List of South Atlantic League champions

The South Atlantic League of Minor League Baseball is one of three High-A baseball leagues in the United States. A league champion is determined at the end of each season. Champions have been determined by postseason playoffs, winning the regular season pennant, or being declared champion by the league office. For 2019, the first- and second-half winners within each division, Northern and Southern, met in a best-of-three series to determine division champions. Then, the North and South division winners played a best-of-five series to determine a league champion.[1] As of 2022, the winners of each division from both the first and second halves of the season meet in a best-of-three division series, with the winners of the two division series meeting in a best-of-three championship series.[2]

League champions edit

Year Champion Finalist Other postseason participants
1980 Greensboro Hornets Charleston Royals Gastonia Cardinals; Spartanburg Phillies
1981 Greensboro Hornets Greenwood Pirates
1982 Greensboro Hornets Florence Blue Jays Charleston Royals
1983 Gastonia Expos Columbia Mets
1984 Asheville Tourists Charleston Royals Greensboro Hornets; Savannah Cardinals
1985 Florence Blue Jays Greensboro Hornets Columbia Mets; Sumter Braves
1986 Columbia Mets Asheville Tourists
1987 Myrtle Beach Blue Jays Asheville Tourists
1988 Spartanburg Phillies Charleston Rainbows Greensboro Hornets; Myrtle Beach Blue Jays
1989 Augusta Pirates Gastonia Rangers Charleston Rainbows
1990 Charleston Wheelers Savannah Cardinals
1991 Columbia Mets Charleston Wheelers Macon Braves
1992 Myrtle Beach Hurricanes Charleston Wheelers Columbus RedStixx; Spartanburg Phillies
1993 Savannah Cardinals Greensboro Hornets Fayetteville Generals
1994 Savannah Cardinals Hagerstown Suns Columbus RedStixx; Hickory Crawdads
1995 Augusta GreenJackets Piedmont Phillies Asheville Tourists; Columbus RedStixx
1996 Savannah Sand Gnats Delmarva Shorebirds Asheville Tourists; Columbus RedStixx
1997 Delmarva Shorebirds Greensboro Bats Augusta GreenJackets; Cape Fear Crocs; Charleston Alley Cats; Capital City Bombers; Hickory Crawdads; Macon Braves
1998 Capital City Bombers Greensboro Bats Augusta GreenJackets; Cape Fear Crocs; Delmarva Shorebirds; Hagerstown Suns; Macon Braves; Piedmont Boll Weevils
1999 Augusta GreenJackets Cape Fear Crocs Capital City Bombers; Columbus RedStixx; Greensboro Bats; Hagerstown Suns; Hickory Crawdads; Macon Braves
2000 Delmarva Shorebirds Columbus RedStixx Augusta GreenJackets; Piedmont Boll Weevils
2001[a] Asheville Tourists
Lexington Legends
Augusta GreenJackets; Hagerstown Suns
2002 Hickory Crawdads Columbus RedStixx Capital City Bombers; Delmarva Shorebirds
2003 Rome Braves Lake County Captains Hickory Crawdads; Lexington Legends
2004 Hickory Crawdads Capital City Bombers Charleston Alley Cats
2005 Kannapolis Intimidators Hagerstown Suns Charleston RiverDogs; Delmarva Shorebirds
2006 Lakewood BlueClaws Augusta GreenJackets Lexington Legends; Rome Braves
2007 Columbus Catfish West Virginia Power Augusta GreenJackets; Hickory Crawdads
2008 Augusta GreenJackets West Virginia Power Asheville Tourists; Lake County Captains
2009 Lakewood BlueClaws Greenville Drive Asheville Tourists; Kannapolis Intimidators
2010 Lakewood BlueClaws Greenville Drive Hickory Crawdads; Savannah Sand Gnats
2011 Greensboro Grasshoppers Savannah Sand Gnats Augusta GreenJackets; Hickory Crawdads
2012 Asheville Tourists Greensboro Grasshoppers Hagerstown Suns; Rome Braves
2013 Savannah Sand Gnats Hagerstown Suns Augusta GreenJackets; West Virginia Power
2014 Asheville Tourists Hagerstown Suns Greensboro Grasshoppers; Savannah Sand Gnats
2015 Hickory Crawdads Asheville Tourists Savannah Sand Gnats; West Virginia Power
2016 Rome Braves Lakewood BlueClaws Charleston RiverDogs; Hagerstown Suns
2017 Greenville Drive Kannapolis Intimidators Charleston RiverDogs; Greensboro Grasshoppers
2018 Lexington Legends Lakewood BlueClaws Kannapolis Intimidators; Rome Braves
2019 Lexington Legends Hickory Crawdads Augusta Greenjackets; Delmarva Shorebirds
2020 None (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)[3]
2021 Bowling Green Hot Rods[4] Greensboro Grasshoppers
2022 Bowling Green Hot Rods[5] Aberdeen IronBirds Brooklyn Cyclones; Rome Braves
2023 Greenville Drive[6] Hudson Valley Renegades Hickory Crawdads; Jersey Shore BlueClaws

Championship wins by team edit

Active South Atlantic League teams appear in bold.

Wins Team Championship years
5 Columbia Mets/Capital City Bombers/Greenville Drive 1986, 1991, 1998, 2017, 2023
4 Asheville Tourists 1984, 2001, 2012, 2014
4 Augusta Pirates/GreenJackets 1989, 1995, 1999, 2008
4 Greensboro Hornets/Grasshoppers 1980, 1981, 1982, 2011
4 Savannah Cardinals/Sand Gnats 1993, 1994, 1996, 2013
3 Hickory Crawdads 2002, 2004, 2015
3 Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Lakewood BlueClaws) 2006, 2009, 2010
3 Lexington Legends 2001, 2018, 2019
2 Bowling Green Hot Rods 2021, 2022
2 Delmarva Shorebirds 1997, 2000
2 Myrtle Beach Blue Jays/Hurricanes 1987, 1992
2 Rome Braves 2003, 2016
1 Charleston Wheelers 1990
1 Columbus Catfish 2007
1 Florence Blue Jays 1985
1 Gastonia Expos 1983
1 Kannapolis Intimidators 2005
1 Spartanburg Phillies 1988

Notes edit

  • a Asheville and Lexington were declared co-champions after the playoffs were cancelled in the wake the September 11 terrorist attacks.

References edit

  • "Playoff Champions". South Atlantic League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  1. ^ "Playoff Procedures". South Atlantic League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  2. ^ "MiLB Playoff Procedures". MiLB.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  3. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Avallone, Michael (September 29, 2021). "Bowling Green Rolls to High-A East Crown". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Sheehan, Stephanie (September 22, 2022). "Hot Rods Capture South Atlantic League Crown". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Mast, Allison (September 20, 2023). "Drive Steer Way to South Atlantic League Sweep". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 20, 2023.