High-A Central
SportBaseball
Founded2021
No. of teams12
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Quad Cities River Bandits (2021)
Most titlesQuad Cities River Bandits (1)
ClassificationHigh-A

The High-A Central is a 12-team Minor League Baseball league that began operating in the United States in 2021.[1] Along with the High-A East and High-A West, it is one of three leagues playing at the High-A level, which is three grades below Major League Baseball (MLB). The league was created in 2021 in conjunction with MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues.[1] The league is made up entirely of teams formerly of the Midwest League.

Current teams

Division Team MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
East Dayton Dragons Cincinnati Reds Dayton, Ohio Day Air Ballpark 7,230
Fort Wayne TinCaps San Diego Padres Fort Wayne, Indiana Parkview Field 8,100
Great Lakes Loons Los Angeles Dodgers Midland, Michigan Dow Diamond 5,200
Lake County Captains Cleveland Guardians Eastlake, Ohio Classic Park 7,273
Lansing Lugnuts Oakland Athletics Lansing, Michigan Jackson Field 11,000
West Michigan Whitecaps Detroit Tigers Comstock Park, Michigan LMCU Ballpark 9,281
West Beloit Sky Carp Miami Marlins Beloit, Wisconsin ABC Supply Stadium 3,850
Cedar Rapids Kernels Minnesota Twins Cedar Rapids, Iowa Veterans Memorial Stadium 5,300
Peoria Chiefs St. Louis Cardinals Peoria, Illinois Dozer Park 7,377
Quad Cities River Bandits Kansas City Royals Davenport, Iowa Modern Woodmen Park 7,140
South Bend Cubs Chicago Cubs South Bend, Indiana Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium 5,000
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Milwaukee Brewers Appleton, Wisconsin Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium 5,900


Dragons
TinCaps
Loons
Captains
Lugnuts
Whitecaps
Sky Carp
Kernels
Chiefs
River Bandits
Cubs
Timber Rattlers
Current team locations:
  East Division
  West Division

Champions

In the High-A Central's first season, the two teams with the highest winning percentages in the regular season competed in a best-of-five series to determine the league champion.[2]

Champions
Season Champion Score Runner-up Ref.
2021 Quad Cities River Bandits 3–2 Cedar Rapids Kernels [3]

Awards

Four awards were presented in the High-A Central's first season: Most Valuable Player, Pitcher of the Year, Top MLB Prospect, and Manager of the Year.[4]

Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player
Season Winner Team Organization Position BA HR RBI Ref.
2021 Andy Pages Great Lakes Loons Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder .265 31 88 [5]

Pitcher of the Year

Pitcher of the Year
Season Winner Team Organization Record ERA SO Ref.
2021 Anthony Veneziano Quad Cities River Bandits Kansas City Royals 6–4 3.75 127 [6]

Top MLB Prospect

Top MLB Prospect
Season Winner Team Organization Position BA HR RBI Ref.
2021 Andy Pages Great Lakes Loons Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder .265 31 88 [5]

Manager of the Year

Manager of the Year
Season Winner Team Organization Division Finish Record Refs.
2021 Chris Widger Quad Cities River Bandits Kansas City Royals West 1st 77–41 [7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  2. ^ Heneghan, Kelsie (July 1, 2021). "Playoffs Return to the Minor Leagues". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Avallone, Michael (September 27, 2021). "Quad Cities Claim First High-A Central Championship". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Postseason All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Andy Pages Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "Anthony Veneziano College, Amateur & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Chris Widger Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 High-A Central". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

Further reading

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