Triple-A (baseball)

Triple-A (officially Class AAA[1]) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946.

Prior to 1946, the top level of Minor League Baseball was Double-A, which had been established in 1912.

It's much more important for a young prospect like outfielder Xavier Paul to get regular at-bats against lefties, or work on dropping down sacrifice bunts with a runner on first, than it is to take three of four from the Portland Beavers.

[8][9] Major league team executives and managers disagree whether AAAA players exist.

[11] The event took place every year since 1988 when the first Triple-A All-Star Game was played in Buffalo, New York.

Some additional events, such as the All-Star Fan Fest and Triple-A Home Run Derby, were held each year during this break in the regular season.

[13] While the 2021 schedule originally included a three-day All-Star break of July 12–14,[14] this was removed after Opening Day was pushed back one month.

[16] Beginning in 2006, the annual Triple-A National Championship Game was held to serve as a single championship game between the champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball.

As a part of professional baseball's pace of play initiatives implemented in 2015, 20-second pitch clocks entered use at Triple-A stadiums in 2015.

Other significant changes implemented in 2018 included beginning extra innings with a runner on second base and limiting teams to six mound visits during a nine-inning game.