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The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth step between Rookie ball and the major leagues. Although Minor League Baseball, the umbrella organization for minor leagues that are affiliated with Major League Baseball, has eliminated the distinction between High-A and other full-season A leagues, most major-league teams still use such leagues as a standard promotion step. A few draftees, generally those taken in the early rounds of the draft and those with significant college experience, will be assigned to a High-A team upon signing a professional contract, but most players do not reach the High-A level until their third or fourth year of professional play.
The organization that later became the Carolina League formed in 1945, just as World War II was ending, and consisted of only two teams based in southern Virginia. Historically, however, as many as 12 teams in a given year have competed for the Carolina League pennant, and most of the league's teams have represented towns and cities in North Carolina. Today, the league consists of eight teams in a region stretching from Delaware to South Carolina, and is divided into a Northern Division and a Southern Division. The division champions from the first half and second half of each season compete in a best-of-three divisional playoff, with the winners advancing to the best-of-five league championship, the winner of which receives the Mills Cup.
A few of the many Carolina League players who have gone on to star in the Major Leagues are: Johnny Bench (Peninsula, 1966), Wade Boggs (Winston-Salem, 1977), Barry Bonds (Prince William, 1985), Rod Carew (Wilson, 1966), Dock Ellis (Kinston, 1965), Dwight Evans (Winston-Salem, 1971), Dwight Gooden (Lynchburg, 1983), Andruw Jones (Durham, 1996), Chipper Jones (Durham, 1992), Willie McCovey (Danville, 1956), Joe Morgan (Durham, 1963), Dave Parker (Salem, 1972), Tony Pérez (Rocky Mount, 1962), Jorge Posada (Prince William, 1993), Darryl Strawberry (Lynchburg, 1981), Bernie Williams (Prince William, 1988), and Carl Yastrzemski (Raleigh, 1959).
Director and screenwriter Ron Shelton's 1988 film “Bull Durham,” starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon, depicted a fictionalized account of the Durham Bulls, at that time a Carolina League team (they have since become a Class AAA team in the International League). Before he began making films, Shelton had a five-year minor league career in the Baltimore Orioles' organization, which included a stint in the Carolina League.
[edit] Current Member Teams and Stadiums
[edit] Carolina League Champions
(1) Series tied 2-2 when canceled because of Hurricane Floyd. Teams declared co-champions.
[edit] Complete team list (1945-present)
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- Lynchburg Mets (1976-87)
- Lynchburg Rangers (1975)
- Lynchburg Red Sox (1988-94)
- Lynchburg Twins (1970-74)
- Lynchburg White Sox (1966-69)
- Martinsville Athletics (1945-49)
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans (1999-present)
- Peninsula Astros (1969-70)
- Peninsula Grays (1964-68)
- Peninsula Pennants (1974)
- Peninsula Phillies (1971)
- Peninsula Pilots (1976-85, 1989-92)
- Peninsula Senators (1963)
- Portsmouth Tides (1963-67)
- Potomac Cannons (1999-04)
- Potomac Nationals (2005-present)
- Prince William Cannons (1990-98)
- Prince William Pirates (1984-86)
- Prince William Yankees (1987-89)
- Raleigh Capitals (1945-53, 1957-62)
- Raleigh Cards (1964-65)
- Raleigh Mets (1963)
- Raleigh Pirates (1966-67)
- Raleigh-Durham Mets (1968)
- Raleigh-Durham Phillies (1969)
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- Raleigh-Durham Triangles (1970-71)
- Red Springs Twins (1969)
- Reidsville Luckies (1948-54)
- Reidsville Phillies (1955)
- Rocky Mount Leafs (1962-63, 1965-72)
- Rocky Mount Phillies (1973-75)
- Rocky Mount Pines (1980)
- Rocky Mount Senators (1964)
- Salem Avalanche (1995-present)
- Salem Buccaneers (1987-94)
- Salem Pirates (1972-79)
- Salem Rebels (1968-71)
- Salem Redbirds (1980-86)
- Tidewater Tides (1963-68)
- Virginia Generals (1988)
- Wilmington Blue Rocks (1993-present)
- Wilson Pennants (1973)
- Wilson Tobs (1956-68)
- Winston-Salem Cards (1945-53)
- Winston-Salem Redbirds (1957-60)
- Winston-Salem Red Sox (1961-83)
- Winston-Salem Spirits (1984-94)
- Winston-Salem Twins (1954-56)
- Winston-Salem Warthogs (1995-present)
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
United States
