Southern League
The first three incarnations of the Southern League were intertwined with the Southern Association. The first played in 1885, then again in 1887-1889, and finally from 1898-1899, and they featured many of the cities that made up the SA.
The fourth Southern League was a class AA minor league that began play in 1964 and was disbanded before the 2021 season after its 2020 season was cancelled. Most of its teams were transferred to the new Double-A South. The Southern League's origins can be traced back to the South Atlantic Association (known as "SALLY"), which was formed in 1904. In a reversal, the Double-A South was re-rebranded as the Southern League in 2022, reviving the league
Lori Webb became league president on August 1, 2012. She was the first female league president in Minor League history. In 2014 the Southern League opened the Southern League Hall of Fame.
Current Teams, Managers, and Affiliations[edit]
| North Division | South Division | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Manager | Affiliation | Team | Manager | Affiliation | |
| Birmingham Barons | Lorenzo Bundy | Chicago White Sox | Biloxi Shuckers | Mike Guerrero | Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | Jose Moreno | Cincinnati Reds | Mississippi Braves | Kanekoa Texeira | Atlanta Braves | |
| Rocket City Trash Pandas | Andy Schatzley | Los Angeles Angels | Montgomery Biscuits | Morgan Ensberg | Tampa Bay Rays | |
| Tennessee Smokies | Michael Ryan | Chicago Cubs | Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Kevin Randel | Miami Marlins | |
League Champions and Award Winners[edit]
Note: In 2001, the league finals were cancelled because of the attacks of September 11th. In 2004, the finals were cancelled because of Hurricane Ivan and in 2017 because of Hurricane Irma. In all three cases, the winners of the semi-final series were named as co-champions.
Cities Represented[edit]
1885, 1887-1889, 1898-1899[edit]
- Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Atlantans 1885; Atlanta Firecrackers 1889; Atlanta Crackers 1898
- Augusta, GA: Augusta Browns 1885; Augusta Electricians 1898
- Birmingham, AL: Birmingham 1885; Birmingham Babies 1887
- Charleston, SC: Charleston Seagulls 1887
- Chattanooga, TN: Chattanooga Lookouts 1885
- Columbus, GA: Columbus Stars 1885
- Macon, GA: Macon 1885
- Memphis, TN: Memphis Browns 1885; Memphis Browns/Reds 1887; Memphis Grays 1888
- Mobile, AL: Mobile Swamp Angels 1887, Mobile Blackbirds 1898-1899
- Nashville, TN: Nashville Americans 1885; Nashville Blues 1887
- New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Pelicans 1887
1964-2019[edit]
- Asheville, NC: Asheville Tourists 1964-1966; Asheville Tourists 1968-1971; Asheville Orioles 1972-1975
- Biloxi, MS: Biloxi Shuckers 2015-2019
- Birmingham, AL: Birmingham Barons 1964-1965; Birmingham A's 1966-1975; Birmingham Barons 1981-2019
- Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Hornets 1964-1972; Charlotte O's 1976-1987; Charlotte Knights 1988-1992
- Chattanooga, TN: Chattanooga Lookouts 1964-1965 and 1976-2019
- Columbus, GA: Columbus Confederate Yankees 1964-1966; Columbus White Sox 1969; Columbus Astros 1970-1988; Columbus Mudcats 1989-1990
- Evansville, IN: Evansville White Sox 1966-1968
- Greenville, SC: Greenville Braves 1984-2004
- Huntsville, AL: Huntsville Stars 1985-2014
- Jackson, TN: West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx 1998-2010; Jackson Generals 2011-2019
- Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville Suns 1970-1984; Jacksonville Expos 1985-1990; Jacksonville Suns 1991-2016; Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 2017-2019
- Knoxville, TN: Knoxville Smokies 1964-1967; Knoxville Sox 1972-1979; Knoxville Blue Jays 1980-1992; Knoxville Smokies 1993-1999
- Kodak, TN: Tennessee Smokies 2000-2019
- Lynchburg, VA: Lynchburg White Sox 1964-1965
- Macon, GA: Macon Peaches 1964; Macon Peaches 1966-1967
- Madison, AL: Rocket City Trash Pandas admitted for the 2020 season but never played in the league
- Memphis, TN: Memphis Chicks 1978-1997
- Mobile, AL: Mobile A's 1966; Mobile White Sox 1970; Mobile Bay Bears 1997-2019
- Montgomery, AL: Montgomery Rebels 1965-1980; Montgomery Biscuits 2004-2019
- Nashville, TN: Nashville Sounds 1978-1984; Nashville Xpress 1993-1994
- Orlando, FL: Orlando Twins 1973-1989; Orlando Sun Rays 1990-1992; Orlando Cubs 1993-1996; Orlando Rays 1997-2003
- Pearl, MS: Mississippi Braves 2005-2019
- Pensacola, FL: Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2012-2019
- Savannah, GA: Savannah Senators 1968-1969; Savannah Indians 1970; Savannah Braves 1971-1983
- Wilmington, NC: Port City Roosters 1995-1996
- Zebulon, NC: Carolina Mudcats 1991-2011
Hall of Fame Alumni[edit]
- Harold Baines, 1978 Knoxville Sox
- Fred Clarke, 1893 Montgomery Colts; 1894 Savannah Modocs
- Rollie Fingers, 1967-1968 Birmingham A's
- Tom Glavine, 1986 Greenville Braves
- Roy Halladay, 1997 Knoxville Smokies, 2001 Tennessee Smokies
- Trevor Hoffman, 1991-1992 Chattanooga Lookouts
- Reggie Jackson, 1967 Birmingham A's
- Fergie Jenkins, 1964 Chattanooga Lookouts
- Randy Johnson, 1987 Jacksonville Expos
- Chipper Jones, 1992 Greenville Braves
- Harmon Killebrew, 1957-1958 Chattanooga Lookouts
- Edgar Martinez, 1985-1986 Chattanooga Lookouts
- Joe McGinnity, 1893 Montgomery Colts
- Fred McGriff, 1984 Knoxville Blue Jays
- Jack Morris, 1976 Montgomery Rebels
- Eddie Murray, 1975 Asheville Orioles; 1976 Charlotte O's
- Kid Nichols, 1888 Memphis Grays
- Tim Raines, 1979 Memphis Chicks
- Cal Ripken Jr., 1979-1980 Charlotte O's
- Ryne Sandberg, 1993 Orlando Cubs, 2009 Tennessee Smokies (manager)
- Frank Thomas, 1990 Birmingham Barons
- Alan Trammell, 1976-1977 Montgomery Rebels
- Larry Walker, 1987 Jacksonville Expos
- Hoyt Wilhelm, 1982-1984 Nashville Sounds (coach)
Other Notable Alumni[edit]
- Mark Buehrle
- Miguel Cabrera
- Eric Chavez
- Carlos Delgado
- Jason Giambi
- Tim Hudson
- Carlos Lee
- Evan Longoria
- Javy Lopez
- Don Mattingly
- Mark McGwire
- Dale Murphy
- Magglio Ordonez
- David Price
- Mark Prior
- Alex Rodriguez
- Bret Saberhagen
- Miguel Tejada
- Joey Votto
- Lou Whitaker
- Dontrelle Willis
Further Reading[edit]
- Larry Colton: Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South's Most Compelling Pennant Race, Grand Central Publishing, New York, NY, 2013. ISBN 978-1455511884
External Links[edit]
Southern League of Professional Baseball
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