MADISON, Alabama — Minor League Baseball today announced the return of the historical names for the 11 leagues that comprise the player development system for Major League Baseball’s 30 Clubs. During the 2021 season, the leagues had regional names (Triple-A East, Triple-A West, etc.) while the rights to the use of the historic league names were in the process of being acquired by MLB.
“Major League Baseball is pleased to restore the historic names for each of the minor leagues that our fans are familiar with,” said Peter Woodfork, Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President of Minor League Operations and Development. “We are excited for what the future holds for each of these leagues and the communities that make up Minor League Baseball.”
As part of ongoing fan communications and feedback, MLB formally updated the initial classification levels to Triple-A, Double- A, High-A and Single-A. All league logos from the 2019 season will return, with the exception of a new logo for the Pacific Coast League.
The Southern League was originally founded in 1885 and returns as one of the oldest and most historic leagues in Minor League Baseball.
North Alabama's team has been a part of the Southern League for decades. Most recently, the Mobile BayBears franchise relocated and became the Rocket City Trash Pandas ahead of the 2020 season.
The Mobile franchise was a Southern League member from 1997-2019 and won four Southern League championships while producing Major League stars such as Paul Goldschmidt, Max Scherzer, and Jake Peavy.
First, the Huntsville Stars were members of the Southern League from 1985-2014. Beginning as the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, the Stars soared to a Southern League Championship in their first season in 1985 behind Southern League MVP Jose Canseco.
The Stars went on to win two more Southern League titles as millions of fans attended games at Joe W. Davis Stadium to watch future Major League legends including Ryan Braun, Tim Hudson, Nelson Cruz, Mark McGwire, and more.
The 2022 Trash Pandas season begins on Friday, April 8 at Birmingham before the home opener at Toyota Field on Tuesday, April 12 against Pensacola.
