The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in 1885, but it had to shut down in 1899. A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in 1900, consisting of twelve teams. The Association shut down after the 1961 campaign.
In 1964, the original South Atlantic League (nicknamed the "Sally League" and not related to the current league of the same name), changed its name to the Southern League. The original Sally League was a mid- to higher-classification circuit that played from 1904 to 1917, 1919 to 1930 (when it was known as the South Atlantic Association), 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1963. The old Sally League grew from Class C status to Class B (through 1942), then Class A (until 1962). In its final season, it was elevated to Double-A.
The Southern League is divided into two divisions, North and South. Before 2005, the divisions were East and West, but the move of the Greenville Braves to Mississippi after the 2004 season led to a realignment. The current league president is former major league first baseman Don Mincher.[1]
[edit] Current teams
| Division | Team | MLB Affiliation | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| North | Carolina Mudcats | Cincinnati Reds | Zebulon, North Carolina | Five County Stadium | 6,500 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | Los Angeles Dodgers | Chattanooga, Tennessee | AT&T Field | 6,340 |
| Huntsville Stars | Milwaukee Brewers | Huntsville, Alabama | Joe W. Davis Stadium | 10,200 |
| Tennessee Smokies | Chicago Cubs | Kodak, Tennessee | Smokies Park | 6,412 |
| West Tenn Diamond Jaxx | Seattle Mariners | Jackson, Tennessee | Pringles Park | 6,000 |
| South | Birmingham Barons | Chicago White Sox | Hoover, Alabama | Regions Park1 | 10,800 |
| Jacksonville Suns | Florida Marlins | Jacksonville, Florida | Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville | 11,000 |
| Mississippi Braves | Atlanta Braves | Pearl, Mississippi | Trustmark Park | 7,500 |
| Mobile BayBears | Arizona Diamondbacks | Mobile, Alabama | Hank Aaron Stadium | 6,000 |
| Montgomery Biscuits | Tampa Bay Rays | Montgomery, Alabama | Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium | 7,000 |
- 1 Hosting 2009 Southern League All-Star Game
[edit] Current team rosters
[edit] Complete list of teams (1964–present)
[edit] South Atlantic League teams (prior to 1964)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://southern.league.milb.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20070221&content_id=180465&vkey=about_l111&fext=.jsp&sid=l111
[edit] External links
| Southern League | | | North Division | | | | South Division | | |
