Editing Carolina League

{{Short description|Minor League Baseball league}}
{{About|the baseball league founded in 1945|the independent baseball league that operated between 1936 and 1938|Carolina League (1936–1938)}}
{{Infobox sports league
| title           = 
| logo            = Carolina League logo.svg
| pixels          = 
| caption         = 
| sport           = [[Baseball]]
| founded         = {{start date and years ago|1945|p=yes}}
| president       = 
| classification  = {{ubl|
 |[[Single-A]] (2021–present)
 |[[Class A-Advanced]] (1990–2020)
 |[[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] (1963–1989)
 |[[Class B (baseball)|Class B]] (1949–1962)
 |[[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] (1945–1948)
 }}
| teams           = 12
| country         = United States
| champion        = [[Fredericksburg Nationals]] (2024)
| most_champs     = [[Winston-Salem Dash]] (11)
| TV              = 
| folded          = 
| replaced        = 
| website         = {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19981205084907/http://www.carolinaleague.com/ www.carolinaleague.com]}}
}}

The '''Carolina League''' is a [[Minor League Baseball]] league which has operated along the [[Atlantic Coast of the United States]] since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence,<ref name=encyc>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1=Lloyd Johnson |editor2=Miles Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=[[Baseball America]] |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}</ref>{{rp|23}} it operated at [[Class A-Advanced]] from 1990 until its demotion to [[Single-A]] following [[Major League Baseball]]'s 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the '''Low-A East''' before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.

The organization that later became the Carolina League formed in 1945, just as [[World War II]] was ending, and consisted of eight teams,  six from [[North Carolina]] and two from southern [[Virginia]]. This later grew to as many as 12 teams at times.

