Carolina League
The Carolina League was a class A minor league that began play in 1945 and lasted until 2019. After the 2020 season was cancelled by the Coronavirus pandemic, it was dissolved as part of the reorganization of the minor leagues, with many of its former teams joining the Low-A East section of the Professional Development League. It was historically based around cities in North Carolina and Virginia. In 2022, the Low-A east rebranded itself as the Carolina League.
The league last operated as a ten-team circuit, with two divisions of five teams each, following the addition of two teams prior to the 2017 season. While the league had been in operation continuously since 1945, it almost went out of business in the mid-1970s, when it dwindled to just four teams from 1975 to 1977. Adding a couple of unaffiliated franchises in the wake of the expansion of 1977 saved the circuit.
The film Bull Durham is set in the Carolina League.
Current Teams, Managers, and Affiliations[edit]
North Division | Central Division | South Division | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Manager | Affiliation | Team | Manager | Affiliation | Team | Manager | Affiliation | ||
Delmarva Shorebirds | Collin Woody | Baltimore Orioles | Carolina Mudcats | Nick Stanley | Milwaukee Brewers | Augusta GreenJackets | Wynston Sawyer | Atlanta Braves | ||
Fredericksburg Nationals | Jake Lowery | Washington Nationals | Down East Wood Ducks | Carlos Maldonado | Texas Rangers | Charleston RiverDogs | Sean Smedley | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
Lynchburg Hillcats | Jordan Smith | Cleveland Indians | Fayetteville Woodpeckers | Ricky Rivera | Houston Astros | Columbia Fireflies | Jesus Azuaje | Kansas City Royals | ||
Salem Red Sox | Liam Carroll | Boston Red Sox | Kannapolis Cannon Ballers | Pat Leyland | Chicago White Sox | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Buddy Bailey | Chicago Cubs |
League Champions and Award Winners[edit]
NOTE: 1999 Mills Cup Championship Series canceled because of Hurricane Floyd with the series tied 2-2. In 2017, the finals were canelled because of Hurricane Irma. In both, cases two teams were declared co-champions.
League Presidents[edit]
- Thomas Wilson (1945-47)
- Carroll Brown (1948)
- Herb Brett (1949)
- Ted Mann (1949-56)
- Bill Jessup (1957-69)
- Wallace McKenna (1970-76)
- James Mills (1977-83)
- John Hopkins (1984-2020)
Cities Represented[edit]
- Delaware:
- Wilmington, DE: Wilmington Blue Rocks 1993-2019
- Maryland:
- Frederick, MD: Frederick Keys 1989-2019
- Hagerstown, MD: Hagerstown Suns 1981-1988
- North Carolina:
- Asheville, NC: Asheville Tourists 1967
- Buies Creek, NC: Buies Creek Astros 2017-2018
- Burlington, NC: Burlington Bees 1945-1951; Burlington Indians 1958-1964; Burlington Senators 1965-1971; Burlington Rangers 1972
- Burlington, NC & Graham, NC: Burlington-Graham Pirates 1952-1955
- Durham, NC: Durham Bulls 1945-1967; Durham Bulls 1980-1997
- Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville A's 1950-1952; Fayetteville Highlanders 1953-1956 Fayetteville Woodpeckers 2019
- Greensboro, NC: Greensboro Patriots 1945-1957; Greensboro Yankees 1958-1967; Greensboro Patriots 1968
- High Point, NC & Thomasville, NC: High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms 1954-1958; High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms 1968; High Point-Thomasville Royals 1969
