Starting 9: Minor League Baseball Playoff Picture
With minor league baseball coming to a close in the next few weeks, let’s take a look around the game at each league’s playoff procedure and how the races are shaping up.
But first…
Before we dig into the exact standings and such, a quick word on the reality of playoff runs in the minor leagues – they matter very little.
Yes, you always want to see your team win, but the goal is not to have the best team in AAA if you’re a major league team. It is to develop the best development system in all of minor league baseball. That could mean that a team in first place might see its best player and best pitcher leave the team over the last month of the season, severely damaging its chances for a season title.
All that said, having team success is a very positive part of developing future major leaguers, so playoff season in minor league baseball is something to at least keep notes on over the next 30-45 days.
AAA
There are two AAA leagues in minor league baseball. The International League utilizes season-long standings to seed playoffs among three divisions of teams, with one wild card team making the playoffs as well.
Currently, the Gwinnett Stripers of the International League not only have the best record in the league, but they also got a recent influx of top prospects from their parent club Atlanta Braves’ AA affiliate, which should stack their roster for a postseason run. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees organization) and Columbus (Cleveland) are the other two division leaders. Presently, the wild card leader is only a half-game out of the second-best record in the IL, but Durham (Tampa Bay) only leads Charlotte (White Sox) by 2.5 games. No other team is currently within 6 games of the wild card lead.
The International League’s regular season ends on September 2nd. Playoffs begin on September 4th with two rounds of best-of-5 series to determine league champion.
The other AAA league in minor league baseball is the Pacific Coast League. The league is divided up into two conferences and four divisions. In the American conference, Iowa (Cubs) has a commanding lead in the Northern division while San Antonio (Milwaukee) and Round Rock (Houston) are battling for the Southern division title, with the Missions holding a 1.5 game lead on the Express currently.
In the Pacific conference, Sacramento (San Francisco) has a comfortable lead in the Northern division while Las Vegas (Oakland) and El Paso (San Diego) have a tight battle in the Southern division, with the Aviators holding a 1-game advantage over the Chihuahuas.
The winners in each conference division play to determine the conference champion in best-of-5 series, then the winners of each conference meet in another best-of-5 series to determine the PCL champ. The PCL regular season, like the IL, ends on September 2nd and playoffs begin on September 4th.
The best part of all is that the winner of the International League and Pacific Coast League then meet for the Triple-A Championship Game in Memphis on September 17th, one of the more fun events in minor league baseball.
AA
Three AA leagues dot the minor league baseball landscape, and they have varying levels of playoff excitement currently.
The Eastern League splits into first-half and second-half division winners for its two divisions. Currently, the two first-half division winners, Trenton (Yankees) and Harrisburg (Washington), are not really in play for second half division titles, so the teams leading will be important to watch. Reading (Philadelphia) has a 5-game lead on the Eastern division currently over Portland (Boston).
The two best teams in the second half of the season in the Eastern League happen to both play in the Western division, as Erie (Detroit) leads Bowie (Baltimore) by 1 1/2 games. Both teams are playing at an incredible pace, with their second-half winning percentages equating to a 110+ win season over 162 games!
The Southern League also uses split halves format, but they’re currently seeing both first-half division winners, Montgomery (Tampa Bay) and Biloxi (Milwaukee), lead in the second half as well. Montgomery sports a 1.5-game lead on Jackson (Arizona) and Biloxi leads Jacksonville (Miami) by 2 games, so both will have challenges down the stretch.
If both were to win their division again, it’d default to the best record behind the division winners. In the North division, that’d be Jackson by far. In the South division, there’s more of a challenge with Pensacola (Minnesota), Jacksonville, and Mississippi (Atlanta) within 7 games of each other in overall record.
Finally, the Texas League also works with split halves and has both division winners repeating in the second half as Arkansas (Seattle) and Amarillo (San Diego) are two of the more talent-rich rosters in minor league baseball. Both are dominating the overall records as well, with just two other teams in the entire Texas League with a .500 record or better on the season, Tulsa (Dodgers) and Midland (Oakland), the teams that would join them in the playoffs currently.
