Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), including teams affiliated with MLB clubs.
Sport
September 5, 1901
120
United States (119 teams)
Canada (1 team) +
Dominican Republic (Rookie League) (46 teams)
(as of 2021 season)
New York City, U.S.
Stadium,
Bally Live App
MiLB.tv, local tv stations
Entering the 2021 season, the number of full-season MLB-affiliated minor leagues with teams in the United States and Canada was reduced to 11, with a total of 120 teams (four per each of the 30 MLB franchises).[1] There are also two affiliated rookie leagues based in the United States, with teams based at the parent clubs' spring training complexes in Arizona and Florida, and one affiliated rookie league in the Dominican Republic.
Classification history[edit]
19th century[edit]
The earliest classifications used in the minor leagues began circa 1890, for teams that were party to the National Agreement of 1883.[18]: 15 The different levels represented different levels of protection for player contracts and reserve clauses:[18]: 15
Minor League Baseball was governed through a centralized office until the restructuring of the minor leagues in 2021, with Major League Baseball itself now handling "all issues related to governance, scheduling, umpiring, license compliance, and other league administration functions."[3] Minor league headquarters were located in St. Petersburg, Florida, from 1973 onward.[69] As of 2009, Minor League Baseball had 27 employees in St. Petersburg.[69] Before coming under the direct control of MLB, 11 people served as president of Minor League Baseball:[70]
Broadcasting[edit]
Radio[edit]
Nearly every minor-league team has its own local radio contract, though unlike their major-league counterparts, these generally consist of only one or two individual stations.
Also see: Sports radio networks in the United States (MiLB is a sub-template).
Television[edit]
Nationally, Minor League Baseball games air on Stadium[86] and MLB Network.[87]
Many individual teams have contracts with local television channels. For example, the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians have a contract with WISH-TV to air 35 home games during the 2021 season.[88]
Streaming media[edit]
MiLB.TV is the minor leagues' online video streaming service, in the vein of Major League Baseball's MLB.tv. Entering the 2021 season, the subscription service offers games for all Triple-A and Double-A teams, and select games from other classifications.[89]
TuneIn has provided free audio streams to minor league games, accessible through the MiLB.TV website.[90]
