# The National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams

In 2001, during the centennial celebration of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, Minor League Baseball tasked baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright to develop a list of the top 100 best minor league baseball teams of the century. Their list includes 69 distinct franchises from across the United States and in Canada and Mexico. There are representatives from every decade of the century.
Weiss and Wright developed a statistical formula to evaluate teams. First, a rating was given to each league. They assigned 100 points for Triple-A leagues down to 20 points for Class D leagues. The equivalent classifications of each league were used to adjust for changes in the minor league structure since 1900. Next, individual teams were graded based on winning percentage and total wins in order to assess each team's strength against its league and its season-long performance. The combination of these three metrics resulted in a statistical list of the century's top teams. Weiss and Wright further took into account intangibles such as winning a pennant, significant achievements, or reputation in creating their final list.
Of the 69 franchises to make the list, 14 appeared more than once. The Baltimore Orioles took 6 places on the list, the most of any team, followed by the Ft. Worth Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs (5), Newark Bears and San Francisco Seals (4); Kansas City Blues, Los Angeles Angels, and St. Paul Saints (3); and Charlotte Hornets, Columbus Senators/Red Birds, Houston Buffaloes, Indianapolis Indians, Memphis Chicks, and Milwaukee Brewers (2). Thirty leagues are represented on the list. The league with the most entrants is the International League with 17. The other top leagues are the American Association (13); Pacific Coast League (10); Eastern League and Texas League (8); California League, Western Association, and Western League (4). Thirty-one teams competed at the Double-A classification level, the most of any class, followed by Class A (24); Class C (12); Class B (11); Triple-A (10); Class D (7); Class A1 and independent (2); and Class A-Advanced (1). Twenty-seven teams competed in the 1920s, the most of any decade, followed by the 1940s (16); 1930s (13); 1900s and 1950s (10); 1910s and 1980s (6); 1970s (5); 1990s (4); and 1960s (3).

