Who Are the Yankees’ Minor League Teams?

The Yankees have a number of minor league teams, each of which serves a different purpose. In this post, we’ll introduce you to the different levels of the Yankees’ minor league system and tell you a little bit about each team.

Checkout this video:

Yankees’ Triple-A Team: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

The Yankees are a Major League Baseball team based in the Bronx, New York City. They are one of the American League’s eight charter franchises. They have won 27 World Series championships, which is more than any other team in the Major Leagues. The Yankees’ minor league teams are the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Trenton Thunder, the Tampa Tarpons, and the Charleston RiverDogs.

Location

The New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League. The team plays its home games at PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The team plays in the International League and its home games at PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

History

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are a Minor League Baseball team that plays in the International League. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and is based in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. The franchise was formerly known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees from 2007 to 2012. The franchise began in 1934 as the Binghamton Triplets.

The team has had several home ballparks throughout its history. It first played at Recreation Park from 1934 to 1937, then moved to Depew Field from 1938 to 1939. The team then moved again to Boscov’s Park in 1940 and remained there through 1955. It spent 1956 to 1960 back at Depew Field, then moved to Commerce Bank Park from 1961 to 2008. In 2009, the team became known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees when it moved to PNC Field (now Lackawanna County Stadium) where it has played since.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have won 12 division titles and 2 league championships. The team has been playing in Scranton since 2007 and has seen a great deal of success, making the playoffs 6 times in their 12 seasons in town.

Notable Players

The Yankees’ Triple-A team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, have had many notable players over the years. Some of these players have gone on to have great careers in the major leagues, while others have had more modest success. Here are some of the most notable players in the history of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:

-Derek Jeter: One of the greatest players in Yankees history, Jeter spent part of the 1995 season with the RailRiders before being called up to the majors. He would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Yankees, winning five World Series titles.

-Mariano Rivera: Another Hall of Famer, Rivera also began his career with the RailRiders in 1995. He would go on to become one of the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history, setting a record for most saves in a career.

-Andy Pettitte: A member of the famed “Core Four” of Yankee players, Pettitte spent time with the RailRiders in both 1996 and 2000. He would go on to have a successful career as a starting pitcher, winning five World Series titles with the Yankees.

-Jorge Posada: The fourth member of the “Core Four,” Posada also began his career with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He would go on to have a great career as a catcher with the Yankees, winning five World Series titles.

Yankees’ Double-A Team: the Trenton Thunder

The Trenton Thunder are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They play in the Eastern League and are based in Trenton, New Jersey. The Thunder were founded in 1994 and have won the Eastern League Championship four times.

Location

The Trenton Thunder are the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. They play in Trenton, New Jersey, at Arm & Hammer Park. The Thunder are one of three Yankees’ minor league teams in the state of New Jersey, along with the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones.

History

The Trenton Thunder are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They play in the Eastern League and are based in Trenton, New Jersey. The Thunder were established in 1994 and have won two Eastern League championships, in 2007 and 2012.

The team’s name was chosen through a contest open to all residents of Mercer County, New Jersey. “Thunder” was selected over more than 5,000 other entries. The name is a reference to the famous “Shot Heard Round the World” that took place in Trenton during the American Revolution.

The Thunder play their home games at Arm & Hammer Park, which opened in 1994 and has a capacity of 6,341 people. The park is located on the banks of the Delaware River and offers views of the Philadelphia skyline.

Notable Players

Some of the notable former Trenton Thunder players include:
-Derek Jeter
-Mariano Rivera
-Bernie Williams
-Andy Pettitte
-Jorge Posada

Yankees’ Class A-Advanced Team: the Tampa Tarpons

The Tampa Tarpons are the Yankees’ Class A-Advanced team. They play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons were founded in 1957 and have won five Florida State League championships.

Location

The Tampa Yankees, who play in the Florida State League, are the Yankees’ Class A-Advanced team. The team plays its home games in George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.

History

The Tampa Tarpons are a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. The team plays in the Florida State League (FSL), and is the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Tarpons’ home ballpark is George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The franchise was previously known as the Tampa Yankees from 1957 to 1987 and again from 1996 to 2018. The team played their home games at Al Lang Stadium from 1957 to 1987, then again from 1996 to 2018. In 1988 and 1989, the franchise was known as the Miami Miracle and played their home games at Miami Stadium. In 1990, they returned to Tampa and became known as the Tampa Tarpons.

Notable Players

The Tampa Tarpons are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Florida State League. The team is affiliated with the New York Yankees and plays its home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.

The Tarpons were founded in 1957 and have won the Florida State League championship five times, most recently in 2019. The team has produced several notable major league players, including Billy Martin, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage, Dave Righetti, and Bernie Williams.

