Back Minor League Baseball Danish Minor League Baseball German Minor League Baseball Esperanto Ligas Menores de Béisbol Spanish Minor League Baseball Finnish Ligue mineure de baseball French Minor League Baseball Galician Minor League Baseball Italian マイナーリーグベースボール Japanese 마이너 리그 베이스볼 Korean
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (November 2023) |
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| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 5, 1901 |
| No. of teams | 208 |
| Countries | United States (157 teams) Canada (1 team) + Dominican Republic (Rookie League) (50 teams) (as of 2024 season) |
| Headquarters | New York City, U.S. |
| TV partner(s) | Stadium, Bally Live App MiLB.tv, local tv stations |
| Official website | MiLB.com |
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5th, 1901 in response to the growing dominance of the National League and American League as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, shortened to the NAPBL or NA.
Minor League Baseball originated as simply the second tier of professional baseball in the United States, comprising clubs that lacked the financial means to compete with the National League and later the American League. The association of minor leagues remained independent throughout the early 20th century, protected by agreements with the Major Leagues to ensure they were compensated when minor league players were poached by major league clubs. Later, Minor League Baseball evolved to be constituted entirely of affiliates of larger clubs, giving young prospects a chance to develop their skills before competing in the Major Leagues.
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, an off-season autumn league, and one affiliated rookie league in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, four independent leagues are in association with MiLB.