Get to know the teams in the Double-A Central
As the 2021 season approaches, MiLB.com introduces the 11 leagues created by the restructuring of Minor League Baseball across four levels of play. Below is a team-by-team introduction to the Double-A Central, including affiliation, previous circuit and most recent championship. (Note: "Established" refers to the first year of a team's
As the 2021 season approaches, MiLB.com introduces the 11 leagues created by the restructuring of Minor League Baseball across four levels of play. Below is a team-by-team introduction to the Double-A Central, including affiliation, previous circuit and most recent championship. (Note: "Established" refers to the first year of a team's continuous operation in that market regardless of league or level.) Learn about other leagues here: Triple-A East, Triple-A West, Double-A Northeast.
This 10-team circuit includes the entire Texas League as well as two clubs that were slated to play the 2020 season at the Triple-A level -- the Wichita Wind Surge and San Antonio Missions.
The Wind Surge, members of the North Division, are gearing up to play the first game in franchise history on May 4 in Springfield, and their home opener at brand-new Riverfront Stadium is set for May 11 against the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
The Missions, on the other hand, have a long Minor League history that includes three separate stints in the Double-A Texas League -- 1946-62, 1968-71 and 1998-2018. This year, following a one-season foray in the Pacific Coast League in 2019, they are set to join the Double-A Central's South Division alongside four other Texas foes: the Corpus Christi Hooks, Frisco RoughRiders, Midland RockHounds and the aforementioned Sod Poodles.
North Division
ARKANSAS TRAVELERS
Affiliate: Seattle Mariners (since 2017)
Location: North Little Rock, Arkansas (2,256 miles from T-Mobile Park)
Ballpark: Dickey-Stephens Park (opened April 12, 2007)
Established: 1963 (previous Little Rock clubs date back to 1887)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2008
Did you know? The Travelers' nickname dates back to 1901; it is the fourth-oldest moniker in all of Minor League Baseball behind the (Buffalo) Bisons, (Chattanooga) Lookouts and (Toledo) Mud Hens.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS
Affiliate: Kansas City Royals (since 2008)
Location: Springdale, Arkansas (225 miles to Kauffman Stadium)
Ballpark: Arvest Ballpark (opened April 10, 2008)
Established: 2008
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2010
Did you know? In 2010, the Naturals hit a remarkable .291/.364/.453 as a team during their run to the Texas League title.
SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS
Affiliate: St. Louis Cardinals (since 2005)
Location: Springfield, Missouri (227 miles from Busch Stadium)
Ballpark: Hammons Field (opened April 2, 2004)
Established: 2005 (previous Springfield clubs date back to 1887)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2012
Did you know? Located in downtown Springfield, Hammons Field is also home of the Missouri State Bears.
TULSA DRILLERS
Affiliate: Los Angeles Dodgers (since 2015)
Location: Tulsa, OK (1,436 miles to Dodger Stadium)
Ballpark: ONEOK Field (opened April 8, 2010)
Established: 1977 (previous Tulsa clubs date back to 1905)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2018
Did you know? The Drillers’ move to Tulsa went as slickly as possible. The team didn’t need a name change after relocating from Lafayette, Louisiana, since oil was equally important to the economies of both regions. The Drillers took over when the Triple-A Oilers relocated to New Orleans.
WICHITA WIND SURGE
Affiliate: Minnesota Twins (since 2021)
Location: Wichita, Kansas (636 miles to Target Field)
Ballpark: Riverfront Stadium (set to open April 10, 2021)
Established: 2020 (previous Wichita clubs date back to 1887)
Previous league: Triple-A Pacific Coast League
Last championship: N/A
Did you know? The Wind Surge were scheduled to play the first home game in franchise history on April 14, 2020 against the Memphis Redbirds before the season was canceled. Unfortunately, team owner Lou Schwechheimer -- a Minor League visionary and driving force behind the return of affiliated ball to Wichita -- died on July 29 of complications due to COVID-19 without getting to see his team take the field. In honor of his enduring legacy, the team will pay tribute to Schwechheimer throughout the 2021 season with plans to be announced soon.
South Division
AMARILLO SOD POODLES
Affiliate: Arizona Diamondbacks (since 2021)
Location: Amarillo, Texas (703 miles to Chase Field)
Ballpark: HODGETOWN (opened April 8, 2019)
Established: 2019 (previous Amarillo clubs date back to 1922)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2019
Did you know? HODGETOWN is named after Jerry Hodge, a longtime Amarillo resident, pharmacist, civic leader and philanthropist.
CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS
Affiliate: Houston Astros (since 2005)
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas (209 miles from Minute Maid Park)
Ballpark: Whataburger Field (opened April 17, 2005)
Established: 2005 (previous Corpus Christi clubs date back to 1910)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2006
Did you know? In 2006, the Hooks won the city's first Texas League championship since the Corpus Christi Giants took home the crown in 1958.
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS
Affiliate: Texas Rangers (since 2003)
Location: Frisco, Texas (35 miles to Globe Life Park)
Ballpark: Dr Pepper Ballpark (opened April 3, 2003)
Established: 2003
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2004
Did you know? The RoughRiders led the Texas League in attendance for 15 straight seasons from 2005-19.
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS
Affiliate: Oakland A’s (since 1999)
Location: Midland, Texas (1,467 miles from Oakland Coliseum)
Ballpark: Momentum Bank Ballpark (opened March 23, 2002)
Established: 1972 (as the Midland Cubs; previous Midland clubs date back to 1928)
Previous league: Double-A Texas League
Last championship: 2017
Did you know? Their most recent championship made the RockHounds the first team to win four straight Texas League titles since the Fort Worth Cats scored six from 1920-25.
SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS
Affiliate: San Diego Padres (since 2021)
Location: San Antonio, TX (1,281 miles from Petco Park)
Ballpark: Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium (opened April 18, 1994)
Established: 1968 (the Missions also played in San Antonio from 1946-62; previous San Antonio clubs date back to 1888)
Previous league: Triple-A Pacific Coast League
Last championship: 2013
Did you know? Over 41 consecutive seasons in the Texas League from 1968-2018, the Missions played 620 games against the Arkansas Travelers. The final record between these two clubs? 310-310.