==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>

==Current teams==
<div style="display:inline-grid; vertical-align:top;">
<onlyinclude><!--NOTE: this directive must span the table, and only the table, so it can be embedded elsewhere-->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Division
!scope="col"| Team
!scope="col"| MLB affiliation
!scope="col"| City
!scope="col"| Stadium
!scope="col"| Capacity
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="6" | North
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Carolina Mudcats]]
|[[Milwaukee Brewers]]
|[[Zebulon, North Carolina]]
|[[Five County Stadium]]
|style="text-align:center;"|6,500
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Delmarva Shorebirds]]
|[[Baltimore Orioles]]
|[[Salisbury, Maryland]]
|[[Arthur W. Perdue Stadium]]
|style="text-align:center;"|5,200
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Fayetteville Woodpeckers]]
|[[Houston Astros]]
|[[Fayetteville, North Carolina]]
|[[Segra Stadium]]
|style="text-align:center;"|4,786
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Fredericksburg Nationals]]
|[[Washington Nationals]]
|[[Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
|[[Virginia Credit Union Stadium]]
|style="text-align:center;"|5,000
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Lynchburg Hillcats]]
|[[Cleveland Guardians]]
|[[Lynchburg, Virginia]]
|[[Bank of the James Stadium]]
|style="text-align:center;"|4,000
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Salem Red Sox]]
|[[Boston Red Sox]]
|[[Salem, Virginia]]
|[[Salem Memorial Ballpark]]
|style="text-align:center;"|6,300
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="6" | South
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Augusta GreenJackets]]
|[[Atlanta Braves]]
|[[North Augusta, South Carolina]]
|[[SRP Park]]
|style="text-align:center;"|4,782
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Charleston RiverDogs]]
|[[Tampa Bay Rays]]
|[[Charleston, South Carolina]]
|[[Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park]]
|style="text-align:center;"|6,000
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Columbia Fireflies]]
|[[Kansas City Royals]]
|[[Columbia, South Carolina]]
|[[Segra Park]]
|style="text-align:center;"|7,501
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"| [[Hickory Crawdads]]
| [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]
| [[Hickory, North Carolina]]
| [[L. P. Frans Stadium]]
|align=center| 5,062
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Kannapolis Cannon Ballers]]
|[[Chicago White Sox]]
|[[Kannapolis, North Carolina]]
|[[Atrium Health Ballpark]]
|style="text-align:center;"|4,930
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left"|[[Myrtle Beach Pelicans]]
|[[Chicago Cubs]]
|[[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]]
|[[Pelicans Ballpark]]
|style="text-align:center;"|6,599
|}
</onlyinclude></div>
<div style="display:inline-grid; vertical-align:top;">
{{OSM Location map
| nolabels = 1  
| coord = {{coord|35.5908|-78.7984}}
| zoom = 6
| width = 450
| height = 425
| float = left
| caption = '''Current team locations:'''{{Legend|#AA1205|North Division}}{{Legend|#105396|South Division}}
| auto-caption=1
| shape1=n-circle
| mark1 = Red pog.svg| shape-color1 = hard red| mark-title1 = Carolina Mudcats| label1 = Mudcats| mark-coord1 = {{coord|35.8170|-78.2705}}| label-pos1 = bottom| label-color1 = black
| mark2 = Red pog.svg| shape-color2 = hard red| mark-title2 = Delmarva Shorebirds| label2 = Shorebirds| mark-coord2 = {{coord|38.3698|-75.5300}}| label-pos2 = bottom| label-color2 = black
| mark3 = Red pog.svg| shape-color3 = hard red| mark-title3 = Fayetteville Woodpeckers| label3 = Woodpeckers| mark-coord3 = {{coord|35.0559|-78.8837}}| label-pos3 = bottom| label-color3 = black
| mark4 = Red pog.svg| shape-color4 = hard red| mark-title4 = Fredericksburg Nationals| label4 = Nationals| mark-coord4 = {{coord|38.3184|-77.5090}}| label-pos4 = bottom| label-color4 = black
| mark5 = Red pog.svg| shape-color5 = hard red| mark-title5 = Lynchburg Hillcats| label5 = Hillcats| mark-coord5 = {{coord|37.3928|-79.1656}}| label-pos5 = right| label-color5 = black
| mark6 = Red pog.svg| shape-color6 = hard red| mark-title6 = Salem Red Sox| label6 = Red Sox| mark-coord6 = {{coord|37.2856|-80.0370}}| label-pos6 = bottom| label-color6 = black
| mark7 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color7 = dark blue| mark-title7 = Augusta GreenJackets| label7 = GreenJackets| mark-coord7 = {{coord|33.4847|-81.9744}}| label-pos7 = bottom| label-color7 = black
| mark8 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color8 = dark blue| mark-title8 = Charleston RiverDogs| label8 = RiverDogs| mark-coord8 = {{coord|32.7907|-79.9613}}| label-pos8 = right| label-color8 = black
| mark9 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color9 = dark blue| mark-title9 = Columbia Fireflies| label9 = Fireflies| mark-coord9 = {{coord|34.0184|-81.0313}}| label-pos9 = bottom| label-color9 = black
| mark10 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color10 = dark blue| mark-title10 = Hickory Crawdads| label10 = Crawdads| mark-coord10 = {{coord|35.737778|-81.328333}}| label-pos10 = top| label-color10 = black
| mark11 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color11 = dark blue| mark-title11 = Kannapolis Cannon Ballers| label11 = Cannon Ballers| mark-coord11 = {{coord|35.4981|-80.6273}}| label-pos11 = bottom| label-color11 = black
| mark12 = Blue pog.svg| shape-color12 = dark blue| mark-title12 = Myrtle Beach Pelicans| label12 = Pelicans| mark-coord12 = {{coord|33.7116|-78.8845}}| label-pos12 = bottom| label-color12 = black
}}
</div>

