# 1986 Southern League season

The 1986 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 11 and September 1. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Huntsville Stars won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Charlotte Orioles in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Birmingham Barons ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and began a new affiliation with the Chicago White Sox.

## Teams

1986 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Orioles | Charlotte, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | Jim Crockett Memorial Park |
| East | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| East | Greenville Braves | Greenville, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Greenville Municipal Stadium |
| East | Jacksonville Expos | Jacksonville, Florida | Montreal Expos | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| West | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Chicago White Sox | Rickwood Field |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Seattle Mariners | Engel Stadium |
| West | Huntsville Stars | Huntsville, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Joe W. Davis Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Blue Jays | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Kansas City Royals | Tim McCarver Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Huntsville Stars finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time in team history.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Expos | 75 | 68 | .524 | – |
| Greenville Braves | 73 | 71 | .507 | 2.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 70 | 70 | .500 | 3.5 |
| Charlotte Orioles | 71 | 73 | .493 | 4.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 70 | 73 | .490 | 5 |
| West Division |||||
| Huntsville Stars | 78 | 63 | .553 | – |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 74 | 70 | .514 | 5.5 |
| Birmingham Barons | 70 | 73 | .490 | 9 |
| Memphis Chicks | 69 | 75 | .479 | 10.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 64 | 78 | .451 | 14.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Brick Smith, Chattanooga Lookouts | .344 |
| H | Gene Larkin, Orlando Twins José Tolentino, Huntsville Stars | 170 |
| R | Gary Jones, Huntsville Stars | 116 |
| 2B | Brick Smith, Chattanooga Lookouts | 38 |
| 3B | Nelson Liriano, Knoxville Blue Jays | 15 |
| HR | Glenallen Hill, Knoxville Blue Jays | 31 |
| RBI | Terry Steinbach, Huntsville Stars | 132 |
| SB | Gerald Young, Columbus Astros | 54 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Anthony Kelley, Columbus Astros | 14 |
| ERA | Eric Bell, Charlotte Orioles | 3.05 |
| CG | Anthony Kelley, Columbus Astros | 8 |
| SHO | Todd Burns, Huntsville Stars Mark Clemons, Orlando Twins Anthony Kelley, Columbus Astros | 3 |
| SV | Paul Schneider, Chattanooga Lookouts | 24 |
| IP | Cliff Young, Knoxville Blue Jays | 203.2 |
| SO | Terry Taylor, Chattanooga Lookouts | 164 |

## Playoffs

* The Columbus Astros won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Huntsville Stars in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Jacksonville | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Columbus | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Columbus | 3 | E2 | Columbus | 3 |
| | | | W1 | Huntsville | 1 |
| W1 | Huntsville | 3 | W1 | Huntsville | 1 |
| W2 | Knoxville | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Terry Steinbach, Huntsville Stars |
| Pitcher of the Year | Anthony Kelley, Columbus Astros |
| Manager of the Year | Gary Tuck, Columbus Astros |