The Yazoo City Zoos were a minor league baseball team based in Yazoo City, Mississippi . Between 1904 and 1912, the Yazoo City Zoos played as members of two Class D level leagues, the 1904 Delta League and the Cotton States League from 1910 to 1912.
66-655: The 1904 Yazoo City Zoos were the first minor league team based in Yazoo City. Playing the 1904 season under manager Harry Wilson, the Zoos became charter members of the Class D level Delta League . The Delta League League began the season with four charter league teams, as the Brookhaven, MS (Brookhaven), Clarksdale, MS (Clarksdale), Jackson Senators teams joined the Yazoo City Zoos as
132-539: A 1905 Delta League season. In 1910, the Yazoo city Zoos returned to minor league play, becoming members of the six team, Class D level Cotton States League . With a 44–62 record, the team placed fourth in the six-team league under manager Walter Hickey. The 1910 team is referred to as the "ZuZus" in some references. Yazoo City finished 26.5 games behind the first place Greenwood Chauffers in the final standings. The Yazoo City team continued Cotton States League play in 1911. With
198-543: A 60–54 record, the Zoos placed third under manager Dom Mullaney finishing 12.5 games behind the first place Vicksburg Hill Billies in the six–team league. The Yazoo City team folded from the Cotton States League after the 1911 season. In their final season, the 1912 Yazoo City Zoos began the season without a team, then briefly returned to play before folding. On May 9, 1912, the New Orleans Little Pels of
264-659: A championship pennant. The first true minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League of 1883 to 1884. Unlike the earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization. It also, along with the NL and the American Association (AA), was a party to the National Agreement of 1883 . Included in this was the agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league. Teams in
330-482: A flat-fee purchase amount of $ 5,000 for the contract of any player from an NA member league team. This measure was leveled primarily at the Baltimore Orioles , then a Triple-A team that had dominated the minors by keeping players longer than many competitors, allowing the players to more fully develop, driving up their sale value to major-league teams and giving Baltimore a talent advantage. Deprived of this option by
396-764: A four-team Class D level league. The league featured the Beeville Bees / Laredo Oilers (59–41), Corpus Christi Seahawks (43–58), Kingsville Jerseys / McAllen Palms / Mission Grapefruiters (46–52) and Victoria Rosebuds / Edinburg Bobcats (51–48) teams. The 1950–1953 version of the Gulf Coast League featured the Brownsville Charros , Corpus Christi Aces , Galveston White Caps , Harlingen Capitals , Lake Charles Lakers , Laredo Apaches , Port Arthur Seahawks and Texas City Texans . The Crowley Millers , Jacksonville Jax , Lufkin / Leesville Angels played in
462-647: A higher level of play. These leagues are intended almost exclusively to allow players to hone their skills; no admission is charged and no concessions are sold. As of the 2024 season, the Arizona Complex League and Florida Complex League seasons commence in early May and conclude in late July in order to provide players with previous experience in the Dominican Summer League with a full season in stateside professional baseball without having to compete for playing time with newly drafted players selected in
528-568: A limited membership which excluded less competitive and financially weaker teams. Professional clubs outside the NL responded by forming regional associations of their own. There was a series of ad hoc groupings, such as the New England Association of 1877 and the Eastern Championship Association of 1881. These were loose groups of independent clubs which agreed to play a series of games over the course of one season for
594-477: A second or third promotion for a minor league player, although some high first-round draftees, particularly those with experience playing college baseball , begin at this level. Below the High-A level is Single-A, named "Class A" before 2021, when it was also known as Single-A or Full-Season A, and "Low-A" for the 2021 season. This classification has three leagues: the 8-team California League , known as Low-A West for
660-420: A single-game semi-final. A best-of-three series between the two semi-final winners follows to determine the league champion. Teams in the league are not referred to by their home city, but simply by their parent club's name. A prefix of FCL (previously GCL) is typically used to differentiate the team from its parent club and other farm teams with the same nickname. At times, a parent club has fielded two teams in