== Champions ==
{{main|List of Carolina League champions}}

==Awards==
{{main|Baseball awards#Carolina League}}

==All-time teams (1945–present)==
All teams that have competed in the Carolina League since its founding in 1945:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/132818740/2013-Carolina-League-Media-Guide-and-Record-Book |title=2013 Carolina League Media Guide and Record Book |page=4}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*[[Alamance Indians]] (1958–1964, became the Burlington Senators)
*[[Alexandria Dukes]] (1978, became the Alexandria Mariners)
*[[Alexandria Dukes]] (1980–1983, became the Prince William Pirates)
*[[Alexandria Mariners]] (1979, became the Alexandria Dukes)
*[[Asheville Tourists]] (1967, moved to [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]])
*[[Augusta GreenJackets]] (2021–present)
*[[Buies Creek Astros]] (2017–2018; became the Fayetteville Woodpeckers)
*[[Burlington Bees (Carolina League)|Burlington Bees]] (1945–1951, became the Burlington-Graham Pirates)
*[[Burlington Rangers]] (1972, folded)
*[[Burlington Senators]] (1965–1971, became the Burlington Rangers)
*[[Burlington-Graham Pirates]] (1952–1955, folded)
*[[Carolina Mudcats]] (2012–present)
*[[Charleston RiverDogs]] (2021–present)
*[[Columbia Fireflies]] (2021–present)
*[[Danville 97s]] (1998, became the Myrtle Beach Pelicans)
*[[Danville Leafs]] (1945–1958, folded)
*[[Delmarva Shorebirds]] (2021–present)
*[[Down East Wood Ducks]] (2017–2024, moved to Spartanburg & became the Hub City Spartanburgers)
*[[Durham Bulls]] (1945–1967, merged with the Raleigh Pirates and became the Raleigh-Durham Mets)
*[[Durham Bulls]] (1980–1997, became the Danville 97s)
*[[Fayetteville Athletics]] (1950–1952, became the Fayetteville Highlanders)
*[[Fayetteville Highlanders]] (1953–1956, folded)
*[[Fayetteville Woodpeckers]] (2019–present)
*[[Frederick Keys]] (1989–2020, moved to [[MLB Draft League]])
*[[Fredericksburg Nationals]] (2020–present)
*[[Greensboro Patriots]] (1945–1957, became the Greensboro Yankees)
*[[Greensboro Patriots]] (1968, folded)
*[[Greensboro Yankees]] (1958–1967, became the Greensboro Patriots)
*[[Hagerstown Suns]] (1981–1988, became the Frederick Keys)
*[[High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms]] (1954–1958, folded)
*[[High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms]] (1968, became the High Point-Thomasville Royals)
*[[High Point-Thomasville Royals]] (1969, folded)
*[[Kannapolis Cannon Ballers]] (2021–present)
*[[Kinston Blue Jays]] (1982–1985, became the Kinston Eagles)
*[[Wilson Tobs|Kinston Eagles]] (1956–1957, merged with the Wilson Tobs)
*[[Kinston Expos|Kinston Eagles]] (1962–1973, became the Kinston Expos)
*[[Kinston Blue Jays|Kinston Eagles]] (1978–1981, became the Kinston Blue Jays)
*[[Kinston Indians|Kinston Eagles]] (1986, became the Kinston Indians)
*[[Kinston Expos]] (1974, folded)
*[[Kinston Indians]] (1987–2011, became the Carolina Mudcats)
*[[Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets]] (1945–1947, moved to the [[Blue Ridge League]])
*[[Lynchburg Hillcats]] (1995–present)
*[[Lynchburg Mets]] (1976–1987, became the Lynchburg Red Sox)
*[[Lynchburg Rangers]] (1975, became the Lynchburg Mets)
*[[Lynchburg Red Sox]] (1988–1994, became the Lynchburg Hillcats)
