Sport Baseball No. of teams 14 | Founded 1988 Country USA | |
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Most recent
champion(s) Arizona League Mariners (4th title) Most titles Arizona League Athletics (6 titles) | ||
The Arizona League is a minor league baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona. It is a rookie-level league run by Major League Baseball since 1988. Along with the Gulf Coast League, it forms the lowest rung of the minor-league system. Games are not marketed to the general public, and no admission is charged for spectators.
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Games are played at the spring training complexes of the teams' parent organizations from mid-June until the end of August. Every Cactus League team fields an Arizona League team with the exception of the Colorado Rockies. Night games are commonly played in the spring training stadium, though games may be played at the team's practice fields.
The regular season is 56 games, with a 35-player roster limit. Players must not have more than three years of previous minor league experience to be eligible to play.
Teams primarily consist of players from the Dominican Republic and recently drafted high school and college players, and are owned by their parent clubs. Most of the players have just been selected in that year's entry draft, two to three weeks before the league begins its season. The league is also where major league players often go for their first rehab assignments. No official attendance records are kept as there is no paid admittance fee, and no concessions are sold. Few spectators show up, and games are typically played in temperatures above 100 °F.
Bob Richmond is the league president. The league offices are in Boise, Idaho.
Playoff Procedure
Prior to 1998, the league champion was the team with best record over the course of the season. Since 1998 the season has been split into two half-seasons. From 1998 to 2008, the teams with the best records in each half faced off to decide the league champion. If the same team won both halves, they were automatically crowned champions (only one team accomplished this, the 2005 Arizona League Giants).
In 2009, the league split into two divisions, an alignment that was used through the 2012 season. The two teams in each division with the best record in each half-season played off for the division championship, and the winners advanced to the final. If the same team won their division in both halves, they advanced directly to the final.
The league's current playoff format has been used since the league realigned into three divisions in 2013. The six teams who win their division in the first and second half of the season qualify for the playoffs. If a team wins both halves, the next best team in that division by overall record qualifies for the playoffs. The top two teams by overall record receive a bye to the semifinals. All playoff games are single elimination, with the exception of a best-of-3 final.
Past teams
Champions
Finals opponent in parenthesis, if applicable.
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