726-516: A statement, asserting that it is "unnecessary and unacceptable to wipe out one-quarter of minor league teams" and characterized the proposal as a way "to improve the profitability of MLB". Manfred rebuked Minor League Baseball for releasing the negotiations to the public and threatened to cut ties with MiLB altogether. The following changes, which represent the first significant overhaul of minor league classifications since 1963, have since been implemented: When MLB teams announced their affiliates for
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#1732919692376792-514: A steady supply of players, as many NA and independent teams could not afford to keep their doors open without the patronage of Major League Baseball. The leagues of the NA became subordinate to the major leagues, creating the first minor leagues in the current sense of the term. Other than the Pacific Coast League (PCL), which under its president Pants Rowland tried to become a third major league in
858-506: A temporary replacement. There are currently three leagues in this classification: the 12-team Eastern League , known as Double-A Northeast for the 2021 season, with teams in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S., the eight-team Southern League (known as Double-A South for the 2021 season) with teams in the Deep South, and the 10-team Texas League (known as Double-A Central for
924-486: Is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), including teams affiliated with MLB clubs. 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). There are also two affiliated rookie leagues based in the United States, with teams based at
990-481: Is usually that these veteran players will be in the majors by the end of the season, as their salaries tend to be higher than those of most prospects. One level below Double-A is the High-A level, named "Class A-Advanced" before 2021. This classification has three leagues: the 12-team Midwest League , known as High-A Central for the 2021 season, covering the Midwest, the six-team Northwest League , known as High-A West for
1056-645: The Arizona Complex League and Florida Complex League , known as the Arizona League and Gulf Coast League, respectively, before 2021, and one Caribbean-based league, the Dominican Summer League . The U.S.-based Rookie leagues play a schedule of approximately 60 games and are named "complex leagues" because games are played at their parent clubs' spring training complexes. Rosters consist primarily of newly drafted players who are not yet ready for
1122-563: The Arizona Complex League or Florida Complex League , and international summer baseball teams in the Dominican Summer League . While major league teams play a 162-game schedule, minor league seasons are shorter. As of 2022 , a complete season in Triple-A is 150 games, Double-A is 138 games, and High-A and Single-A are each 132 games. In addition to the below organized leagues, the off-season Arizona Fall League has six teams that play approximately 30 games apiece in autumn, with rosters comprising
1188-602: The Chicago White Sox , Milwaukee Braves , New York Yankees , and St. Louis Cardinals . The SRL Braves , managed by Paul Snyder , future Atlanta farm system director, won the championship with a 36–23 record. The league added teams in Bradenton in 1965 and changed its name to the Florida Rookie League . The league adopted Gulf Coast League (GCL) naming for the 1966 season. It expanded to Florida's east coast in
1254-639: The Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals each fielded two teams as late as 1981, no franchise did so until the New York Yankees in 2013. The Yankees were joined by the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies in fielding two teams in 2016 and 2018, respectively. As of the 2024 season, no major league clubs field more than one team in the FCL. Numbers in parentheses indicate a franchise's instance of winning
1320-585: The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players of 1871 to 1875, commonly referred to as the National Association, comprised all fully professional teams. This system proved unworkable, however, as there was no way to ensure competitive balance, and financially unsound clubs often failed in midseason. This problem was solved in 1876 with the formation of the National League (NL), with
1386-684: The Northwest League and Midwest League promoted with 75% of their teams. The Carolina League dropped to Low-A with seven of its ten teams and added five from the old South Atlantic League in trade; the SAL in turn moved to High-A with half of its previous 12-team roster, filling it out with two Carolina League High-A holdovers, one Midwest League returnee, and three formerly short-season New York-Penn League promotees. On February 12, 2021, Major League Baseball announced new league alignments for all 120 affiliated Minor League Baseball clubs effective as of
