Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from June to August. The league is part of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline.
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| President | Dan Moushon[1] |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Johnson City Cardinals (2019) |
| Most titles | Bluefield Blue Jays (14) |
| Official website | mlb.com/appalachian-league |
From 1911 to 2020, the Appalachian League was affiliated with Minor League Baseball and its teams were affiliated with Major League Baseball teams. It operated as a Class D league over several stretches (1911–1914, 1921–1925, 1937–1955, and 1957–1962) before being classified as a Rookie league from 1963 to 2020.
History
The original Appalachian League existed only for four seasons from 1911 to 1914 and was classified as a Class D circuit.[2] All teams were independent with no Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliation. It consisted of the Asheville Moonshiners, Bristol Boosters, Cleveland Counts, Johnson City Soldiers, Knoxville Appalachians, and Morristown Jobbers in its inaugural season.[3] After a six-year absence, the league reorganized for five seasons from 1921 to 1925, and, as before, it consisted entirely of independent teams at the Class D level.[2] Following an 11-year period of inactivity, the third iteration of the Class D Appalachian League ran from 1937 to 1955.[2] The league went dormant in 1956, but was revived in 1957.[4]
Along with a reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 1963, the Appy League became classified as a Rookie level team.[4] It continued to operate at this classification through 2020, though the start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[5][6]
The 2019 season was the Appalachian League's last year as an MLB-affiliated league of Minor League Baseball. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Appalachian League was converted to a collegiate summer baseball league designed for rising freshmen and sophomores.[7] The reconfigured league become a part of Major League Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline, a collaboration between MLB and USA Baseball. It is scheduled to play a 54-game regular season and continue to host an annual All-Star Game. Each of the league's 10 cities will continue to host teams in the new configuration of the Appalachian League.[8]
Current teams
| Division | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Bluefield | Bluefield, Virginia | Bowen Field at Peters Park | 3,000 |
| Burlington Sock Puppets | Burlington, North Carolina | Burlington Athletic Stadium | 3,500 | |
| Danville | Danville, Virginia | American Legion Field | 2,588 | |
| Princeton | Princeton, West Virginia | H. P. Hunnicutt Field | 3,000 | |
| Pulaski River Turtles | Pulaski, Virginia | Motor Mile Field at Calfee Park | 2,500 | |
| West | Bristol State Liners | Bristol, Virginia | Boyce Cox Field at DeVault Memorial Stadium | 2,000 |
| Elizabethton River Riders | Elizabethton, Tennessee | Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark | 2,000 | |
| Greeneville Flyboys | Greeneville, Tennessee | Pioneer Park | 4,000 | |
| Johnson City Doughboys | Johnson City, Tennessee | TVA Credit Union Ballpark | 3,800 | |
| Kingsport Axmen | Kingsport, Tennessee | Hunter Wright Stadium | 2,000 |
Teams timeline
1911–1914
- Asheville Moonshiners (1911–1912) → Middlesboro Colonels (1913–1914)
- Bristol Boosters (1911–1913) → Harriman Boosters (1914)
- Cleveland Counts (1911–1913) → Morristown Jobbers (1913–1914)
- Johnson City Soldiers (1911–1913)
- Knoxville Appalachians (1911) → Knoxville Reds (1912–1914)
- Morristown Jobbers (1911–1912) → Rome Romans (1913)
1921–1925
- Bristol State Liners (1921–1925)
- Cleveland Manufacturers (1921–1922) → Morristown Roosters (1923–1925)
- Greeneville Burley Cubs (1921–1925)
- Johnson City Soldiers (1921–1924)
- Kingsport Indians (1921–1925)
- Knoxville Pioneers (1921–1924)
1937–1955, 1957–2020
- Bluefield Blue-Grays (1946–1955) → Bluefield Dodgers (1957) → Bluefield Orioles (1958–2010) → Bluefield Blue Jays (2011–2020)
- Bristol Tigers (1969–1994) → Bristol White Sox (1995–2013) → Bristol Pirates (2014–2020)
- Bristol Twins (1940–1955)
- Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox (1937–1942) → Erwin Aces (1943) → Erwin Cubs (1944) → Elizabethton Betsy Cubs (1945–1948) → Elizabethton Betsy Local (1949–1950) → Elizabethton Phils (1951) → Pulaski Phillies (1952–1955) → Pulaski Cubs (1957–1958) → Morristown Cubs (1959–1961)
- Erwin Mountaineers (1940)
- Greeneville Burley Cubs (1938–1942)
- Harlan Red Sox (1965) → Covington Red Sox (1966) → Covington Astros (1967–1976)
- Harlan Smokies (1961–1962) → Harlan Yankees (1963) → Johnson City Yankees (1964–1974) → Johnson City Cardinals (1975–2020)
- Johnson City Soldiers (1937–1938) → Johnson City Cardinals (1939–1955) → Johnson City Phillies (1957–1960) → Johnson City Cardinals (1961)
- Kingsport Cherokees (1938–1941) → Kingsport Dodgers (1942) → Kingsport Cherokees (1943–1952) → Wytheville Statesmen (1953–1955) → Wytheville Cardinals (1957–1959) → Wytheville Senators (1960) → Wytheville Twins (1961–1963) → Wytheville A's (1964) → Wytheville Senators (1965) → Wytheville Reds (1967)
- Kingsport Cherokees (1955) → Kingsport Orioles (1957) → Kingsport Senators (1959) → Kingsport Pirates (1960–1963)
- Kingsport Royals (1969–1973) → Kingsport Braves (1974–1979) → Kingsport Mets (1980–1982, 1984–2020)
- Lynchburg Senators (1959)
- Marion Mets (1965–1976)
- Martinsville Phillies (1988–1998) → Martinsville Astros (1999–2003) → Greeneville Astros (2004–2017) → Greeneville Reds (2018–2020)
- Middlesboro Senators (1961–1962) → Middlesboro Cubsox (1963)
- New River Rebels (1946–1950)
- Newport Canners (1937–1942)
- Pennington Gap Lee Bears (1937–1938) → Pennington Gap Bears (1939) → Pennington Gap Miners (1940)
- Pikeville Brewers (1982) → Pikeville Cubs (1983–1984) → Wytheville Cubs (1985–1989) → Huntington Cubs (1990–1994) → River City Rumblers (1995) → Pulaski Rangers (1997–2002) → Pulaski Blue Jays (2003–2006) → Pulaski Mariners (2008–2014) → Pulaski Yankees (2015–2020)
- Princeton Pirates (1988–1989) → Princeton Patriots (1990) → Princeton Reds (1991–1996) → Princeton Devil Rays (1997–2008) → Princeton Rays (2009–2020)
- Pulaski Braves (1982–1992) → Danville Braves (1993–2020)
- Pulaski Counts (1946–1950)
- Pulaski Phillies (1969–1977) → Paintsville Highlanders (1978) → Paintsville Yankees (1979–1982) → Paintsville Brewers (1983–1984) → Burlington Indians (1986–2006) → Burlington Royals (2007–2020)
- Salem Rebels (1955, 1957–1967)
- Welch Miners (1946–1955) → Marion A's (1955)
- Wytheville Senators (1969) → Wytheville Braves (1971–1973) → Elizabethton Twins (1974–2020)
From 2021
- Bluefield Appalachian League team (from 2021)
- Burlington Sock Puppets (from 2021)
- Danville Appalachian League team (from 2021)
- Princeton Appalachian League team (from 2021)
- Pulaski River Turtles (from 2021)
- Bristol State Liners (from 2021)
- Elizabethton River Riders (from 2021)
- Greeneville Flyboys (from 2021)
- Johnson City Doughboys (from 2021)
- Kingsport Axmen (from 2021)
Champions
League champions have been determined by different means since the Appalachian League's formation in 1911. Before 1984, the champions were usually the league pennant winners. With only a few early exceptions, champions since 1984 have been the winner of postseason playoffs.[9]
Hall of Fame
The Appalachian League Hall of Fame was started in 2019.[10]
References
- 2019 Appalachian League Media Guide
- "Appalachian League (1911 to 1955)". Stats Crew. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Minor League Baseball: the Appalachian League (Advanced-Rookie Classification)". Billssportsmaps.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- "Appalachian League (1957 to 2019)". Stats Crew. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- Cooper, J.J. (September 25, 2020). "Appalachian League To Operate As Summer Wood-Bat League". Baseball America. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- "MLB, USA Baseball Announce New Format for Appalachian League". Major League Baseball. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- "Standings". 2017 Appalachian League Media Guide and Record Book. Minor League Baseball. pp. 39–61. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- "Hall of Fame". Appalachian League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
