The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early September. The league is divided into the McNamara Division, the Pinckney Division, and the Stedler Division.
Currently the league includes teams in Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Vermont, as well as in New York and Pennsylvania.
[edit] History
The league was founded in 1939 with the name "Pennsylvania – Ontario – New York League". This was generally shortened to "PONY League". The original teams included the Batavia Clippers; the Bradford Bees; the Hamilton Red Wings; the Jamestown Jaguars; the Niagara Falls Rainbows; and the Olean Oilers. The Oilers, a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate, won both the regular-season and playoff championships.
The Hamilton Red Wings folded early in the 1956 season, and with no more teams in Ontario, the league adopted its current name in 1957. The league crossed back into Canada with the formation of the St. Catharines Blue Jays in 1986. They were joined by the Hamilton Redbirds in 1987 and the Welland Pirates in 1989, but all three clubs had moved back stateside by 2000.
[edit] Player limits and requirements
New York – Penn League teams may have no more than 3 players on their active lists that have 4 or more years of prior combined Major League / Minor League service, with the exception of position players changing roles to become a pitcher or a pitcher changing into a position player. Teams may get to eliminate up to one year of time of Minor League service for players who have spent time on the disabled list.
By July 1 of each year, all clubs must have at least 10 pitchers.
Maximum number of players under team control is 35, 30 of those may be active, but only 25 may be in uniform and eligible to play in any given game.[1]
[edit] Current teams
| Division | Team | MLB Affiliation | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| McNamara | Aberdeen IronBirds | Baltimore Orioles | Aberdeen, Maryland | Ripken Stadium | 6,000 |
| Brooklyn Cyclones | New York Mets | Brooklyn, New York | KeySpan Park | 7,500 |
| Hudson Valley Renegades | Tampa Bay Rays | Wappingers Falls, New York | Dutchess Stadium | 4,494 |
| Staten Island Yankees | New York Yankees | Staten Island, New York | Richmond County Bank Ballpark | 7,171 |
| Pinckney | Auburn Doubledays | Toronto Blue Jays | Auburn, New York | Falcon Park | 2,800 |
| Batavia Muckdogs | St. Louis Cardinals | Batavia, New York | Dwyer Stadium | 2,600 |
| Jamestown Jammers | Florida Marlins | Jamestown, New York | Russell Diethrick Park | 4,200 |
| Mahoning Valley Scrappers | Cleveland Indians | Niles, Ohio | Eastwood Field | 6,000 |
| State College Spikes | Pittsburgh Pirates | University Park, Pennsylvania | Medlar Field at Lubrano Park1 | 5,406 |
| Williamsport Crosscutters | Philadelphia Phillies | Williamsport, Pennsylvania | Bowman Field | 4,200 |
| Stedler | Lowell Spinners | Boston Red Sox | Lowell, Massachusetts | Edward A. LeLacheur Park | 4,767 |
| Oneonta Tigers | Detroit Tigers | Oneonta, New York | Damaschke Field | 4,200 |
| Tri-City ValleyCats | Houston Astros | Troy, New York | Joseph L. Bruno Stadium | 4,500 |
| Vermont Lake Monsters | Washington Nationals | Burlington, Vermont | Centennial Field | 4,000 |
- 1 Hosting 2009 New York – Penn League All-Star Game
[edit] Current team rosters
[edit] League Champions By Year
- 1co-champions were named in 1998, as torrential rains in Central New York made both Auburn's and Oneonta's fields unplayable
- 2co-champions were named in 2001, as the championship series was cancelled due to the September 11th attacks with Brooklyn leading one game to none
[edit] PONY/NY-Penn League Teams (1939-)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| New York – Penn League | | | Pinckney Division | | | | McNamara Division | | | | Stedler Division | | |
