In 2001, during the

centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

celebration of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, Minor League Baseball tasked

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

historians

Bill Weiss William J. Weiss (June 2, 1925, Chicago – August 16, 2011, San Mateo, California), was an American baseball historian and statistician. He served as the official statistician for the Pacific Coast League, and edited a weekly newsletter for ...

and Marshall Wright to develop a list of the top 100 best minor league baseball teams of the century. Their list includes 69 distinct franchises from across the United States and in Canada and Mexico. There are representatives from every decade of the century. Weiss and Wright developed a statistical formula to evaluate teams. First, a rating was given to each league. They assigned 100 points for Triple-A leagues down to 20 points for Class D leagues. The equivalent classifications of each league were used to adjust for changes in the minor league structure since 1900. Next, individual teams were graded based on

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

and total wins in order to assess each team's strength against its league and its season-long performance. The combination of these three metrics resulted in a statistical list of the century's top teams. Weiss and Wright further took into account intangibles such as winning a pennant, significant achievements, or reputation in creating their final list. Of the 69 franchises to make the list, 14 appeared more than once. The

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

took 6 places on the list, the most of any team, followed by the Ft. Worth Panthers and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

(5),

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

and San Francisco Seals (4); Kansas City Blues,

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, and St. Paul Saints (3); and

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, Columbus Senators/Red Birds,

Houston Buffaloes The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League Baseball, Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The clu ...

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

Memphis Chicks Memphis Chicks may refer to: *Memphis Chicks (Southern Association), a Minor League Baseball team that played from 1901 to 1960 *Memphis Chicks (Southern League) The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern Lea ...

, and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(2). Thirty leagues are represented on the list. The league with the most entrants is the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

with 17. The other top leagues are the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

(13);

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(10); Eastern League and

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

(8);

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

, and Western League (4). Thirty-one teams competed at the Double-A classification level, the most of any class, followed by Class A (24); Class C (12); Class B (11); Triple-A (10); Class D (7); Class A1 and independent (2); and

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

(1). Twenty-seven teams competed in the 1920s, the most of any decade, followed by the 1940s (16); 1930s (13); 1900s and 1950s (10); 1910s and 1980s (6); 1970s (5); 1990s (4); and 1960s (3).

The list

References

External links

Top 100 TeamsAbout the Top 100 Teams
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams, The Top 100 National Base

The list

See also

References

External links