This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

Short season refers to class A minor baseball leagues that play only about 75 games each season, as opposed to the typical 140 games for a "normal" affiliated minor league. Currently, there are only two affiliated minor leagues that fit the definition of "short season" leagues: the New York-Penn League and Northwest League.

Their season starts in June and ends in early September (thus, there are only a few off-days during the season). Teams in Short-Season A leagues are generally in small to medium-sized cities (Aberdeen, Maryland; Eugene, Oregon; Burlington, Vermont; State College, Pennsylvania; Lowell, Massachusetts; Spokane, Washington), although exceptions exist—one team is in Vancouver (the only Canadian team currently in the affiliated minor leagues), another is in Everett, Washington a suburb of Seattle, and two are in New York City, each affiliated with one of the city's MLB teams.

Short-season ball is the highest level short-season affiliate for 22 MLB organizations. The remaining eight clubs have their highest level short-season affiliate in either the Appalachian or Pioneer Leagues. In many instances players drafted out of college will begin their careers at this level, while high-school draftees will more often begin their careers in either an Advanced-Rookie or Rookie League.

The late start to the season is designed to allow college players to complete the College World Series, which runs through late-June, before turning professional, give major league teams time to sign their newest draftees, and immediately place them in a competitive league. Players in these leagues are a mixture of newly-signed draftees and second-year pros who weren't ready to move on, or for whom there was not space at a higher level to move up. Second-year pros tend to be assigned to extended spring training until the short-season leagues begin.

For many players, this is the first time they have ever used wooden baseball bats, because aluminum bats are most common in the amateur game, as well as the first time they have played every day for a prolonged basis, as amateur competitions typically regulate the number of games played in a week. Players are permitted to use certain approved composite bats at this classification, to help them make the transition from aluminum to wood bats.

Short-Season A is not a subclassification of Class A. It is a distinct classification.

This baseball-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e