The Tampa Bay Rays farm system consists of seven Minor League Baseball affiliates across the United States and in the Dominican Republic. Four teams are independently owned, while three—the Florida Complex League Rays and two Dominican Summer League Rays squads—are owned by the major league club.
Current Tampa Bay Rays domestic minor league affiliate locations
The Rays have been affiliated with the Triple-A Durham Bulls of the International League since 1998, making it the longest-running affiliation in the organization among teams not owned by the Rays. Their newest affiliate is the Charleston RiverDogs of the Carolina League, which became the Rays' Single-A club in 2021.
Geographically, Tampa Bay's closest domestic affiliate is the Rookie Florida Complex League Rays, which are approximately 61 miles (98 km) away. Tampa Bay's furthest domestic affiliate is the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Midwest League some 674 miles (1,085 km) away.
Current affiliates
editThe Tampa Bay Rays farm system consists of seven minor league affiliates.[1]
| Class | Team | League | Location | Ballpark | Affiliated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triple-A | Durham Bulls | International League | Durham, North Carolina | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | 1998 |
| Double-A | Montgomery Biscuits | Southern League | Montgomery, Alabama | Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium | 1999 |
| High-A | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Midwest League | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Bowling Green Ballpark | 2009 |
| Single-A | Charleston RiverDogs | Carolina League | Charleston, South Carolina | Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park | 2021 |
| Rookie | FCL Rays | Florida Complex League | Port Charlotte, Florida | Charlotte Sports Park | 2009 |
| DSL Rays | Dominican Summer League | Boca Chica, Santo Domingo | Tampa Bay Rays Complex | 2016 | |
| DSL Tampa Bay |
Past affiliates
editKey
edit| Season | Each year is linked to an article about that particular Tampa Bay season. |
|---|
1996–2020
editMinor League Baseball operated with six classes (Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced, Class A, Class A Short Season, and Rookie) from 1996 to 2020. The Rookie level consisted of domestic and foreign circuits.[2]
| Season | Triple-A | Double-A | Class A-Advanced | Class A | Class A Short Season | Rookie | Foreign Rookie | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | — | — | — | — | Butte Copper Kings Hudson Valley Renegades |
GCL Devil Rays | — | [3] |
| 1997 | — | — | St. Petersburg Devil Rays | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays GCL Devil Rays |
— | [3] |
| 1998 | Durham Bulls | — | St. Petersburg Devil Rays | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays GCL Devil Rays |
DSL Devil Rays | [4] |
| 1999 | Durham Bulls | Orlando Rays | St. Petersburg Devil Rays | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | DSL Devil Rays | [5] |
| 2000 | Durham Bulls | Orlando Rays | St. Petersburg Devil Rays | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | DSL Devil Rays | [6] |
| 2001 | Durham Bulls | Orlando Rays | Bakersfield Blaze | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | DSL Devil Rays | [7] |
| 2002 | Durham Bulls | Orlando Rays | Bakersfield Blaze | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | — | [8] |
| 2003 | Durham Bulls | Orlando Rays | Bakersfield Blaze | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | — | [9] |
| 2004 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Bakersfield Blaze | Charleston RiverDogs | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | — | [10] |
| 2005 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Visalia Oaks | Southwest Michigan Devil Rays | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | — | [11] |
| 2006 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Visalia Oaks | Southwest Michigan Devil Rays | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | — | [12] |
| 2007 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Vero Beach Devil Rays | Columbus Catfish | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Devil Rays | DSL Devil Rays VSL Devil Rays/Reds |
[13] |
| 2008 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Vero Beach Devil Rays | Columbus Catfish | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays | DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[14] |
| 2009 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[15] |
| 2010 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[16] |
| 2011 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[17] |
| 2012 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[18] |
| 2013 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[19] |
| 2014 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[20] |
| 2015 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays VSL Rays |
[21] |
| 2016 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[22] |
| 2017 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[23] |
| 2018 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[24] |
| 2019 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[25] |
| 2020[n 1] | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Hudson Valley Renegades | Princeton Rays GCL Rays |
DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[27] |
2021–present
editThe current structure of Minor League Baseball is the result of an overall contraction of the system beginning with the 2021 season. Class A was reduced to two levels: High-A and Low-A.[28] Low-A was reclassified as Single-A in 2022.[29]
| Season | Triple-A | Double-A | High-A | Single-A | Rookie | Foreign Rookie | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Charleston RiverDogs | FCL Rays | DSL Rays 1 DSL Rays 2 |
[30] |
| 2022 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Charleston RiverDogs | FCL Rays | DSL Rays DSL Tampa Bay |
[31] |
| 2023 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Charleston RiverDogs | FCL Rays | DSL Rays DSL Tampa Bay |
[32] |
| 2024 | Durham Bulls | Montgomery Biscuits | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Charleston RiverDogs | FCL Rays | DSL Rays DSL Tampa Bay |
[33] |
Notes
edit- ^ The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26]
References
edit- ^ "Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Cronin, John (Spring 2013). "Truth in the Minor League Class Structure: The Case for the Reclassification of the Minors". The Baseball Research Journal. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "2020 Tampa Bay Rays Media Guide" (PDF). Tampa Bay Rays. Major League Baseball. 2020. p. 346. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "1999 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2000 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2001 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2003 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2005 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2008 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2009 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2010 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2011 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2012 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2013 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2014 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2015 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2016 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2017 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2018 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2019 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Tampa Bay Rays Media Guide" (PDF). Tampa Bay Rays. Major League Baseball. 2020. pp. 331–339. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "2024 Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 4, 2024.