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25-723: The Wind Surge were supposed to begin play in 2020 as the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins in the Pacific Coast League . However, a combination of the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Major League Baseball 's realignment of the minor leagues for 2021, resulted in the team dropping down to Double-A as affiliates of the Twins without having played a Triple-A game. Prior to 2020,

50-476: A Triple-A player as an injury replacement is a common occurrence. The term " AAAA player ," pronounced "four-A" or "quadruple-A," refers to a player who is consistently successful when playing for Triple-A teams, but is not successful at the major league level. The term is usually used derisively and has itself been criticized as flawed. Major league team executives and managers disagree whether AAAA players exist. Teams at this level are divided into two leagues:

75-515: A nine-inning game. For the 2019 season, the number of mound visits was reduced to five, and pitchers were required to face a minimum of three consecutive batters unless the side is retired or the pitcher becomes injured and is unable to continue playing. Minor League Baseball rosters Listed below are each of the active sports leagues in Minor League Baseball , with linked articles containing rosters for each active team in

100-531: A runner on first, than it is to take three of four from the Portland Beavers . Both young players and veterans play for Triple-A teams: There are the young prospects speeding through the organization on the fastest treadmill, the guys who used to be young prospects who are in danger of topping out in Triple-A, the 30-somethings trying to get back to the majors after an injury or a rough patch, and

125-405: A team of National League -affiliated Triple-A All-Stars. Traditionally, the game was held on the day after the mid-summer Major League Baseball All-Star Game . Such games mark a symbolic halfway-point in the season, despite occurring later than the actual halfway-point of most seasons. Both Triple-A leagues shared a common All-Star break, with no regular-season games scheduled for two days before

150-633: The Junior World Series (1932–34, 1936–62, 1970–71, 1973–74), Triple-A World Series (1983, 1998–2000), and Triple-A Classic (1988–91). For the 2021 season, in place of the National Championship Game, Minor League Baseball extended the Triple-A regular season to October 3, with league champions determined based on regular-season records through the original end date of the season (September 19 for Triple-A East, and September 21 for Triple-A West). The final 10 games of

175-544: The Memphis Redbirds . Initially postponed due to the pandemic, the season was ultimately cancelled on June 30. Owner Lou Schwechheimer died from complications from COVID on July 29, 2020. In 2021, the team dropped to the Double-A classification without having played a Triple-A game due to Major League Baseball 's realignment of the minor leagues after the 2020 season. Instead of being a Miami Marlins affiliate,

200-647: The Wichita Wingnuts to break their lease at Lawrence–Dumont Stadium , with plans to demolish it and build a larger ballpark to host an affiliated Minor League Baseball team. The city later announced that a new $ 75 million stadium would be built to host the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, who agreed to relocate to Wichita beginning with the 2020 season. The club announced its nickname, Wind Surge, in November 2019. The name

225-566: The All-Star Game itself. Some additional events, such as the All-Star Fan Fest and Triple-A Home Run Derby , were held each year during this break in the regular season. While the 2021 schedule originally included a three-day All-Star break of July 12–14, this was removed after Opening Day was pushed back one month. Team schedules for the 2021 season were subsequently issued without an All-Star break. Beginning in 2006,

250-801: The International League and the Pacific Coast League. The International League fields teams primarily in the Eastern United States, while the Pacific Coast League fields teams mostly in the Western United States. Each of the 30 major league teams has an affiliation with one Triple-A team in the United States. The Triple-A All-Star Game was a single game held between the two affiliated Triple-A leagues—the International League and

275-592: The Las Vegas Ballpark. The winner of this game were the Norfolk Tides. As a part of professional baseball's pace of play initiatives implemented in 2015, 20-second pitch clocks entered use at Triple-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 a runner on second base and limiting teams to six mound visits during

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300-502: The Pacific Coast League, effective with the 2022 season. While all current and the majority of past Triple-A teams have been located in the United States, Triple-A teams have also been based in: The main purpose of Triple-A teams is to prepare players for the major leagues. In 2010, ESPN wrote: Winning is nice, but secondary. It's much more important for a young prospect like outfielder Xavier Paul to get regular at-bats against lefties, or work on dropping down sacrifice bunts with

