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22-613: Gastonia first hosted minor league baseball in 1923, when the Gastonia "Comers" played a partial season as members of the Class B level South Atlantic League . The Gastonia Rockets were immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1950 Gastonia "Browns," who played the season as members of the Class D level Western Carolina League , finishing last in the league standings with a record of 40-70. In 1952, Gastonia resumed minor league play as

44-587: A Class A1 level (between Class A and Class AA) was established in 1936. The contemporary Double-A classification, as the second-highest level in Minor League Baseball, was established in 1946. Entering that season, the three aforementioned leagues in Class AA all moved to the newly established Triple-A, and Class A1 became Double-A with two leagues: The Texas League remained in Double-A for

66-432: A couple of years. These players can get to the Double-A level by earning a promotion from any of the lower-level leagues, with Class A-Advanced ("High-A") being immediately below Double-A in the minor league hierarchy. The step up to the Double-A level can be one of the hardest promotions for such players because it is the level at which pitchers need to have a good off-speed pitch in their repertoires. In addition, it

88-636: A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox , when the "Rockets" became members of the eight-team Class B level Tri-State League. Gastonia replaced the Greenwood Tigers franchise in joining the league. The Anderson Rebels , Asheville Tourists , Charlotte Hornets , Greenville Spinners , Knoxville Smokies , Rock Hill Chiefs and Spartanburg Peaches joined Gastonia in beginning league play on April 16, 1952. The "Rockets" moniker corresponds to aviation history in Gastonia. In 1946,

110-467: Is the highest level in the minor leagues, players may also advance to the major leagues directly from Double-A. For example, within the Toronto Blue Jays organization, 17 position players were promoted from Double-A directly to MLB during 1978–2018; approximately one player every two seasons. As players at the Double-A level are, generally, still improving their skills, it could be argued that

132-420: Is the level where fastball -only hitters need to learn how to hit off-speed pitches, or their hopes of advancing to the majors will diminish. Some players may be placed in Double-A to begin their minor league careers, usually veterans from foreign leagues or top prospects out of college. Additionally, major league clubs sometimes send players to their Double-A team to rehabilitate from injuries. While Triple-A

154-863: Is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A . There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball , organized into three leagues: the Eastern League , the Southern League , and the Texas League . Class AA ("Double-A") was established in 1912, as the new highest classification of Minor League Baseball . Previously, Class A had been

176-490: 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 . The original South Atlantic League was founded in 1904 by Charles W. Boyer and J.B. Lucy as a Class C league, equivalent to an Advanced Rookie league in

198-617: The 51-year history of the league was retired with the South Atlantic League name. In 1980, the Western Carolinas League resurrected the name as it became the current South Atlantic League . League champions were determined by different means throughout the league's history. Playoffs were held in most seasons, while in others the champions were simply the regular season pennant winners. Double-A (baseball) Double-A (officially Class AA )

220-695: The Gastonia Airport was opened. In their first season of league play, the Gastonia Rockets won the 1952 Tri-State League pennant. The Rockets ended the Tri-State League regular season with a record of 89-50, finishing first in the standings, 1.5 games ahead of the second place Charlotte Hornets. Hal Van Pelt served as the Gastonia manager. In the first round of the four-team playoffs, the Spartanburg Peaches defeated

242-471: The Gastonia Rockets hosted minor league home games at Sims Legion Park . The original ballpark was built in 1950, with a major renovation in 1977 and again in 2021. Still in use today, the ballpark is located at 1001 North Marietta Street. South Atlantic League (1904%E2%80%931963) The South Atlantic League , nicknamed the SALLY League , was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in

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264-596: The Rockets ended the season 28.5 behind the first place Spartanburg Peaches. Gastonia was replaced by the Knoxville Smokies in the 1954 Tri-State League, after Knoxville had disbanded in 1953. Gastonia, North Carolina next hosted minor league baseball in 1959, when the Gastonia Pirates played a partial season as members of the Class A level South Atlantic League . In their two seasons of play,

286-496: The Rockets three games to two. Alex Cosmidis of Gastonia scored 122 runs to lead the Tri-state league in that category. The Rockets continued play as the 1953 Tri-State League reduced to six teams, in what proved to be the final season of the team. Gastonia did not qualify for the 1953 playoffs, as the Rockets placed fifth in the Tri-State League regular season standings with a 66–81 record. With Hal Van Pelt returning as manager,

308-463: The SALLY League was revived as a Class A circuit from 1946 to 1962. In 1963, it was reclassified as a Double-A league along with the other Class A leagues. The circuit reorganized as the Southern League in 1964. To distance itself from its history at lower classifications, the newly-named league elected to start with a clean slate and not maintain records prior to the 1964 season. Thusly,

330-488: The existing leagues were temporarily renamed: Eastern League as Double-A Northeast , Southern League as Double-A South , and Texas League as Double-A Central . Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, MLB announced on March 16, 2022, that the leagues would revert to their prior names, effective with the 2022 season. The Double-A classification usually hosts developing players that have been part of professional baseball for only

352-547: The highest level, predating the establishment of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues—the formal name of Minor League Baseball—in 1901. Entering the 1912 season, three leagues were designated as Class AA: Each of these leagues had previously been in Class A. Each remained in Class AA through 1945, then moved into Class AAA (" Triple-A ") when it was established in 1946. No other leagues were designated Class AA during 1912–1945, although

374-655: The next 75 years. During this time, there were limited changes to leagues at the Double-A level: Entering the 2020 minor league season (which was not played, due to the COVID-19 pandemic ) the Texas League had been in Double-A since 1946, the Eastern League since 1963, and the Southern League since 1964. Prior to the 2021 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) reorganized the minor leagues. At that time,

396-428: The pre-2021 minor league scheme. After a year of dormancy in 1918, it continued at that classification from 1919 to 1920 before being elevated to Class B (equivalent to short-season Class A before 2021 and a Class A league today)in 1921. The Great Depression caused the league to shut down from 1931 to 1935, but it returned at Class B from 1936 to 1942. Three more years of dormancy occurred during World War II , but

418-477: The pure talent level is higher in Double-A than Triple-A, where there may be some stagnation of talent. Because players are not often moved back and forth from their major league parent club as often happens in Triple-A, the rosters of Double-A teams tend to be more stable. Fans of Double-A teams thus have a longer amount of time to get acquainted with the players, which helps create a better relationship between

440-429: The start of the 2021 minor league season was delayed by a month, team schedules were released without a break for an all-star game. As a part of pace-of-play initiatives implemented in 2015, 20-second pitch clocks entered use at Double-A stadiums in 2015. In 2018, the time was shortened to 15 seconds when no runners are on base. Other significant changes implemented in 2018 included beginning extra innings with

462-462: The team and its fans. Prior to the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, all three active Double-A leagues played split seasons , with the Eastern League moving to that system in 2019. Teams winning their division in either half of the season qualified for the postseason, with wild card teams filling out the remaining spots in a bracket tournament , usually composed of four teams. On June 30, 2021, Minor League Baseball announced that

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484-574: The top two teams in each league (based on full-season winning percentage , and regardless of division) would meet in a best-of-five postseason series to determine league champions. Prior to the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, each of the active Double-A leagues held its own midseason All-Star Game. From 1991 to 2002, the three combined to hold the Double-A All-Star Game between teams of American League -affiliated All-Stars and National League -affiliated All-Stars. After

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