*[[Lynchburg Twins]] (1970–1974, became the Lynchburg Rangers)
*[[Lynchburg White Sox]] (1966–1969, became the Lynchburg Twins)
*[[Martinsville Athletics]] (1945–1949, folded)
*[[Myrtle Beach Pelicans]] (1999–present)
{{col-2}}
*[[Peninsula Astros]] (1969–1970, became the Peninsula Phillies)
*[[Peninsula Grays]] (1964–1968, became the Peninsula Astros)
*[[Peninsula Pennants]] (1974, folded)
*[[Peninsula Phillies]] (1971, folded)
*[[Peninsula Pilots (minor league team)|Peninsula Pilots]] (1976–1985, became the Peninsula White Sox)
*[[Peninsula Pilots (minor league team)|Peninsula Pilots]] (1989–1992, became the Wilmington Blue Rocks)
*[[Peninsula Senators]] (1963, became the Peninsula Grays)
*[[Peninsula White Sox]] (1986–1987, became the Virginia Generals)
*[[Potomac Cannons]] (1999–2004, became the Potomac Nationals)
*[[Potomac Nationals]] (2005–2019, became the Fredericksburg Nationals)
*[[Prince William Cannons]] (1990–1998, became the Potomac Cannons)
*[[Prince William Pirates]] (1984–1986, became the Prince William Yankees)
*[[Prince William Yankees]] (1987–1989, became the Prince William Cannons)
*[[Raleigh Capitals]] (1957–1962, became the Raleigh Mets)
*[[Raleigh Capitals]] (1945–1953, folded)
*[[Raleigh Cardinals]] (1964–1965, became the Raleigh Pirates)
*[[Raleigh Mets]] (1963, became the Raleigh Cardinals)
*[[Raleigh Pirates]] (1966–1967, merged with the Durham Bulls and became the Raleigh-Durham Mets)
*[[Raleigh-Durham Mets]] (1968, became the Raleigh-Durham Phillies)
*[[Raleigh-Durham Phillies]] (1969, became the Raleigh-Durham Triangles)
*[[Raleigh-Durham Triangles]] (1970–1971, folded)
*[[Red Springs Twins]] (1969, folded)
*[[Reidsville Luckies]] (1948–1954, became the Reidsville Phillies)
*[[Reidsville Phillies]] (1955, folded)
*[[Rocky Mount Leafs]] (1962–1963, became the Rocky Mount Senators)
*[[Rocky Mount Leafs]] (1965–1972, became the Rocky Mount Phillies)
*[[Rocky Mount Phillies]] (1973–1975, folded)
*[[Rocky Mount Pines]] (1980, became the Hagerstown Suns)
*[[Rocky Mount Senators]] (1964, became the Rocky Mount Leafs)
*[[Salem Avalanche]] (1995–2008, became the Salem Red Sox)
*[[Salem Buccaneers]] (1987–1994, became the Salem Avalanche)
*[[Salem Pirates]] (1972–1979, became the Salem Redbirds)
*[[Salem Rebels (baseball)|Salem Rebels]] (1968–1971, became the Salem Pirates)
*[[Salem Red Sox]] (2009–present)
*[[Salem Redbirds]] (1980–1986, became the Salem Buccaneers)
*[[Tidewater Tides]] (1963–1968, moved to the [[International League]])
*[[Virginia Generals]] (1988, became the Peninsula Pilots)
*[[Wilmington Blue Rocks]] (1993–2020, moved to [[High-A East]])
*[[Wilson Pennants]] (1973, folded)
*[[Wilson Tobs (minor league baseball)|Wilson Tobs]] (1956–1968, folded)
*[[Winston-Salem Cardinals]] (1945–1953, became the Winston-Salem Twins)
*[[Winston-Salem Dash]] (2009–2020, moved to High-A East)
*[[Winston-Salem Red Birds]] (1957–1960, became the Winston-Salem Red Sox)
*[[Winston-Salem Red Sox]] (1961–1983, became the Winston-Salem Spirits)
*[[Winston-Salem Spirits]] (1984–1994, became the Winston-Salem Warthogs)
*[[Winston-Salem Twins]] (1954–1956, became the Winston-Salem Red Birds)
*[[Winston-Salem Warthogs]] (1995–2008, became the Winston-Salem Dash)
{{col-end}}

