Editing Carolina League (section)

==History==
The Carolina League was announced on October 29, 1944, after an organizational meeting at [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]], North Carolina. It was a successor to the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] [[Bi-State League]] that existed before World War II. The league began play in 1945 with eight teams based in [[Burlington Rangers|Burlington]], [[Durham Bulls|Durham]], [[Greensboro Grasshoppers|Greensboro]], [[Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets|Leaksville]], [[Raleigh Capitals|Raleigh]], [[Winston-Salem Dash|Winston-Salem]] (all from North Carolina), along with [[Danville Leafs|Danville]] and [[Martinsville Phillies|Martinsville]] from Virginia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Wilson Heads Carolina Loop: Seven Franchises Awarded to N.C. Cities, Another to Danville, Va.|last=Barrier|first=Smith|date=November 2, 1944|work=The Sporting News}}</ref>

A few of the many Carolina League players who have gone on to star in the Major Leagues are: [[Johnny Bench]] (Peninsula, 1966), [[Wade Boggs]] (Winston-Salem, 1977), [[Barry Bonds]] (Prince William, 1985), [[Rod Carew]] (Wilson, 1966), [[Dock Ellis]] (Kinston, 1965), [[Dwight Evans (Baseball)|Dwight Evans]] (Winston-Salem, 1971), [[Dwight Gooden]] (Lynchburg, 1983), [[Zack Greinke]] (Wilmington, 2003), [[Andruw Jones]] (Durham, 1996), [[Chipper Jones]] (Durham, 1992), [[Willie McCovey]] (Danville, 1956), [[Joe Morgan]] (Durham, 1963), [[Dave Parker]] (Salem, 1972), [[Tony Pérez]] (Rocky Mount, 1962), [[Andy Pettitte]] (Prince William, 1993), [[Jorge Posada]] (Prince William, 1993), [[Darryl Strawberry]] (Lynchburg, 1981), [[Bernie Williams]] (Prince William, 1988), and [[Carl Yastrzemski]] (Raleigh, 1959).{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Director and screenwriter [[Ron Shelton]]'s 1988 film ''[[Bull Durham]]'', starring [[Kevin Costner]], [[Tim Robbins]], and [[Susan Sarandon]], depicted a fictionalized account of the [[Durham Bulls]], at that time a Carolina League team (they have since become a Class AAA team in the [[International League]]). Before he began making films, Shelton had a five-year minor league career in the [[Baltimore Orioles]]' organization, which included a stint in the International League.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baseball Reference |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=shelto003ron}}</ref>

The Carolina League added two [[expansion team]]s for the 2017 season to fill two vacant spots at the [[Class A-Advanced]] level previously occupied by the [[California League]]'s [[Bakersfield Blaze]] and [[High Desert Mavericks]], which ceased operations at the end of the 2016 season. These additional teams were the [[Down East Wood Ducks]] in [[Kinston, North Carolina]], and the [[Buies Creek Astros]] in [[Buies Creek, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Glaser|first1=Kyle|title=Carolina League To Add Two Franchises In 2017|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/carolina-league-to-add-two-franchises-in-2017/|website=BaseballAmerica.com|access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref> After the 2018 season, the Buies Creek Astros relocated to [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]] as the [[Fayetteville Woodpeckers]]. After the 2019 season, the Potomac Nationals relocated within [[Northern Virginia]] to [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]], rebranding themselves as the [[Fredericksburg Nationals]].

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Message From Pat O'Conner|url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/message-from-minor-league-baseball-president-ceo-pat-o-conner-313052288|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name=2020can>{{cite news |title=2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved|url=https://www.milb.com/news/2020-minor-league-baseball-season-shelved|website=Minor League Baseball|date=June 30, 2020|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref> As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Carolina League was demoted to Single-A and temporarily renamed the "Low-A East" for the 2021 season.<ref name=JMayo2-12-2021>{{cite web|last=Mayo|first=Jonathan|title=MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/new-minor-league-baseball-structure|website=Major League Baseball|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021}}</ref> In the realignment process, the [[Frederick Keys]] were demoted out of professional baseball into the [[Pro–am|hybrid amateur/professional]] [[MLB Draft League]], the [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]] and [[Winston-Salem Dash]] were shifted to the [[South Atlantic League]] (retaining their High-A status), and five teams were moved from the old SAL to bring the CL to twelve member teams. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Carolina League name was restored effective with the 2022 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-historical-league-names-to-return-in-2022|title=Historical League Names to Return in 2022|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 16, 2022|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>

In July 2024, MiLB announced that the [[Hickory Crawdads]] will join the Carolina League in 2025, replacing the [[Down East Wood Ducks]].<ref>{{cite press release |date=July 23, 2024 |title=South Atlantic, Carolina Leagues to realign in 2025 |url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-announces-realignment-of-south-atlantic-and-carolina-leagues |work=Minor League Baseball |access-date=July 25, 2024}}</ref>