Yankees’ Class A Team: the Charleston RiverDogs

The Charleston RiverDogs are the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They play in the South Atlantic League and are based in Charleston, South Carolina. The RiverDogs were founded in 1980 as the Charleston Wheelers.

Location

The Charleston RiverDogs are a minor league baseball team that serves as the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The team is based in Charleston, South Carolina, and plays its home games at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The RiverDogs began as the Charleston Rainbows in the Low-A South Atlantic League in 1980. The franchise was relocated to Columbus, Georgia, in 1988 and became the Columbus Mudcats. In 1993, the Mudcats returned to Charleston and were renamed the RiverDogs.

Since becoming a Yankees affiliate in 2007, the RiverDogs have seen a significant increase in both their on-field success and attendance. They have won three division titles (2011, 2012, 2015) and one league championship (2012). In 2017, they set a new franchise record for attendance with over 300,000 fans coming through the turnstiles.

History

In 1985, the Charleston Rainbows, a Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The move allowed the Charleston Wheelers, a Class AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, to move from Fort Lauderdale to Charleston. The Wheelers were renamed the “Charleston Charlies”. In 1989, the Charlies became a ClassAAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

In 1993, following the addition of two expansion teams at the AAA level, Major League Baseball reorganized its minor league affiliates. The Charleston Charlies were then dropped down to the AA level, and became an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They were subsequently renamed the “Charleston Braves”. In 2001, after 11 seasons as the Braves’ AA affiliate, Major League Baseball announced that the team would be relocated to Pearl Missippi and become known as the “Mississippi Braves”.

In 2002, Charleston was without a professional baseball team for the first time since 1963. That changed when Marvin Goldklang’s Goldklang Group bought a minority share of the SteepleCats in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with an option to purchase controlling interest in 2003. That offseason, Goldklang’s group moved the team to Charleston and renamed them “RiverDogs”, in honor of one of Goldklang’s other minor league teams,
the Fort Myers Miracle (now known as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels).

Notable Players

Among the Yankees’ minor league teams, the Charleston RiverDogs have produced a number of notable Major League Baseball players, including Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sánchez, Dellin Betances, and Luis Severino.

Yankees’ Short-Season A Team: the Staten Island Yankees

The Staten Island Yankees are the Yankees’ Short-Season A team. They play in the New York-Penn League and are based in Staten Island, New York. The team is owned by the New York Yankees and is one of their minor league affiliates. The Staten Island Yankees play their home games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Location

The Yankees’ Short-Season A team is the Staten Island Yankees. The Staten Island Yankees play in the New York-Penn League.

History

The Staten Island Yankees are a Minor League Baseball team competing in theShort-Season A classification. The Yankees have been members of theNew York-Penn League since 1999. The team plays its home games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark located in the St. George neighborhood on Staten Island, which opened in 2001.

The Staten Island Yankees are one of three Short-Season A classification affiliates of the New York Yankees, along with the Pulaski Yankees and Gulf Coast League Yankees East and Gulf Coast League Yankees West. The franchise was previously known as the Newark Barge Bandits (1994), Greensboro Bats (1995–1998), and Capital City Bombers (1999).

Notable Players

The Staten Island Yankees are a minor league baseball team that plays in the New York-Penn League. They are the Class A Short-Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and play their home games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Staten Island. The team is composed of players who are in their first or second year of professional baseball.

Notable alumni of the Staten Island Yankees include:
– Goose Gossage, inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame
– Andy Pettitte, retired MLB pitcher
– Mariano Rivera, inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame and retired MLB pitcher
– Robinson Cano, MLB second baseman
– Dellin Betances, MLB relief pitcher

Yankees’ Rookie Ball Team: the Pulaski Yankees

The Pulaski Yankees are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team is affiliated with the New York Yankees, and their home games are played at Calfee Park in Pulaski, Virginia. The Yankees have had a rookie-level team in Pulaski since 2011.

Location

The Yankees’ Rookie Ball team is the Pulaski Yankees, and they are located in Virginia.

History

The Yankees have been affiliated with the Pulaski Yankees of the Appalachian League since 2007. The team plays its home games at Calfee Park, located in Pulaski, Virginia.

The Pulaski Yankees are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Appalachian League. The team is affiliated with the New York Yankees and plays its home games at Calfee Park in Pulaski, Virginia.

The Yankees have been affiliated with the Pulaski Yankees since 2007. The team won the Appalachian League championship in 2011 and 2012.

Notable Players

Pulaski YankeesNoteworthy alumni
Yankees
The following is a list of notable Major League Baseball players who played for the Pulaski Yankees of the Appalachian League during their careers.

Robinson Canó – Second baseman; played for Pulaski in 2002; eight-time All-Star (2010–2017), five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), two-time Gold Glove Award winner (2010, 2012), and AL home run leader (2012)
Shane Greene – Relief pitcher; played for Pulaski in 2011; led American League relievers in appearances in 2014