Best A ball leauge? Best AA Leauge?

[bellhead]

tells you everything...in question...

[dougdirt]

What?

[bellhead]

I wanted to know which league is considered the best for low A ball, high A ball, and AA ball or if there is a low AA or a high AA. Sorry I was a little vague before.

I didn't know until a few days ago the Florida league is not considered the best in high A ball.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by bellhead

I wanted to know which league is considered the best for low A ball, high A ball, and AA ball or if there is a low AA or a high AA. Sorry I was a little vague before.

I didn't know until a few days ago the Florida league is not considered the best in high A ball.

It depends really on what you are asking. There really isn't a best league, because it all varies from year to year on which players wind up in which league.

If you want to know which league is good for hitters and pitchers to thrive in, then that one is a little easier to answer.

Low A
Midwest league is a pitchers league. There are some bigger parks and the cold weather early on helps keep hitting down some.
South Atlantic League is a little more hitter friendly than the Midwest League. Offensive numbers will tend to be a little better in that league.

High A
California League is an absolute hitters haven. The thin air in most of the parks make the ball fly out there. Take most offensive numbers put up there with a grain of salt. Likewise, be careful when evaluating a pitcher from that league because the league is so hitter friendly.
Florida State League is almost the exact opposite. They have huge parks there and the ball doesn't generally fly well. Its notorious for making good hitters look bad and bad hitters look terrible. Pitchers often look good in this league even if they aren't that good, so be careful when looking at the numbers put up in this league compared to others.
Carolina League falls in the middle of both of these leagues. Its more hitter friendly than the Florida State League but not as much as the Cal League.

AA
Texas League is another hitters league. It gives up plenty of home runs and extra hits compared to its counterparts. Adjust accordingly.
Southern League is a bit of a pitchers league, but not to the point of the FSL is down in High A.
Eastern League is about average across the board.

Not sure if thats exactly what you were looking for, but hope it helped some.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

There really isn't a best league, because it all varies from year to year on which players wind up in which league.

Exactly. At each classification -- Low A, High A, AA and AAA -- each major-league team only has one affiliate. So the quality of competition in each league in a given year is wholly dependent on the quality of the prospects of the parent organizations at that moment.

Bellhead, when people say the Florida State League is the worst of the High-A leagues, they're talking about the quality of the ballparks and the lack of fan support. Since minor-league teams don't have to recruit, that has no effect on the quality of play on the field.