Appalachian League
From BR Bullpen
The Appalachian League is a Advanced Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The league currently operates as a ten-team circuit, with two divisions of five teams.
Earlier incarnations of the league operated (more centrally around Tennessee than later on) from 1911 to 1914 and 1921 to 1925 at the Class D level.
Contents |
[edit] Current Teams, Managers, and Affiliations
| East Division | West Division | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Manager | Parent Team | Team | Manager | Parent Team | |
| Bluefield Orioles | Orlando Gomez | Baltimore Orioles | Bristol White Sox | Omer Munoz | Chicago White Sox | |
| Burlington Royals | Darryl Kennedy | Kansas City Royals | Elizabethton Twins | Ray Smith | Minnesota Twins | |
| Danville Braves | Paul Runge | Atlanta Braves | Greeneville Astros | Ivan DeJesus | Houston Astros | |
| Princeton Rays | Joe Szekely | Tampa Bay Rays | Johnson City Cardinals | Joe Almaraz | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Pulaski Mariners | Rob Mummau | Seattle Mariners | Kingsport Mets | Donovan Mitchell | New York Mets | |
[edit] League Champions
[edit] Cities Represented
[edit] 1911-1914
- Asheville, NC: Asheville Moonshiners 1911-1912, moved from Southeastern League 1910
- Bristol, VA: Bristol Boosters 1911-1913
- Cleveland, TN: Cleveland Counts 1911-1913
- Harriman, TN: Harriman Boosters 1914
- Johnson City, TN: Johnson City Soldiers 1911-1913, moved from Southeastern League 1910
- Knoxville, TN:
- Knoxville Appalachians1911, moved from Southeastern League 1910
- Knoxville Reds 1912-1914
- Middlesboro, KY: Middlesboro Colonels 1913-1914
- Morristown, TN: Morristown Jobbers 1911-1912, moved from Southeastern League 1910; Morristown Jobbers 1913-1914
- Rome, GA: Rome Romans 1913
[edit] 1921-1925
- Bristol, VA: Bristol State Liners 1921-1925
- Cleveland, TN: Cleveland Manufacturers 1921-1922
- Greeneville, TN: Greeneville Burley Cubs 1921-1925
- Johnson City, TN: Johnson City Soldiers 1921-1924
- Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Indians 1921-1925
- Knoxville, TN: Knoxville Pioneers 1921-1924
- Morristown, TN: Morristown Roosters 1923-1925
[edit] 1937-present
- Bluefield, WV / Bluefield, VA:
- Bluefield Blue-Grays 1946-1955
- Bluefield Dodgers 1957
- Bluefield Orioles 1958-present
- Bristol, TN / Bristol, VA:
- Bristol Twins 1940-1955
- Bristol Tigers 1969-1994
- Bristol White Sox 1995-present
- Burlington, NC:
- Burlington Indians 1986-2006
- Burlington Royals 2007-present
- Covington, VA:
- Covington Red Sox 1966
- Covington Astros 1967-1976
- Danville, VA: Danville Braves 1993-present
- Elizabethton, TN:
- Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox 1937-1942
- Elizabethton Betsy Cubs 1945-1948
- Elizabethton Betsy Local 1949-1950
- Elizabethton Phils 1951
- Elizabethton Twins 1974-present
- Erwin, TN:
- Erwin Mountaineers 1940
- Erwin Aces 1943
- Erwin Cubs 1944
- Greeneville, TN:
- Greeneville Burley Cubs 1938-1942
- Greeneville Astros 2004-present
- Harlan, KY:
- Harlan Smokies 1961-1962
- Harlan Yankees 1963
- Harlan Red Sox 1965
- Huntington, WV:
- Huntington Cubs 1990-1994
- River City Rumblers 1995
- Johnson City, TN:
- Johnson City Soldiers 1937-1938
- Johnson City Cardinals 1939-1955, 1961, 1975-present
- Johnson City Phillies 1957-1960
- Johnson City Yankees 1964-1974
- Kingsport, TN:
- Kingsport Cherokees 1938-1941, 1943-1952, 1955
- Kingsport Dodgers 1942
- Kingsport Orioles 1957
- Kingsport Pirates 1960-1963
- Kingsport Royals 1969-1973
- Kingsport Braves 1974-1979
- Kingsport Mets 1980-1982, 1984-present
- Lynchburg, VA: Lynchburg Senators 1959
- Marion, VA:
- Marion A's 1955
- Marion Mets 1965-1976
- Martinsville, VA:
- Martinsville Phillies 1988-1998
- Martinsville Astros 1999-2003
- Middlesboro, KY:
- Middlesboro Senators 1961-1962
- Middlesboro Cubsox 1963
- Morristown, TN: Morristown Cubs 1959-1961
- Pearisburg, VA & Narrows, VA: New River Rebels 1946-1950
- Newport, TN: Newport Canners 1937-1942
- Paintsville, KY:
- Paintsville Highlanders 1978
- Paintsville Yankees 1979-1982
- Paintsville Brewers 1983-1984
- Pennington Gap, VA:
- Pennington Gap Lee Bears 1937-1938
- Pennington Gap Bears 1939
- Pennington Gap Miners 1940
- Pikeville, KY:
- Pikeville Brewers 1982
- Pikeville Cubs 1983-1984
- Princeton, WV:
- Princeton Pirates 1988-1989
- Princeton Patriots 1990
- Princeton Reds 1991-1996
- Princeton Devil Rays 1997-2007
- Princeton Rays 2008
- Pulaski, VA:
- Pulaski Counts 1946-1950
- Pulaski Phillies 1952-1955, 1969-1977
- Pulaski Cubs 1957-1958
- Pulaski Braves 1982-1992
- Pulaski Rangers 1997-2002
- Pulaski Blue Jays 2003-2006
- Pulaski Mariners 2008-present
- Salem, VA : Salem Rebels 1955, 1957-1967
- Welch, WV: Welch Miners 1946-1955
- Wytheville, VA:
- Wytheville Statesmen 1953-1955
- Wytheville Cardinals 1957-1959
- Wytheville Senators 1960, 1965, 1969
- Wytheville Twins 1961-1963
- Wytheville A's 1964
- Wytheville Reds 1967
- Wytheville Braves 1971-1973
- Wytheville Cubs 1985-1989
[edit] Hall of Fame Alumni
- Orlando Cepeda, 1955 Salem Rebels
- Kirby Puckett, 1982 Elizabethton Twins
- Cal Ripken Jr., 1978 Bluefield Orioles
- Nolan Ryan, 1965 Marion Mets
[edit] Further Reading
- Thomas Boswell: "Rookies in God's Country", in How Life Imitates the World Series, Penguin Books, New York, 1982, pp. 120-126.
