OC Register: Angels announce 2021 minor league affiliates

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels will have one new affiliate, and they will lose two, as part of major league baseball’s minor league restructuring in 2021.

The team announced Wednesday that they have invited Salt Lake to be their Triple-A affiliate, Rocket City (Ala.) to be the Double-A affiliate, Tri-Cities (Wash.) to be their High-A team and Inland Empire to be their Low-A team.

Burlington (Iowa) and Orem (Utah) will no longer be a part of the Angels’ system.

Major league teams had as many as six or seven minor league affiliates in the past, including a few short-season teams whose rosters were filled mostly with new draft picks. Now, the only short-season leagues will be those that operate out of major league spring training facilities.

That leaves four full-season teams for each big league team. For the Angels, there is no change with the top two clubs. Rocket City, which plays in Madison, Ala., was set for its first season in 2020 after moving from Mobile, but there was no minor league season.

Inland Empire, which plays in San Bernardino, moves from High-A to Low-A, because the entire California League was demoted.

Tri-Cities, which plays in Pasco, Wash., had been part of the Northwest League, which was a short-season league.

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[Blarg]

Why call it Low-A instead of just A ball?

[T.G.]

6 hours ago, AngelsWin.com said:

Inland Empire, which plays in San Bernardino, moves from High-A to Low-A, because the entire California League was demoted.

F'n Newsom

[Lou]

1 hour ago, Blarg said:

Why call it Low-A instead of just A ball?

Because there's a High-A?

[failos]

7 minutes ago, Lou said:

Because there's a High-A?

F’n A

[James]

Lets go Trash Pandas. 

[kevinb]

I like this restructuring. I’d be ok if it just went to A, AA and AAA but whatever works. I can’t believe teams actually had 6 and 7 teams just insanity. I got to get me a Salt Lake Bees and Trash Pandas hat soon though. 

[Blarg]

2 hours ago, Lou said:

Because there's a High-A?

That's only in the California League. Or Colorado. 

[Docwaukee]

why didn't they just add AAAA?