- Kinston, NC: Kinston Eagles 1956-1957; Kinston Eagles 1962-1973; Kinston Expos 1974; Kinston Eagles 1978-1981; Kinston Blue Jays 1982-1985; Kinston Eagles 1986; Kinston Indians 1987-2011; Down East Wood Ducks 2017-2019
- Leaksville, NC, Spray, NC: & Draper, NC Leaksville-Spray-Draper Triplets 1945-1947
- Raleigh, NC: Raleigh Capitals 1945-1953; Raleigh Capitals 1958-1962; Raleigh Mets 1963; Raleigh Cardinals 1964-1965; Raleigh Pirates 1966-1967
- Raleigh, NC & Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham Mets 1968; Raleigh-Durham Phillies 1969; Raleigh-Durham Triangles 1970-1971
- Red Springs, NC: Red Springs Twins 1969
- Reidsville, NC: Reidsville Luckies 1948-1954; Reidsville Phillies 1955
- Rocky Mount, NC: Rocky Mount Leafs 1962-1963; Rocky Mount Senators 1964; Rocky Mount Leafs 1965-1972; Rocky Mount Phillies 1973-1975; Rocky Mount Pines 1980
- Wilson, NC: Wilson Tobs 1956-1968; Wilson Pennants 1973
- Winston-Salem, NC: Winston-Salem Cardinals 1945-1953; Winston-Salem Twins 1954-1956; Winston-Salem Red Birds 1957-1960; Winston-Salem Red Sox 1961-1983; Winston-Salem Spirits 1984-1994; Winston-Salem Warthogs 1995-2008; Winston-Salem Dash 2009-2019
- Zebulon, NC: Carolina Mudcats 2012-2019
- South Carolina:
- Myrtle Beach, SC: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1999-2019
- Virginia:
- Alexandria, VA: Alexandria Dukes 1978; Alexandria Mariners 1979; Alexandria Dukes 1980-1983
- Danville, VA: Danville Leafs 1945-1958; Danville 97s 1998
- Fredericksburg, VA: Fredericksburg Nationals 2020 (did not play)
- Hampton, VA: Peninsula Grays 1963-1968; Peninsula Astros 1969; Peninsula Phillies 1970-1971; Peninsula Pennants 1974; Peninsula Pilots 1976-1985; Peninsula White Sox 1986-1987; Virginia Generals 1988; Peninsula Pilots 1989-1992
- Lynchburg, VA: Lynchburg White Sox 1966-1969; Lynchburg Twins 1970-1974; Lynchburg Rangers 1975; Lynchburg Mets 1976-1987; Lynchburg Red Sox 1988-1994; Lynchburg Hillcats 1995-2019
- Martinsville, VA: Martinsville A's 1945-1949
- Portsmouth, VA: Portsmouth Tides 1963-1968
- Salem, VA: Salem Rebels 1968-1971; Salem Pirates 1972-1980; Salem Redbirds 1981-1986; Salem Buccaneers 1987-1994; Salem Avalanche 1995-2008; Salem Red Sox 2009-2019
- Woodbridge, VA: Prince William Pirates 1984-1986; Prince William Yankees 1987-1988; Prince William Cannons 1989-1998; Potomac Cannons 1999-2004; Potomac Nationals 2005-2019
Alumni[edit]
Hall of Famers[edit]
- Heinie Manush (Manager, 1945 Martinsville Athletics)
- Earl Weaver (1950 Winston-Salem Cardinals)
- Joe Medwick (Manager, 1951 Raleigh Capitals)
- Willie McCovey (1956 Danville Leafs)
- Carl Yastrzemski (1959 Raleigh Capitals)
- Enos Slaughter (Manager, 1961 Raleigh Capitals)
- Tony Perez (1962 Rocky Mount Leafs)
- Joe Morgan (1963 Durham Bulls)
- Satchel Paige (1966 Peninsula Grays) - Paige was also signed to pitch one game for Greensboro in 1955, but George Trautman ruled the contract invalid
- Johnny Bench (1966 Peninsula Grays)
- Rod Carew (1966 Wilson Tobs)
- Wade Boggs (1977 Winston-Salem Red Sox)
- Fred McGriff (1983 Kinston Blue Jays)
- Jim Thome (1990 Kinston Indians)
- Chipper Jones (1992 Durham Bulls)
Further Reading[edit]
- Bill Kirkland: Eddie Neville of the Durham Bulls, 1993
- Jim L. Sumner: Separating the Men from the Boys, 1994
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