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#17329196923761452-557: The United States Congress signed a letter sent to Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred opposing the proposal, noting that it "is not in the best interest of the overall game of baseball" and that it would "devastate our communities, their bond purchasers and other stakeholders affected by the potential loss of these clubs." A response from MLB highlighted that the proposal aims to improve player travel and working conditions. On November 21, 2019, Minor League Baseball released
1518-595: The 1950s and early 1960s. In 1949, the peak of the postwar minor league baseball boom, 448 teams in 59 leagues were members of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, with the number of teams falling to 324 in 1952, and 243 in 1955. By the end of 1963, only 15 leagues above Rookie-level survived in the United States and Canada. After the 1962 season, the Triple-A American Association—which had lost key markets such as Milwaukee , Kansas City , Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Houston to
1584-461: The 1990s. Historically, three separate leagues also used the Gulf Coast League name: a 1907–1908 Class D league, a 1926 Class D league and a 1950–1953 Class C (1950) and Class B League. The 1907 founding members were the Alexandria White Sox , Lafayette Browns , Lake Charles Creoles , Monroe Municipals , Opelousas Indians and Orange Hoo-Hoos . The 1926 Gulf Coast League was
1650-515: The 2021 season on December 9, 2020, each of the 30 MLB teams had one affiliate at four levels—Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, and Low-A—for a total of 120 affiliated teams. Approximately 40 teams lost their MLB affiliations; the Fresno Grizzlies were demoted from Triple-A to Low-A; and the majority of surviving clubs at High-A and Low-A swapped levels, with the former Florida State League and California League dropped down nearly as intact units and
1716-461: The 2021 season) with teams in the Southwest and Great Plains. Some players jump to the majors from this level, as many of the top prospects are put here to play against each other rather than against minor and major league veterans in Triple-A. A small handful of players might be placed here to start, usually veterans from foreign leagues with more experience in professional baseball. The expectation
1782-521: The 2021 season, in continuation of MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues, the two US-based complex leagues were renamed, with the Gulf Coast League becoming the Florida Complex League (FCL). The league plays a 52- to 56-game season that that traditionally began in mid-June and concluded in late August. Following the relocation of the Atlanta Braves spring training complex in 2019, teams in
1848-480: The 2021 season, located entirely in California , the 12-team Carolina League , known as Low-A East for the 2021 season, and the 10-team Florida State League , known as Low-A Southeast for the 2021 season. All three leagues were demoted from High-A to Single-A effective with the 2021 season. These leagues are a mix of players moving up from Rookie leagues, as well as the occasional experienced first-year player. Most of
1914-641: The 2021 season, with teams in the Pacific Northwest, and the 12-team South Atlantic League , known as High-A East for the 2021 season, with teams in the eastern states. All three leagues were reclassified prior to the 2021 season, with the Midwest League and the South Atlantic League promoted from Single-A and the Northwest League promoted from Class A Short Season. This level of play is often
1980-547: The 2021 season. Contrary to previously published reports indicating that realignment would retain the names of the existing minor leagues, Major League Baseball elected to abandon the names of existing minor leagues in favor of a new, class- and region-based naming system. Triple-A was divided into two leagues: Florida Complex League The Florida Complex League ( FCL ) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it
2046-510: The Cotton States League moved to Yazoo City with a 14–9 record. On August 3, 1912, the team had a 27–45 record in Yazoo City and a 41–57 overall record under manager Gene DeMontreville when the franchise permanently disbanded, before the season had concluded. Yazoo City, Mississippi has not hosted another minor league team. The name of the Yazoo City home minor league ballpark is not directly referenced. Yazoo City Zoos players Class D (baseball) Minor League Baseball ( MiLB )
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2112-522: The Dominican Summer League who have not yet been assigned to a domestic affiliate, as well as players placed on the minor league 60-day and full-season injured lists—during the minor league season, with a limit of 175 domestic players during the offseason. During the minor league season, the following roster limits for each classification are used: Triple-A Double-A High-A Single-A Rookie Off-season leagues Showcase league Partner leagues The earliest professional baseball league,