## The list

| No. | Season | Team | Record | League | Class |
| 1 | 1934 | Los Angeles Angels | 137–50 | Pacific Coast League | Double-A |
| 2 | 1921 | Baltimore Orioles | 119–47 | International League | Double-A |
| 3 | 1937 | Newark Bears | 109–43 | International League | Double-A |
| 4 | 1924 | Ft. Worth Panthers | 109–41 | Texas League | Class A |
| 5 | 1924 | Baltimore Orioles | 117–48 | International League | Double-A |
| 6 | 1920 | St. Paul Saints | 115–49 | American Association | Double-A |
| 7 | 1903 | Jersey City Skeeters | 92–33 | Eastern League | Class A |
| 8 | 1937 | Salisbury Indians | 80–16 | Eastern Shore League | Class D |
| 9 | 1920 | Baltimore Orioles | 110–43 | International League | Double-A |
| 10 | 1925 | San Francisco Seals | 128–71 | Pacific Coast League | Double-A |
| 11 | 1981 | Albuquerque Dukes | 94–38 | Pacific Coast League | Triple-A |
| 12 | 1939 | Kansas City Blues | 107–47 | American Association | Double-A |
| 13 | 1943 | Los Angeles Angels | 110–45 | Pacific Coast League | Double-A |
| 14 | 1920 | Ft. Worth Panthers | 108–40 | Texas League | Class B |
| 15 | 1922 | Baltimore Orioles | 115–52 | International League | Double-A |
| 16 | 1938 | Newark Bears | 104–48 | International League | Double-A |
| 17 | 1922 | Ft. Worth Panthers | 109–46 | Texas League | Class A |
| 18 | 1923 | Kansas City Blues | 112–54 | American Association | Double-A |
| 19 | 1923 | Baltimore Orioles | 111–53 | International League | Double-A |
| 20 | 1922 | Enid Harvesters | 104–27 | Western Association | Class C |
| 21 | 1920 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 108–46 | International League | Double-A |
| 22 | 1911 | Denver Grizzlies | 111–54 | Western League | Class A |
| 23 | 1992 | Greenville Braves | 100–43 | Southern League | Double-A |
| 24 | 1927 | Buffalo Bisons | 112–56 | International League | Double-A |
| 25 | 1954 | Waco Pirates | 105–42 | Big State League | Class B |
| 26 | 1931 | Hartford Senators | 97–40 | Eastern League | Class A |
| 27 | 1902 | Indianapolis Indians | 96–45 | American Association | Independent |
| 28 | 1929 | Kansas City Blues | 111–56 | American Association | Double-A |
| 29 | 1903 | Los Angeles Angels | 133–78 | Pacific Coast League | Independent |
| 30 | 1955 | Keokuk Kernels | 92–34 | Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League | Class B |
| 31 | 1906 | Portland Beavers | 114–58 | Pacific Coast League | Class A |
| 32 | 1921 | Memphis Chicks | 104–49 | Southern Association | Class A |
| 33 | 1925 | Ft. Worth Panthers | 103–48 | Texas League | Class A |
| 34 | 1952 | Norfolk Tars | 96–36 | Piedmont League | Class B |
| 35 | 1919 | Baltimore Orioles | 100–49 | International League | Double-A |
| 36 | 1951 | Charlotte Hornets | 100–49 | Tri-State League | Class B |
| 37 | 1980 | Denver Bears | 92–44 | American Association | Triple-A |
| 38 | 1970 | Hawaii Islanders | 98–48 | Pacific Coast League | Triple-A |
| 39 | 1926 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 109–57 | International League | Double-A |
| 40 | 1952 | Miami Sun Sox | 104–48 | Florida International League | Class B |
| 41 | 1907 | Wichita Jobbers | 98–35 | Western Association | Class C |
| 42 | 1931 | Houston Buffaloes | 108–51 | Texas League | Class A |
| 43 | 1933 | Columbus Red Birds | 101–51 | American Association | Double-A |
| 44 | 1922 | San Francisco Seals | 127–72 | Pacific Coast League | Double-A |
| 45 | 1918 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 88–39 | International League | Double-A |
| 46 | 1921 | Ft. Worth Panthers | 107–51 | Texas League | Class A |
| 47 | 1940 | Nashville Vols | 101–47 | Southern Association | Class A1 |
| 48 | 1924 | Memphis Chicks | 104–49 | Southern Association | Class A |
| 49 | 1924 | Okmulgee Drillers | 110–48 | Western Association | Class C |
| 50 | 1928 | San Francisco Seals | 120–71 | Pacific Coast League | Double-A |
| 51 | 1902 | Corsicana Oil Citys | 87–23 | Texas League | Class D |
| 52 | 1920 | London Tecumsehs | 86–32 | Michigan–Ontario League | Class B |
| 53 | 1932 | Newark Bears | 109–59 | International League | Double-A |
| 54 | 1952 | Milwaukee Brewers | 101–53 | American Association | Triple-A |
| 55 | 1961 | Reno Silver Sox | 97–43 | California League | Class C |
| 56 | 1931 | Charlotte Hornets | 100–37 | Piedmont League | Class C |
| 57 | 1916 | New London Planters | 86–34 | Eastern League | Class B |
| 58 | 1933 | Davenport Blue Sox | 82–32 | Mississippi Valley League | Class B |
| 59 | 1905 | Columbus Senators | 100–52 | American Association | Class A |
| 60 | 1975 | Waterloo Royals | 93–35 | Midwest League | Class A |
| 61 | 1950 | Winston-Salem Cards | 106–47 | Carolina League | Class B |
| 62 | 1983 | Reading Phillies | 96–44 | Eastern League | Double-A |
| 63 | 1906 | Des Moines Champions | 97–50 | Western League | Class A |
| 64 | 1949 | Stroudsburg Poconos | 101–36 | North Atlantic League | Class D |
| 65 | 1941 | Houston Buffaloes | 103–50 | Texas League | Class A1 |
| 66 | 1910 | Joplin Miners | 90–34 | Western Association | Class C |
| 67 | 1949 | Pensacola Fliers | 98–42 | Southeastern League | Class B |
| 68 | 1939 | Sanford Lookouts | 98–35 | Florida State League | Class D |
| 69 | 1980 | Nashville Sounds | 97–46 | Southern League | Double-A |
| 70 | 1978 | Visalia Oaks | 97–42 | California League | Class A |
| 71 | 1909 | San Francisco Seals | 132–80 | Pacific Coast League | Class A |
| 72 | 1992 | Columbus Clippers | 95–49 | International League | Triple-A |
| 73 | 1993 | Harrisburg Senators | 94–44 | Eastern League | Double-A |
| 74 | 1980 | Peninsula Pilots | 100–40 | Carolina League | Class A |
| 75 | 1979 | Saltillo Saraperos | 95–40 | Mexican League | Triple-A |
| 76 | 1902 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 85–42 | Eastern League | Class A |
| 77 | 1921 | Independence Producers | 103–38 | Southwestern League | Class D |
| 78 | 1966 | Spartanburg Phillies | 91–35 | Western Carolinas League | Class A |
| 79 | 1955 | Fresno Cardinals | 104–43 | California League | Class C |
| 80 | 1910 | Sioux City Packers | 108–60 | Western League | Class A |
| 81 | 1951 | Hazard Bombers | 93–33 | Mountain States League | Class D |
| 82 | 1941 | Wilson Tobs | 87–30 | Coastal Plain League | Class D |
| 83 | 1932 | Tulsa Oilers | 98–48 | Western League | Class A |
| 84 | 1946 | Montreal Royals | 100–54 | International League | Triple-A |
| 85 | 1948 | Indianapolis Indians | 100–54 | American Association | Triple-A |
| 86 | 1941 | Newark Bears | 100–54 | International League | Double-A |
| 87 | 1960 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 100–54 | International League | Triple-A |
| 88 | 1922 | St. Paul Saints | 107–60 | American Association | Double-A |
| 89 | 1990 | West Palm Beach Expos | 92–40 | Florida State League | Class A-Advanced |
| 90 | 1946 | Scranton Red Sox | 90–43 | Eastern League | Class A |
| 91 | 1923 | St. Paul Saints | 111–57 | American Association | Double-A |
| 92 | 1947 | Havana Cubans | 105–45 | Florida International League | Class C |
| 93 | 1978 | Appleton Foxes | 97–40 | Midwest League | Class A |
| 94 | 1946 | Abilene Blue Sox | 97–40 | West Texas–New Mexico League | Class C |
| 95 | 1986 | Angeles Negros de Puebla | 88–41 | Mexican League | Triple-A |
| 96 | 1950 | Quebec Braves | 97–40 | Canadian–American League | Class C |
| 97 | 1947 | Lubbock Hubbers | 99–41 | West Texas–New Mexico League | Class C |
| 98 | 1947 | Stockton Ports | 95–45 | California League | Class C |
| 99 | 1944 | Hartford Laurels | 99–38 | Eastern League | Class A |
| 100 | 1944 | Milwaukee Brewers | 102–51 | American Association | Double-A |