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BA published an article today listing the 120 affiliated minor league teams for 2021 and the leagues they're in. I perused the list and saw some names I've never seen before. Among them was a team called the Rocket City Trash Pandas. This was such an unusual name that I had to look it up. At first I thought "Trash Pandas" was something some marketing person dreamed up or maybe some imaginative fan that sent in suggestions for a team name. Turns out that a Trash Panda is another name for a raccoon, which makes sense if you think about it. I had no idea where Rocket City was. I would have guessed somewhere in the Houston area or maybe the central Florida Atlantic coast. Turns out that it is Huntsville, Alabama (they have a lot of tech and aerospace there).
Lots of other changes. What used to be the Carolina League is now the MId-Atlantic League. The NOrthwest League is now a HI-A League moving up from Short-Season-A and will have only 6 teams. No more INternational League or PCL - these are now the East/Midwest AAA League and the West AAA League. The Midwest League has moved up from LOw-A to HI-A and the Florida State and California Leagues have moved down from HI-A to Low-A and there will be 3 LO-A leagues instead of 2 as was the case before. Many of the teams from the now defunct Short-Season-A NY-Penn League are now in the Mid-Atlantic League, including the Orioles affiliate, Aberdeen. It replaces Frederick as the org's HI-A affiliate and Frederick will now be in the MLB Draft League, a league for draft-eligible amateurs. Some teams in previously independent leagues, including Sugar Land and St Paul, will now be Triple-A affiliates. The Appalachian League will now be a wood-bat summer Collegiate league. The PIoneer League will be an MLB "Partner league". There will no longer be any affiliated short-season baseball and in all 43 affiliated teams lost their affiliations.
Lots of other changes. What used to be the Carolina League is now the MId-Atlantic League. The NOrthwest League is now a HI-A League moving up from Short-Season-A and will have only 6 teams. No more INternational League or PCL - these are now the East/Midwest AAA League and the West AAA League. The Midwest League has moved up from LOw-A to HI-A and the Florida State and California Leagues have moved down from HI-A to Low-A and there will be 3 LO-A leagues instead of 2 as was the case before. Many of the teams from the now defunct Short-Season-A NY-Penn League are now in the Mid-Atlantic League, including the Orioles affiliate, Aberdeen. It replaces Frederick as the org's HI-A affiliate and Frederick will now be in the MLB Draft League, a league for draft-eligible amateurs. Some teams in previously independent leagues, including Sugar Land and St Paul, will now be Triple-A affiliates. The Appalachian League will now be a wood-bat summer Collegiate league. The PIoneer League will be an MLB "Partner league". There will no longer be any affiliated short-season baseball and in all 43 affiliated teams lost their affiliations.
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