100 Best Minor League Baseball Teams

The 100 Best Minor League Baseball Teams were named in 2001, in celebration of the centennial of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. The list of 100 minor league teams was selected by historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright.

A preliminary list was created using a ratings formula consisting of the addition of three components:

1. League Strength: used to determine league strength; each league was given a rating from 100 points for one level below Major League Baseball, down to 20 points for class D or its equivalent
2. Winning Percentage: used to determine league dominance
3. Win Total: used to determine team strength

After this list was created, subjective evidence taken into consideration. Among these modifiers were the downgrading of war-time teams because they played in watered down circuits. Fifty percent of the second-place clubs were dropped, while the remaining teams were pushed down simply because they did not win the championship. On the other hand, some teams were pushed up because of a significant achievement, large margin of victory, or by reputation.

100 Best Minor League Baseball Teams

Rank	Year Team	League (Class)	Record	Affiliation
1	1934 Los Angeles Angels	Pacific Coast League (AA)	137 - 50	Chicago Cubs
2	1921 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	119 - 47	none
3	1937 Newark Bears	International League (AA)	109 - 43	New York Yankees
4	1924 Fort Worth Panthers	Texas League (A)	109 - 41	Detroit Tigers
5	1924 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	117 - 48	none
6	1920 St. Paul Saints	American Association (AA)	115 - 49	none
7	1903 Jersey City Skeeters	Eastern League (A)	92 - 33	none
8	1937 Salisbury Indians	Eastern Shore League (D)	80 - 16	Washington Senators
9	1920 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	110 - 43	none
10	1925 San Francisco Seals	Pacific Coast League (AA)	128 - 71	none
11	1981 Albuquerque Dukes	Pacific Coast League (AAA)	94 - 38	Los Angeles Dodgers
12	1939 Kansas City Blues	American Association (AA)	107 - 47	New York Yankees
13	1943 Los Angeles Angels	Pacific Coast League (AA)	110 - 45	Chicago Cubs
14	1920 Fort Worth Panthers	Texas League (B)	108 - 40	Detroit Tigers
15	1922 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	115 - 52	none
16	1938 Newark Bears	International League (AA)	104 - 48	New York Yankees
17	1922 Fort Worth Panthers	Texas League (A)	109 - 46	Detroit Tigers
18	1923 Kansas City Blues	American Association (AA)	112 - 54	none
19	1923 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	111 - 53	none
20	1922 Enid Harvesters	Western Association (C)	104 - 27	none
21	1920 Toronto Maple Leafs	International League (AA)	108 - 46	none
22	1911 Denver Grizzlies	Western League (A)	111 - 54	none
23	1992 Greenville Braves	Southern League (AA )	100 - 43	Atlanta Braves
24	1927 Buffalo Bisons	International League (AA)	112 - 56	none
25	1954 Waco Pirates	Big State League (B)	105 - 42	Pittsburgh Pirates
26	1931 Hartford Senators	Eastern League (A)	97 - 40	none
27	1902 Indianapolis Indians	American Association (Ind.)	96 - 45	none
28	1929 Kansas City Blues	American Association (AA)	111 - 56	none
29	1903 Los Angeles Angels	Pacific Coast League (Ind.)	133 - 78	none
30	1955 Keokuk Kernels	Illinois-Iowa-Illinois League (B)	92 - 34	Cleveland Indians
31	1906 Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League (A)	115 - 60	none
32	1921 Memphis Chicks	Southern Association (A)	104 - 49	none
33	1925 Fort Worth Panthers	Texas League (A)	103 - 48	Detroit Tigers
34	1952 Norfolk Tars	Piedmont League (B)	96 - 36	New York Yankees
35	1919 Baltimore Orioles	International League (AA)	100 - 49	none
36	1951 Charlotte Hornets	Tri-State League (NC-SC-TN) (B)	100 - 44	Washington Senators
37	1980 Denver Bears	American Association (AAA)	92 - 44	Montreal Expos
38	1970 Hawaii Islanders	Pacific Coast League (AAA)	98 - 38	California Angels
39	1926 Toronto Maple Leafs	International League (AA)	109 - 57	none
40	1952 Miami Sun Sox	Florida International League (B)	104 - 48	Brooklyn Dodgers
41	1907 Wichita Jobbers	Western Association (C)	98 - 35	none
42	1931 Houston Buffaloes	Texas League (A)	108 - 51	St. Louis Cardinals