2178-592: The July Major League Baseball draft . This adjusted schedule also allows the top Rookie-level prospects in each organization to be promoted to class Single-A for the final two months of the professional baseball season upon the conclusion of the complex league seasons. As of the 2024 season, each major league club may have no more than 165 players assigned to the rosters of their domestic affiliates (i.e., Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, Single-A, and complex-league Rookie)—excluding international players assigned to
2244-541: The Major Leagues since 1953—disbanded. The surviving International and Pacific Coast leagues absorbed the four remaining American Association franchises. Meanwhile, at the Double-A level and below there were even more significant changes: Designations below Class A disappeared because the lower levels could not sustain operation during a large downturn in the financial fortunes of minor league baseball, due to factors including
2310-607: The NL and the AA could only reserve players who had been paid at least $ 1,000. Northwestern League teams could reserve players paid $ 750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues. Over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues allied to negotiate jointly. In the late 1890s, the Western League run by Ban Johnson decided to challenge
2376-567: The NL's position. In 1900, he changed the name of the league to the American League (AL) and vowed to make deals to sign contracts with players who were dissatisfied with the pay and terms of their deals with the NL. This led to a turf war that heated up in 1901 enough to concern Patrick T. Powers , president of the Eastern League, and many other minor league owners about the conflict potentially affecting their organizations. Representatives of
2442-586: The Texas League, which had last operated in 1942, and the Southern Association) became Class AA. Class A remained the third-highest classification, with lower levels still ranked Class B through Class D in descending order, with Class D being the equivalent of later Rookie leagues. The impact of the Korean War in 1950 caused a player shortage in many cities below Class B. In 1952, the "Open" classification
2508-658: The Triple-A Inter–American League (1979). None lasted more than a full season. In October 2019, Baseball America reported that Major League Baseball had proposed dramatic changes to MiLB that would take effect after expiration of the Professional Baseball Agreement, which governed the MLB–MiLB relationship, at the end of the 2020 season. This included the elimination of many minor league teams. In mid-November 2019, more than 100 members of
2574-474: The Triple-A level. Such players are eligible to be added to a team's active major league roster. For teams in contention for a playoff spot late in a season, it gives them fresh players, while for teams not in contention, it gives them an opportunity to evaluate their second-tier players against major league competition. Some Triple-A players are "career minor leaguers", former prospects whose skill growth has halted and who are not likely to advance to MLB, unless as
2640-672: The Western states, the other leagues maintained autonomy in name only, being totally economically dependent upon the AL and NL. In 1922, the United States Supreme Court decision Federal Baseball Club v. National League (259 U.S. 200), which grants baseball a special immunity from antitrust laws , had a major effect on the minor leagues. The special immunity meant that the AL and NL could dictate terms under which every independent league did business. By 1925, major league baseball established
2706-420: The charter members in. On May 16, 1904, the league expanded to sis teams, as franchises from Canton, MS (Canton) and Hattiesburg, MS (Hattiesburg) were added to the league after the season started. The Yazoo City Zoos finished in second place when the season ended on September 3, 1904. The final Delta League standings featured the first place Clarksdale team with a record of 67–31, finishing 4.0 games ahead of
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2772-600: The different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5, 1901. In response to the NL–AL battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), sometimes shortened to National Association (NA), which would later adopt the trade name "Minor League Baseball". The purpose of the NAPBL at the time was to maintain the independence of
2838-435: The flat-fee policy, minor league teams had little choice but to sell players as soon as they drew major-league interest. The earliest classifications used in the minor leagues began circa 1890, for teams that were party to the National Agreement of 1883. The different levels represented different levels of protection for player contracts and reserve clauses : After the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues
2904-446: The following assignments entering the 1902 season: Additional classifications added prior to World War II included: In 1946, with the minor leagues poised for unprecedented growth, the higher-level classifications were changed. Class AAA ("Triple-A") was created and the three Double-A circuits (the Pacific Coast League , International League , and the American Association ) were reclassified into Triple-A. Class A1 (comprising
2970-451: The later stages of the negotiations to develop rules for the acquisition of players from their leagues by the NL and the AL. The 1903 agreement ensured that teams would be compensated for the players that they had taken the time and effort to scout and develop, and no NA team was required to sell their players, although most did because the cash was an important source of revenue for most teams. The NA leagues were still fiercely independent, and
3036-567: The league at the same time, in which case a suffix has been added to each of those teams' names, such as a direction (e.g. East, West) or a color (e.g. Blue, Orange). Some teams share stadiums with their club's Single-A affiliate in the Florida State League . Note that Single-A teams do use city names—for example the Tampa Tarpons , who also use the Yankees' spring training complex. After
3102-675: The league in 1950. All three versions of the league operated around the Gulf coasts of Texas and Louisiana . On June 21, 2016, the GCL hired Jen Pawol , the first female umpire in Minor League Baseball since 2007, and the first in the GCL since 1978. In 2017, the GCL hired another woman umpire, Emma Charlesworth-Seiler. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being canceled on June 30. Prior to
3168-456: The league were divided into three divisions: East , North , and South (down from four in 2018). Beginning with the 2024 season, both the Arizona Complex League and Florida Complex League seasons commence in early May and conclude in late July. As of 2022, four teams—three division winners and one wild card team—qualify for the playoffs seeded by winning percentage regardless of division standing, with seeds 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 playing in
3234-504: The league. Complex-based baseball leagues, which played before sparse crowds and often scheduled morning games to avoid the summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms, were adopted after the drastic shrinking of minor league baseball during the 1950s and 1960s. MLB teams needed an entry level to professional baseball for 18- and 19-year-old players graduating from high schools or signed from Latin America. They replaced Class C and Class D leagues as
3300-406: The league. Night games are commonly played in the spring training stadium, although games may also be played at the team's practice fields. As of the 2021 season, there is no league limit to how many players can be on an active roster, but no team can have more than three players with four or more years of minor-league experience. Major-league players on rehabilitation assignments may also appear in
3366-523: The leagues involved. Several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, New York . In 1903, the conflict between the AL and NL ended in the National Agreement of 1903 , which created the National Baseball Commission to oversee the major and minor leagues. The NAPBL became involved in
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#17329196923763432-649: The lowest rung on the minor league ladder. The current league was founded in 1964 as the Sarasota Rookie League (SRL) with four teams playing in Sarasota . It was originally intended to be the Gulf Coast division of a statewide rookie league, with the eastern division Cocoa Rookie League based in Cocoa . However, the eastern and western teams never played each other. The SRL's four teams consisted of squads sponsored by
3498-572: The minor leagues, such as Buzz Arlett , Jigger Statz , Ike Boone , Buddy Ryan , Earl Rapp , and Frank Shellenback , as comparable to major league players. Leagues in the NA would not be truly called minor until Branch Rickey developed the first modern farm system in the 1930s. The Commissioner of Baseball , Kenesaw Mountain Landis fought Rickey's scheme, but, ultimately, the Great Depression drove teams to establish systems like Rickey's to ensure
3564-578: The other two leagues, as part of a reorganization of the Triple-A level in 1997. The International League features teams from the Atlantic coast and midwestern U.S., while the Pacific Coast League features teams from the Pacific coast and the southwest. Both young players and veterans play for Triple-A teams. Parent clubs often hold players who are on the 40-man roster , but not on the active MLB roster, at
3630-578: 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. As of the 2022 season, the minor league system is divided into four classes: Triple-A (AAA), Double-A (AA), High-A (A+), and Single-A (A). Major League Baseball franchises may also maintain one or two complex-based rookie teams in