High A
With minor league baseball seeing affiliates shuffle, the one level to actually see teams shift leagues completely has been at the high-A level.
The California League is the league that has lost teams, now down to 8 members of the league. The league uses split-half playoff seeding, which currently has both first-half division winners, Visalia (Arizona) and Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers) leading again in the second half. The Quakes have a much more precarious position, however, as Lake Elsinore (San Diego) and Lancaster (Colorado) trail them by a single game entering play on Tuesday.
The Carolina League has been the team to add affiliates from former Cal League organizations, with two new clubs that began play the last few years. They use split-half seeding, and that has Down East (Texas) in position to take both halves, but Wilmington (Kansas City) is not having the same success in the second half, opening the door for a good battle between Salem (Boston) and Potomac (Washington).
A dozen teams are split across two divisions in the Florida State League. The FSL uses a split-half seeding system, and while Dunedin (Toronto) is in first in the second half after winning the first half, Fort Myers (Minnesota) is not in the same shape. In fact, the South division is going to produce the best record by far in the league in the second half as Charlotte (Tampa Bay) is leading St. Lucie (Mets) by 3 games, but both are playing at what would be a 100+ win pace in MLB by winning percentage.
Low-A
Two leagues encapsulate a representative team from every major league organization, and there are some very intriguing races coming down the stretch in both leagues at the low-A level.
The Midwest League uses a split-half format, but they also have first-half wild cards. The first-half division leaders were Quad Cities (Houston) and Great Lakes (Dodgers), and while both are having very good second halves, Quad Cities is well behind in their division. Kane County (Arizona) has surged in the second half behind a very talented pitching staff while Bowling Green’s (Tampa Bay) consistency will likely finally be rewarded as they have been just behind Great Lakes and Quad Cities in overall record on the season.
The first-half wild cards in the Midwest League went to Lake County (Cleveland) and Cedar Rapids (Minnesota). With Great Lakes repeating as division leader, another team from the Eastern division will get a playoff spot, and that spot is going to be a close battle between South Bend (Cubs) and Lansing (Toronto). Clinton (Seattle) will get the Western wild card in the second half.
The most exciting league to watch as the season closes for playoff purposes in minor league baseball could very well be the South Atlantic League, otherwise known as the Sally League. The Sally League uses a split-half format, and quite simply, Delmarva (Baltimore) has dominated the Northern division all season, with nearly a 10-game lead on the best overall record for the season. Behind Delmarva in the Northern division to take the second playoff spot from that division will be a good competition between Hickory (Texas) and Greensboro (Pittsburgh).
The Southern division is where the action will be to close out the season, however. Lexington (Kansas City) won the division in the first half, but they aren’t really in play in the second half, but four teams are within 3 games of the division lead, with Asheville (Colorado) and Augusta (San Francisco) tied atop the division with Charleston (Yankees) and Rome (Atlanta) in hot pursuit!
Short-Season A
The New York-Penn League utilizes a wild card format in their playoffs, with three division winners and one wild card. Currently, all three division leaders have at least a 2-game lead. Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay) has the best record and would play the wild card winner in the semifinals best-of-3 matchup. The wild card chase currently has four teams within 3 games of the top spot, with Brooklyn (Mets) leading at this writing while Aberdeen (Baltimore), West Virginia (Pittsburgh), and Staten Island (Yankees) are all in the hunt.
The other two division winners square off in the other semifinal series, which would feature Batavia (Miami) and Lowell (Boston) as standings currently sit. Semifinal winners square off in a best-of-3 championship series.
The Northwest League uses a split-half format the winners of each division in each half squaring off in a best-of-3 series then division series winners battling in a best-of-5 championship series.