325-457: The Pacific Coast League. Each league fielded a team composed of the top players in their respective leagues as voted on by fans, the media, and each club's field manager and general manager . The event took place every year since 1988 when the first Triple-A All-Star Game was played in Buffalo, New York . Prior to 1998, a team of American League -affiliated Triple-A All-Stars faced off against

350-815: The Wind Surge became affiliated with the Minnesota Twins . They were placed in the Double-A Central . Wichita began competition in the new league on May 4 with a 2–0 victory over the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri . The Wind Surge won the Northern Division title by finishing the 2021 season in first place with a 69–51 record. They qualified for the championship playoffs by possessing

375-882: The Wind Surge were located in Metairie, Louisiana , playing for 24 seasons as the New Orleans Zephyrs before being renamed the Baby Cakes for two seasons. In 1993, the Denver Zephyrs had been forced to move due to the creation of the Colorado Rockies expansion franchise in Major League Baseball . Before 1984, they played for nearly 30 years as the Denver Bears. In September 2018, the city of Wichita paid US$ 2.2 million to

400-612: The annual Triple-A National Championship Game was held to serve as a single championship game between the champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball. It was originally held annually at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City , and known as the Bricktown Showdown. Starting in 2011, the game was held in a different Triple-A city each year. Previous postseason interleague championships include

425-510: The classification. Prior to 1946, the top level of Minor League Baseball was Double-A , which had been established in 1912. The Triple-A classification was created before the 1946 season, and began with all three leagues then in Double-A moving up to the new level: This structure persisted for the next 75 years with only a few changes: The IL, PCL, and Mexican League continued as Triple-A leagues until Major League Baseball reorganized

450-470: The guys just playing a few more seasons because someone still wants them and they still want to. Most, if not all, of the players on an MLB team's expanded roster who are not currently on the team's active roster are assigned to the team's Triple-A club. Expanded rosters consist of 40 players, while active rosters generally consist of 26 players as of the 2021 season. Most Triple-A teams are located geographically close to their MLB parent club, as activating

475-918: The highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There are 30 teams, one per each Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, with 20 in the IL and 10 in the PCL. Triple-A teams are generally located in smaller cities who do not have major sports league teams such as Syracuse , Toledo , Reno and Omaha as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams that may also have teams in other major sports leagues , such as Austin , Jacksonville , Columbus , Buffalo , and Indianapolis . Four Triple-A teams play in

500-1134: The league's best record. In the best-of-five series, they were defeated by the second-place Northwest Arkansas Naturals , 3–2. Wichita manager Ramon Borrego was selected as the league's Manager of the Year . In 2022, the Double-A Central became known as the Texas League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches 60-day injured list [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Minnesota Twins 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 18, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB  •  Texas League → Minnesota Twins minor league players Triple-A (baseball) Triple-A (officially Class AAA ) has been

525-424: The league. As with nearly all North American professional team sports, there are limits to the roster sizes of minor-league teams, which vary by classification level. Major League Baseball -affiliated teams are limited in how many players they may place on their active rosters, except for some "rookie" leagues. At lower classification levels, there are restrictions on how much prior professional experience players on

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550-399: The minor leagues prior to the 2021 season. At that time, the IL and PCL were temporarily renamed Triple-A East and Triple-A West , respectively. The Mexican League continues to operate, independently. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, they announced on March 16, 2022, that the leagues would once again be called the International League and

575-534: The same metro areas as their parent clubs. All current Triple-A teams are located in the United States; before 2008, some Triple-A leagues also fielded teams in Canada , and from 1967 to 2020 the Mexican League was classified as Triple-A. Reasons for the relocation of these teams were solely because of costs and attendance. Other than the current two Triple-A leagues, only three other leagues have ever held

600-637: The season, played after those dates, were deemed the "Final Stretch", with the team posting the best winning percentage during that period (the Durham Bulls , who went 9–1) winning a cash prize. Since the 2022 season, the Triple-A National Championship Game has been played between the champions of the International League and the Pacific Coast League. In 2023, the Triple-A Championship game was played at

625-552: Was met with criticism from Wichita residents following the announcement. Later in the day the name was announced, a Change.org petition was started to change the name. In less than 24 hours, the petition had already collected over 7,400 signatures. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Wind Surge were scheduled to begin their inaugural season on the road playing against the Round Rock Express on April 8, 2020, and to play their first home game on April 14 against

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