===League timeline (1945–present)===
<timeline>
DateFormat  = mm/dd/yyyy
ImageSize =  width:1600 height:auto barincrement:25
Period =  from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/2025
TimeAxis =  orientation:horizontal
PlotArea    = right:20 left:20 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph,  use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors =  id:barcolor
 id:line  value:pink
 id:bg  value:white
          id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member
          id:Past value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # Use to indicate a former team
          id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another current league

PlotData=
   width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

 bar:1  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1955 text:[[Burlington Rangers|Burlington Bees / Burlington-Graham Pirates]] (1945–55)
 bar:1  color:Past from:01/01/1958 till:12/31/1972 text:[[Burlington Rangers|Burlington Indians / Senators / Rangers]] (1958–72)
 bar:2  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1958 text:[[Danville Leafs]] (1945–58)
 bar:2  color:Past from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/1998 text:[[Danville 97s]] (1998)
 bar:3  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1971 text:[[Durham Bulls|Durham Bulls / Raleigh-Durham Mets / Phillies / Triangles]] (1945–71)
 bar:3  color:Past from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1997 text:[[Durham Bulls]] (1980–97)
 bar:4  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1968 text:[[Greensboro Grasshoppers|Greensboro Patriots / Red Sox / Patriots / Yankees / Patriots]] (1945–68)
 bar:5  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1947 text:[[Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets]] (1945–47)
 bar:6  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1949 text:[[Martinsville A's]] (1945–49)
 bar:7  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/1953 text:[[Raleigh Capitals]] (1945–53)
 bar:7  color:Past from:01/01/1958 till:12/31/1967 text:[[Raleigh Capitals|Raleigh Capitals / Mets / Cardinals / Pirates]] (1958–67)
 bar:8  color:Past from:01/01/1945 till:12/31/2020 text:[[Winston-Salem Dash|Winston-Salem Cardinals / Twins / Red Birds / Red Sox / Spirits / Warthogs / Dash]] (1945–2020)
 bar:9  color:Past from:01/01/1948 till:12/31/1955 text:[[Reidsville Luckies|Reidsville Luckies / Phillies]] (1948–55)
 bar:10  color:Past from:01/01/1950 till:12/31/1956 text:[[Fayetteville A's|Fayetteville A's / Highlanders]] (1950–56)
 bar:10  color:Full from:01/01/2019 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Fayetteville Woodpeckers]] (2019–present)
 bar:11  color:Past from:01/01/1954 till:12/31/1958 text:[[High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms]] (1954–58)
 bar:11  color:Past from:01/01/1968 till:12/31/1969 text:[[High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms|High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms / Royals]] (1968–69)
 bar:12  color:Past from:01/01/1956 till:05/11/1957 text:[[Kinston Eagles (1956–1957)|Kinston Eagles]] (1956–57)
 bar:12  color:Past from:01/01/1962 till:12/31/1974 text:[[Kinston Expos|Kinston Eagles / Expos]] (1962–74)
 bar:12  color:Past from:01/01/1978 till:12/31/2011 text:[[Kinston Indians|Kinston Eagles / Blue Jays / Eagles / Indians]] (1975–2011)
 bar:12  color:Past from:01/01/2017 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Down East Wood Ducks]] (2017–2024) 
 bar:13  color:Past from:01/01/1956 till:12/31/1968 text:[[Wilson Tobs (minor league baseball)|Wilson Tobs]] (1956–68)
 bar:13  color:Past from:01/01/1973 till:12/31/1973 text:[[Wilson Pennants]] (1973)
 bar:14  color:Past from:01/01/1962 till:12/31/1975 text:[[Rocky Mount Leafs|Rocky Mount Leafs / Phillies]] (1962–75)
 bar:14  color:Past from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 text:[[Rocky Mount Pines]] (1980)
 bar:15  color:Past from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1971 text:[[Peninsula Pilots (minor league team)|Peninsula Senators / Grays / Astros / Phillies]]  
 bar:15  color:Past from:01/01/1974 till:12/31/1974 text:[[Peninsula Pilots (minor league team)| / Pennants]]  
 bar:15  color:Past from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1992 text:[[Peninsula Pilots (minor league team)|    / Pilots / White Sox / Virginia Generals / Peninsula Pilots]] (1963–71, 1974, 1976–92)
 bar:16  color:Past from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1968 text:[[Tidewater Tides]] (1963–68)  
 bar:17  color:Full from:01/01/1966 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Lynchburg Hillcats|Lynchburg White Sox / Twins / Rangers / Mets / Red Sox / Hillcats]] (1966–present)  
 bar:18  color:Past from:01/01/1967 till:12/31/1967 text:[[Asheville Tourists]] (1967)  
 bar:19  color:Full from:01/01/1968 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Salem Red Sox|Salem Rebels / Pirates / Redbirds / Buccaneers / Avalanche / Red Sox]] (1968–present)  
 bar:20  color:Past from:01/01/1969 till:12/31/1969 text:[[Red Springs Twins]] (1969) 
 bar:21  color:Past from:01/01/1978 till:12/31/1983 text:[[Alexandria Dukes|Alexandria Dukes / Mariners / Dukes]] (1978–83)   
 bar:22  color:Past from:01/01/1984 till:12/31/1998 text:[[Prince William Cannons|Prince William Pirates / Yankees / Cannons]] (1984–98)  
 bar:22  color:Past from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2019 text:[[Potomac Nationals|Potomac Cannons / Nationals]] (1999–2019)  
 bar:23  color:Full from:01/01/2020 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Fredericksburg Nationals]] (2020-present)
 bar:24  color:Past from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1988 text:[[Hagerstown Suns]] (1981–88)  
 bar:25  color:Past from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/2020 text:[[Frederick Keys]] (1989–2020)  
 bar:26  color:Past from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/2020 text:[[Wilmington Blue Rocks]] (1993–2020)  
 bar:27  color:Full from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Myrtle Beach Pelicans]] (1999–present)  
 bar:28  color:Full from:01/01/2012 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Carolina Mudcats]] (2012–present) 
 bar:29  color:Past from:01/01/2017 till:12/31/2018 text:[[Buies Creek Astros]] (2017–18)
 bar:30  color:Full from:01/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Delmarva Shorebirds]] (2021-present)
 bar:31  color:Full from:01/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Augusta GreenJackets]] (2021-present)
 bar:33  color:Full from:01/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Charleston RiverDogs]] (2021-present)
 bar:34  color:Full from:01/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Columbia Fireflies]] (2021-present)
 bar:35  color:Full from:01/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 text:[[Kannapolis Cannon Ballers]] (2021-present)
 bar:36  color:Full from:01/01/2025 till:12/31/2025 text:[[Hickory Crawdads]] (2025-present)

ScaleMajor  = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:01/01/1945
TextData =

    fontsize:L

    textcolor:black

    pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center)

 text:^"Carolina League Timeline"
#> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. {{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|League members}} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other  Current League}} <#  </timeline>

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Current team}} {{Font color||{{RGB|102|205|170}}|Earlier team}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{official website}}

{{Carolina League}}
{{Professional Baseball}}

[[Category:Carolina League| ]]
[[Category:Minor baseball leagues in the United States]]
[[Category:Baseball leagues in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sports leagues established in 1945]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Professional sports leagues in the United States]]