How Many Teams Are In The National Baseball League?

There are 30 teams in the National Baseball League.

Major League Baseball

There are thirty teams in Major League Baseball. Twenty-nine of those teams are in the United States while one team is in Canada. Major League Baseball is split into two leagues- the American League and the National League. Each league is split into three divisions.

American League

As of 2020, there are 15 teams in the American League and 15 teams in the National League.

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world’s oldest still existing professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) of 1871–1875, the NL originally comprised twelve teams in two divisions located primarily in cities that had previous baseball experience. These divisional alignments were abandoned in favor of six divisions when a new wave of expansion occurred in 1961.

Minor League Baseball

There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) and 40 teams in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). MLB is split evenly into the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), and each league has three divisions: East, West, and Central. MiLB is organized into four classes: Triple-A (AAA), Double-A (AA), Single-A (A), and Rookie (short-season A and rookie leagues).

Triple-A

Triple-A or Class AAA is the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Mexico. Before 2008, Triple-A leagues also fielded teams in Canada . A total of 30 teams play in the Triple-A International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL), with 14 teams in each league. The MLB-independent Mexican League fields 18 teams. Triple-A teams are typically located in large metropolitan areas that do not have a Major League Baseball team, such as San Antonio; Albuquerque; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville, Kentucky.

Double-A

The Double-A level is the second highest classification of minor league baseball in the United States, behind Triple-A. There are currently 30 Double-A teams in operation across the United States, spread across 16 states and two Canadian provinces. The vast majority of Double-A teams are affiliated with a major league team; however, four teams are Double-A independents.

Double-A leagues typically consist of players who have advanced beyond Single-A, but are not yet ready for the major leagues. These players usually have some experience at the Triple-A level, or in some cases, they may be major league prospects who were sent back to Double-A to continue developing their skills.

There are two Double-A leagues in operation: the Eastern League and the Southern League. Each league consists of eight teams, with four teams in each division. The seasons for both leagues run from April through September.

Single-A

There are three Minor League Baseball (MiLB) leagues that are affiliated with the National Baseball League (NBA). These leagues are Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Each of these leagues has its own subleagues. The Single-A level has two subleagues, the High-A and the Low-A. The Double-A level has one subleague, and the Triple-A level has two subleagues as well.

The teams in each subleague compete against each other for a chance to advance to the next level. In order to be promoted, a team must win their respective league championship. The champions of the High-A and Low-A levels advance to the Double-A level, while the champions of the Double-A and Triple-A levels advance to the Major League Baseball (MLB).

There are a total of 30 MLB teams, 30 Triple-A teams, 30 Double-A teams, 60 Single-A teams, and 120 Rookie Ball teams.

Independent Baseball Leagues

Independent baseball leagues are not affiliated with Major League Baseball. There are several independent baseball leagues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The best known independent baseball league in the United States is the Atlantic League, which was founded in 1998. The Atlantic League has eight teams, all of which are located in the eastern United States.

Other notable independent baseball leagues in the United States include the Frontier League, the Can-Am League, and the American Association. The Frontier League is the largest of these leagues, with 14 teams located throughout the Midwest and East Coast. The Can-Am League is made up of six teams, all of which are located in Canada or New England. The American Association has 12 teams, spread throughout the Midwest and Plains states.