended from the Southern Association; the modern SL came into existence in 1964 as the successor to the original South Atlantic ("Sally") League.
The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they became the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 in reference to Tennessee's nickname, "The Volunteer State". The Vols played their home games at Athletic Park, which had been home to the city's professional baseball teams since 1885 and was renamed Sulphur Dell in 1908.
William Clyde Hitchcock was an American professional baseball infielder, coach, manager and scout. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he was primarily a third baseman, second baseman and shortstop who appeared in 703 games over nine years with five American League teams. After 18 years as a coach, manager, and scout he became an executive in Minor League Baseball, serving as president of the Double-A Southern League from 1971 to 1980. His older brother, Jimmy Hitchcock, played briefly for the 1938 Boston Bees.
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).
The Columbus Mudcats were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Southern League from 1969 to 1990. They were located in Columbus, Georgia, and played their home games at Golden Park. Founded as the Columbus White Sox in 1969, they were named for their Major League Baseball affiliate, the Chicago White Sox. They became the Columbus Astros in 1970 upon affiliating with the Houston Astros. The Astros won their lone Southern League championship in 1986. Columbus rebranded as the Mudcats in 1989 for their final two years in Columbus.
The Columbus Confederate Yankees were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Southern League from 1964 to 1966. They were located in Columbus, Georgia, and played their home games at Golden Park. Their seemingly contradictory nickname came from Georgia's former membership in the Confederacy and for their Major League Baseball affiliate, the New York Yankees, as it was common for Yankees affiliates to share the big league club's moniker.
Marvis Edwin Foley is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and coach, and minor league manager. He played for the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers in all or part of five seasons between 1978 and 1984, went on to serve as a catching instructor for the Colorado Rockies, and is the only manager ever to win league championships in all three major Triple-A leagues.
The Memphis Blues were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1968 to 1976. They competed in the Double-A Texas League from 1968 to 1973 as an affiliate of the New York Mets. Memphis transferred to the Triple-A International League in 1974, where they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos from 1974 to 1975 and Houston Astros in 1976. Their home games were played at Blues Stadium
The Negro Southern League (NSL) was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The NSL was organized as a minor league in 1920 and lasted until 1936. It was considered a major league for the 1932 season and it was also the only organized league to finish its full schedule that season. Prior to the season, several established teams joined the NSL, mainly from the collapsed Negro National League.
The Southern League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Southern League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. Though the league was established in 1964, the award was not created until 1972. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the Double-A South in 2021 before reverting to the Southern League name in 2022.
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.
The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern League from 1978 to 1997. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee, and played their home games at Tim McCarver Stadium. They served as a farm club for four Major League Baseball teams: the Montreal Expos (1978–1983), Kansas City Royals (1984–1994), San Diego Padres (1995–1996), and Seattle Mariners (1997). The Chicks were named for the Memphis Chickasaws, who were charter members of the Southern Association that played in Memphis from 1901 to 1960.
The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern Association from 1901 to 1960. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee, and played their home games at Russwood Park. Known originally as the Memphis Egyptians and Memphis Turtles before becoming the Memphis Chickasaws, often shortened to Chicks, they were charter members of the Southern Association.
The South Atlantic League, nicknamed the SALLY League, was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the Southern United States intermittently from 1904 to 1963. Initially Class C league, it was elevated to Class B in 1921, Class A in 1946, and Double-A in 1963. The circuit dissolved after the 1963 season and was refounded as the Southern League.