Explaining The New Triple-A West Entering The 2021 Minor League Season

The 10-team Triple-A West League is the spiritual successor of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League as it existed in 1997, the year before the PCL absorbed several Midwest-based franchises when the Triple-A American Association disbanded. The big difference between then and now is that old PCL franchises in Canada—Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver—have been replaced with ones in Texas and Oklahoma.

Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Salt Lake and Tacoma are “legacy” PCL clubs, while El Paso, Reno, Round Rock and Sacramento are successful newer PCL franchises.

Oklahoma City was a PCL franchise, by way of the AA, while Sugar Land was formerly independent before joining the affiliated minor leagues when Major League Baseball created what it calls its “new, modernized player development system.

Affiliate	Org	2020 League (Lvl)
Albuquerque	COL	Pacific Coast (AAA)
El Paso	SD	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Las Vegas	OAK	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Oklahoma City	LAD	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Reno	ARI	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Round Rock	TEX	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Sacramento	SF	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Salt Lake	LAA	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Sugar Land	HOU	Independent
Tacoma	SEA	Pacific Coast (AAA)

 

WHAT’S NEW?

Sugar Land is a natural fit as an Astros affiliate. The former independent Atlantic League club is located in the Houston suburbs and is about a 30-minute drive from Minute Maid Park.

Round Rock switches its affiliation from the Astros to Rangers, reuniting Texas with Round Rock as was the case from 2011 to 2018.