Spokane (Texas) won the first half in the North and leads the division in the second half as well, but only by a game over Tri-City (San Diego). Eugene (Cubs) and Hillsboro (Arizona) have been neck-and-neck through the second half and are tied atop the South division. Salem-Keizer (San Francisco) took the South division title in the first half. Tri-City could be in tough shape, as they would fall just short of the second-half division title and also are behind Everett (Seattle) in overall record to earn the second playoff spot for the North if Spokane wins both halves. Hillsboro currently has the best record in the league overall, but they could miss the playoffs if they don’t beat out Eugene.
Advanced Rookie
Rosters are shuffling for the final month in advanced rookie levels as prep draftees are working up from complex ball and college draftees are moving from the advanced rookie clubs to full-season teams. The could mean the clubs in the playoffs don’t exactly look like the teams that earned the playoff spot!
In the Appalachian League, Pulaski (Yankees) has outpaced the league with only Burlington (Kansas City) even within 5 games, but Burlington is in the same division as Pulaski, meaning they’re likely to square off in one half of the semifinals once playoffs start. In the West division, four teams are within 3 games of each other and two teams, Johnson City (St. Louis) and Elizabethton (Minnesota), are tied atop the division currently. The top two teams in the West would battle for the other semifinal spot. Elizabethton is the two-time defending Appy League champion.
The Pioneer League utilizes a split-half system, and while Idaho Falls (Kansas City) has fallen off significantly from their first-half North division win, Ogden (Dodgers) is again leading the South. Billings (Cincinnati) has played very well in the second half in the North and has created a notable lead in that division. Grand Junction has a 2-game lead for the second South spot.
Domestic Rookie
With rehabbing players coming through and often times providing a boost to many complex teams, their playoff rosters are the least likely to represent the team that earned the record among minor league baseball playoffs.
In the Arizona Rookie League, they use a split halves division winner format with each of the three division winners from the first half earning a playoff spot. In the first half, the Giants Orange, Indians Blue, and Rangers teams each won their respective divisions. Only the Giants Orange are leading in the second half, with the best record in the league in the second half, joined by the Padres 2 team and Padres 1 team among division leaders currently. Going by the best record in the East division behind the Giants Orange would put the Arizona Gold team also in the playoffs currently.
The Gulf Coast League joins the AZL in using single-game elimination rather than a series in their championships, which allows them to finish playoffs a week ahead of other leagues. The GCL has three divisions and utilizes a system with four teams making the playoffs – the three division winners and a wild card team.
The division leaders currently are the Marlins, Phillies West, and Orioles, each by at least 2 games over their 2nd place team in their division. The Twins would be the Wild Card currently, as they have a 2-game lead over the Tigers West squad. Those two teams are 3 games ahead of any other team competing for the Wild Card spot at this point.
International Rookie
Teams in the Dominican Summer League have the earliest playoffs in minor league baseball, meaning they’re closest to playoff time. Playoffs begin August 26th and will likely be wrapped up before stateside teams even begin their playoffs.
Since the Venezuelan Summer League disbanded after the 2015 due to player safety concerns, the DSL has been the home to all foreign rookie teams, meaning there are six divisions that host 45 total teams as many teams have multiple affiliates in the league.
The six division winners all make the playoffs, and many divisions have been wrapped up at this point, with the Cardinals Blue, Reds, and Pirates2 all posting double-digit game leads on their second-place team in the division. The Pirates2 team is playing at an incredible .806 clip, which is a 131-win pace over 162 games!
The Diamondbacks2 lead three pursuers who are all within 4 games in their division. The Royals1 team has been neck-and-neck with the Red Sox1 team for the last month or so, with the Royals1 team holding a 1-game lead with roughly 10 games to play. The tightest race is in the South division where Cardinals Blue and Rockies are tied atop the division with the Phillies Red squad just one game behind, so that should be a fun three-way battle until the end.
That should give you a good idea of the playoff picture around minor league baseball!
Benjamin Chase
After 6 years of writing for FanSided on various sites and offering contributions to various other websites, family changes have encouraged me to start this site. I spend a ton of time watching baseball at all levels, but I love watching minor league baseball on milb.tv as I'm hours away from the closest minor league team. This is an effort of all those games I enjoy on a daily basis!