3696-608: The rise of television broadcasts of major league sports across broad regions of the country. As part of the 1963 reorganization, Major League clubs increased their commitments to affiliate with minor league teams through Player Development Contracts, outright ownerships, or shared affiliations and co-op arrangements. The minor league system that evolved following the 1963 reorganization remained in place through 2020, categorizing leagues into one of six classes: Triple-A (AAA), Double-A (AA), Class A-Advanced (High A or A+), Class A (Low A), Class A Short Season, and Rookie. Furthermore, Rookie
3762-478: The second place Yazoo City Zoos who had a record of 62–34. They were followed in the standings by Canton (43–45), the Jackson Senators (47–53), Hattiesburg (36–49) and Brookhaven (27–70) in the six–team league. The league did not have playoffs in 1904. On June 13, 1904 in a Delta League game, Yahoo City was on the losing end of a no-hitter thrown by William Beeker of Clarksdale in a 6–0 Clarksdale victory. It
3828-521: The teams in the Florida State League are owned by major league parent clubs and use their spring training complexes. In 2022, the official name of the class became Single-A. Minor leagues with the Rookie classification play a shortened season that traditionally began in mid-June and ended in late August or early September. This lowest level of minor league baseball consists of two US-based leagues,
3894-404: The term minor was seldom used in reference to them, save by the major-market sportswriters. Sports news, like most news generally, often did not travel far in the days before radio and television, so, while the leagues often bristled at the major market writers' descriptions, they viewed themselves as independent sports businesses. Many baseball writers of that time regarded the greatest players of
3960-410: The time it seemed like the PCL would eventually become a third major league. The PCL would revert to Triple-A in 1958, due to increasing television coverage of major league games and in light of the Dodgers and Giants moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco , respectively. A significant reorganization of the minor leagues took place in 1963, caused by the contraction of clubs and leagues during
4026-439: The top prospects associated with each of the six MLB divisions. This classification currently includes two affiliated leagues: the 20-team International League and the 10-team Pacific Coast League , known as Triple-A East and Triple-A West, respectively, for the 2021 season. For most of the 20th century, Triple-A also included the American Association , based in the Midwest, but that league disbanded with its clubs absorbed by
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#17329196923764092-410: Was created. The Pacific Coast League (PCL), which had been rated Triple-A since 1946, was the only minor league to obtain this classification, which it held through 1957. At this time, the major leagues only extended as far west as St. Louis, Missouri , and as far south as Washington, D.C. This classification severely restricted the rights of the major leagues to draft players out of the PCL, and at
4158-422: Was founded in 1901, classifications were redefined: † Draft fee set an amount for a team in a higher class to select a player; n/a for Class A as it would be up to each team to negotiate with an interested major league club. ‡ Protection fee reserved a player to a team, even after a contract expired, preventing the player for seeking employment with any other team. All minor leagues were classified, and had
4224-467: Was further informally subdivided into Rookie Advanced, complex-based Rookie, and international summer baseball. There have also been some failed start-up leagues. During the 1970s, three official minor leagues (members of NAPBL) attempted unsuccessfully to revive unaffiliated baseball (teams not associated with specific MLB franchises) within the organized baseball structure. These were the Class A Gulf States League (1976) and Lone Star League (1977), and
4290-442: Was known as the Gulf Coast League ( GCL ). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lowest rung on the North American minor-league ladder. FCL teams play at the minor league spring training complexes of their parent Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs and are owned by those parent clubs. Admission is not charged to FCL games, and no concessions are sold. Every Grapefruit League team fields at least one team in
4356-461: Was reported that Yazoo City pitcher James Baxter Sparks set a professional baseball record by winning 21 consecutive games in 1904. It was noted that Sparks also threw a no-hitter against Clarksdale during the winning streak, with the game occurring on August 27, 1904, in a 1–0 Yazoo City victory. The Delta League permanently folded after playing their only season in 1904. It is possible the league formed in 1905, but no teams or statistics are known for
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