, then with the Triple-A
Montreal Royals in July 1946 Prior to 1946, the top level of
Minor League Baseball was
Double-A, which had been established in 1912. •
American Association (AA) •
International League (IL) •
Pacific Coast League (PCL) This structure persisted for the next 75 years with only a few changes: • 1952–1957: The PCL was classified as "Open" for these six seasons, in anticipation of it potentially becoming a third major league; once the
Brooklyn Dodgers and
New York Giants relocated from New York City to California, the PCL returned to Triple-A for the 1958 season. The IL, PCL, and Mexican League continued as Triple-A leagues until Major League Baseball reorganized the minor leagues prior to the 2021 season. At that time, the IL and PCL were temporarily renamed
Triple-A East and
Triple-A West, respectively. The Mexican League continues to operate, independently. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, they announced on March 16, 2022, that the leagues would once again be called the International League and the Pacific Coast League, effective with the 2022 season.
Countries While all current and the majority of past Triple-A teams have been located in the United States, Triple-A teams have also been based in: •
Canada: teams including the
Montreal Royals and
Ottawa Lynx of the IL and the
Calgary Cannons,
Edmonton Trappers, and
Vancouver Mounties of the PCL •
Cuba: the
Havana Sugar Kings were members of the IL from 1954 to 1960 •
Dominican Republic: the short-lived Inter-American League had a team based here in 1979 •
Mexico: all Mexican League teams •
Panama: one Inter-American League team in 1979 •
Venezuela: two Inter-American League teams in 1979 ==Purpose==