43	1933 Columbus (OH) Red Birds	American Association (AA)	101 - 51	St. Louis Cardinals
44	1922 San Francisco Seals	Pacific Coast League (AA)	127 - 72	none
45	1918 Toronto Maple Leafs	International League (AA)	88 - 39	none
46	1921 Fort Worth Panthers	Texas League (A)	107 - 51	Detroit Tigers
47	1940 Nashville Vols	Southern Association (A1)	101 - 47	Brooklyn Dodgers
48	1924 Memphis Chicks	Southern Association (A)	104 - 49	none
49	1924 Okmulgee Drillers	Western Association (C)	110 - 48	none
50	1928 San Francisco Seals	Pacific Coast League (AA)	120 - 71	none
51	1902 Corsicana Oil Citys	Texas League (D)	87 - 23	none
52	1920 London Tecumsehs	Michigan-Ontario League (B)	86 - 32	none
53	1932 Newark Bears	International League (AA)	109 - 59	New York Yankees
54	1952 Milwaukee Brewers	American Association (AAA)	101 - 53	Boston Braves
55	1961 Reno Silver Sox	California League (C)	97 - 43	Los Angeles Dodgers
56	1931 Charlotte Hornets	Piedmont League (C)	100 - 37	none
57	1916 New London Planters	Eastern League (B)	86 - 34	none
58	1933 Davenport Blue Sox	Mississippi Valley League (B)	82 - 32	none
59	1905 Columbus Senators	American Association (A)	100 - 52	none
60	1975 Waterloo Royals	Midwest League (A)	93 - 35	Kansas City Royals
61	1950 Winston-Salem Cardinals	Carolina League (B)	106 - 47	St. Louis Cardinals
62	1983 Reading Phillies	Eastern League (AA)	96 - 44	Philadelphia Phillies
63	1906 Des Moines Champions	Western League (A)	97 - 50	none
64	1949 Stroudsburg Poconos	North Atlantic League (D)	101 - 36	Cleveland Indians
65	1941 Houston Buffaloes	Texas League (A1)	103 - 50	St. Louis Cardinals
66	1910 Joplin Miners	Western Association (C)	90 - 34	none
67	1949 Pensacola Fliers	Southeastern League (B)	98 - 42	none
68	1939 Sanford Lookouts	Florida State League (D)	98 - 35	Washington Senators
69	1980 Nashville Sounds	Southern League (AA )	97 - 46	New York Yankees
70	1978 Visalia Oaks	California League (A)	97 - 42	Minnesota Twins
71	1909 San Francisco Seals	Pacific Coast League (A)	132 - 80	none
72	1992 Columbus Clippers	International League (AAA)	95 - 49	New York Yankees
73	1993 Harrisburg Senators	Eastern League (AA)	94 - 44	Montreal Expos
74	1980 Peninsula Pilots	Carolina League (A)	100 - 40	Philadelphia Phillies
75	1979 Saltillo Saraperos	Mexican League (AAA)	95 - 40	none
76	1902 Toronto Maple Leafs	Eastern League (A)	85 - 42	none
77	1921 Independence Producers	Southwestern League (D)	103 - 38	none
78	1966 Spartanburg Phillies	Western Carolinas League (A)	91 - 35	Philadelphia Phillies
79	1955 Fresno Cardinals	California League (C)	104 - 43	St. Louis Cardinals
80	1910 Sioux City Packers	Western League (A)	108 - 60	none
81	1951 Hazard Bombers	Mountain States League (D)	93 - 33	Brooklyn Dodgers
82	1941 Wilson Tobs	Coastal Plain League (D)	87 - 30	none
83	1932 Tulsa Oilers	Western League (A)	98 - 48	Pittsburgh Pirates
84	1946 Montreal Royals	International League (AAA)	100 - 54	Brooklyn Dodgers
85	1941 Indianapolis Indians	American Association (AA)	100 - 54	Cincinnati Reds
86	1941 Newark Bears	International League (AA)	100 - 54	New York Yankees
87	1960 Toronto Maple Leafs	International League (AAA)	100 - 54	Cleveland Indians
88	1922 St. Paul Saints	American Association (AA)	107 - 60	none
89	1990 West Palm Beach Expos	Florida State League (A-Adv.)	92 - 40	Montreal Expos
90	1946 Scranton Red Sox	Eastern League (A)	90 - 43	Boston Red Sox
91	1923 St. Paul Saints	American Association (AA)	111 - 57	none
92	1947 Havana Cubans	Florida International League (C)	105 - 45	Washington Senators
93	1978 Appleton Foxes	Midwest League (A)	97 - 40	Chicago White Sox
94	1946 Abilene Blue Sox	West Texas-New Mexico League (C)	97 - 40	Brooklyn Dodgers
95	1986 Puebla Angeles	Mexican League (AAA)	88 - 41	none
96	1950 Quebec Braves	Canadian-American League (C)	97 - 40	none
97	1947 Lubbock Hubbers	West Texas-New Mexico League (C)	99 - 41	Detroit Tigers
98	1947 Stockton Ports	California League (C)	95 - 45	none
99	1944 Hartford Laurels	Eastern League (A)	99 - 38	Boston Braves
100	1944 Milwaukee Brewers	American Association (AA)	102 - 51	none

External Links

• Minor League Baseball’s list of the top 100 teams
• How the rankings were done