How Many Divisions are There in Baseball?

There are three divisions in baseball-the American League, National League, and Federal League.

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization. It is made up of 30 teams that play in the American League (AL) and National League (NL).

American League

The American League of Major League Baseball ( MLB) is one of two leagues that make up the sport. It was founded in 1901 as the result of the Western League’s claim to be a major league, and has since served as one of the sport’s two major leagues. Along with the National League, it is one of the two leagues that compose Major League Baseball. Although American League teams have won more than twice as many titles as National League teams since 1903, when baseball switched from a best-of-seven to a best-of-nine World Series, National League teams have won more interleague play championships. Each season, an American League team wins the pennant, signifying that it is the league’s champion and has the right to play in the World Series against the champion of the National League. From 1903 through 2019, an AL team has played in every World Series except 1994, when a players’ strike forced its cancellation. The American League has also seen play in Tokyo, Australia and Puerto Rico.

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, commonly known 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 current professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) of 1871–1875, the NL is sometimes called the Senior Circuit, in contrast to MLB’s other league, the American League, which was founded 25 years later.

The NL originally consisted of ten teams based in two divisions: the Eastern Division and the Western Division. When MLB was first created as a single league in 1903, the NL and AL each added new teams. The NL began play with eight clubs—the Boston Red Sox (now in AL), Chicago Cubs (now in NL), Cincinnati Reds (now in NL), Hartford Dark Blues (dissolved after only one season), Louisville Grays (dissolved after only one season), New York Mutuals (dissolved after only one season), Philadelphia Athletics ( Philadelphia Phillies since 1883) , Pittsburgh Alleghenys Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887). St. Louis Brown Stockings St. Louis Cardinals since 1898). Through a succession of expansions, relocations and contractions that saw many franchises move, change names or fold outright—the last occurring in 1952 when four teams folded due to financial difficulties—the league currently consists of 16 clubs.

Minor League Baseball

There are three Minor League Baseball (MiLB) divisions: the International League (IL), the Pacific Coast League (PCL), and the Mexican League (ML). The IL and PCL are subdivisions of the Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations, while the ML is an independent professional league.

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 the IL and 16 in the PCL. The MLB-independent Mexican League fields 18 teams.

Triple-A teams are typically located in large metropolitan areas that do not have Major League Baseball teams, such as San Antonio; Austin; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; Toledo, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina; and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Triple-A clubs play in integrated leagues with Major League Baseball affiliates: The IL shares membership with the Eastern League and the PCL with the Northwest League—both Double-A circuits—as well as the Mexican League. The term “Triple-A” is derived from the Minor League classification used prior to 1963.

From 1963 to 1996, the Triple-A classification rested below Double-A. In 1997, the current structure was implemented: Triple-A leagues—along with Double-A—were placed at Level A (now classified as Double-A), while independent leagues—along with Short Season A and Rookie Advanced leagues—comprise Level B (nowShort Season A) and Low Class A comprises Level C (now Rookie).

Double-A

There are two Divisions in Double-A baseball, the Eastern League and the Southern League.

Single-A

In Single-A baseball, there are three different levels – short season, full season, and advanced. Short season teams typically play from June to early September, while full season leagues play from early April to early September. Advanced Single-A teams play a 137 game schedule from April to early September.

Independent Baseball Leagues

Independent baseball leagues are professional baseball leagues in the United States and Canada that are not operated under Major League Baseball, or affiliated with it.Independent baseball leagues began to be formed in the early 1990s. Most function as minor leagues to Major League Baseball, providing an opportunity for players who have been unable to secure a spot on a MLB team to play professional baseball. These leagues also allow former MLB players who wish to continue their careers an opportunity to play without having to retire.

As of 2019, there are ten independent baseball leagues in operation in the United States, and one in Canada. The largest independent league is the American Association, which has 16 teams across the Midwest, Central, and Southern United States. Other notable independent leagues include the Atlantic League, Frontier League, Can-Am League, and Empire Professional Baseball League.

In addition to these independent professional leagues, there are also several semi-professional and amateur baseball leagues which are not affiliated with Major League Baseball. These include the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, Pecos League, Southwestern Professional Baseball League, Expedition League, Texas Collegiate League, Coastal Plain League, and Futures Collegiate Baseball League.