Here are your 2023 Minor League title teams

Plus, a chili cheese dog worth thinking about 12 years later [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( October 26, 2023 Vinyl records have made a comeback in recent years, but most people only have players that spin at 33 or 45 revolutions per minute. Add those up and you get 78, the playback speed of the oldest and therefore rarest records. Fire up the gramophone and settle in, because this is the 78th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.   2023 MiLB TITLE WINNERS RANKED! (BY HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN SINCE THEY LAST WON) The World Series kicks off tomorrow, and either the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Texas Rangers will take home the crown. In the Minor Leagues, the playoff dust has long since settled with the winners now enjoying their status as league champions. What follows is a look at each of Minor League Baseball’s 11 title winners, with a focus on historical context. Had the team won a championship before and, if so, how long had it been? As you’ll see, some significant droughts were finally vanquished. [The Erie SeaWolves won the EL title] Erie SeaWolves, Double-A Eastern League Champions Major League affiliate: Detroit Tigers (since 2001) Established: 1995 First Title: 2023 The Erie SeaWolves spent the first four years of their existence in the New York-Penn League before switching to the Eastern League in 1999. In 2022, they won their first-ever playoff series, over Richmond, but were vanquished in the E.L. Finals by Somerset. This year, they finally got over the hump, defeating Richmond yet again in the semifinals, then sweeping Binghamton to claim the crown. [The Jupiter Hammerheads celebrate] Jupiter Hammerheads, Single-A Florida State League Champions Major League affiliate: Miami Marlins (since 2002) Established: 1998 First Title: 2023 The Hammerheads are unique in that they share their ballpark, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, with the Palm Beach Cardinals. While Palm Beach has won two FSL titles (in 2005 and 2017), the Hammerheads were perennially stymied in their attempts to win it all. That finally changed this season, as Jupiter vanquished its co-tenants in the semifinals before winning the Championship Series over Clearwater. [The Smokies are SL champions] Tennessee Smokies, Double-A Southern League Champions Major League affiliate: Chicago Cubs (since 2007) Established: 1972 First title since: 1978 The Tennessee Smokies won a co-championship in 2004, splitting the Southern League title with the Mobile BayBears after the Finals were cancelled due to the threat of Hurricane Ivan. In 2023, they captured their first outright title since 1978, when the team was known as the Knoxville Sox. This ended what had been the second-longest outright title drought in Minor League Baseball, behind Syracuse (who last won it all in 1976). [The Norfolk Tides win it all] Norfolk Tides, Triple-A International League Champions Major League affiliate: Baltimore Orioles (since 2007) Established: 1961 First title since: 1985 The Durham Bulls set their sights for an IL three-peat -- and their fifth title in the past six seasons – but this season they were felled in the Finals by the Norfolk Tides. The Tides hadn’t won it all since 1985, when they were a Mets affiliate filled with players who, the following season, would contribute to a World Series-winning campaign in Queens. [The Cedar Rapids Kernels celebrate] Cedar Rapids Kernels, High-A Midwest League Champions Major League affiliate: Minnesota Twins (since 2013) Established: 1949 First title since: 1994 Cedar Rapids’ long-running Minor League team changed its name to the Kernels in 1993, the same season in which it began an affiliation with the Los Angeles Angels. The Kernels won the Midwest League title the following season, and 29 years passed before they won another one. This year’s championship was their first as a Twins affiliate, and fifth in franchise history. [The OKC Dodgers celebrate] Oklahoma City Dodgers, Triple-A Pacific Coast League Champions Major League affiliate: Los Angeles Dodgers (since 2015) Established: 1962 First title since: 1996 Oklahoma City’s Triple-A team first played in the Pacific Coast League from 1963-68, and then rejoined the circuit in 1998 following a long stint in the American Association. Though the franchise had plenty of opportunity, it hadn't ever won a PCL championship until 2023. The last time OKC won it all in any league, in 1996, the team was still known by its original “89ers” moniker. [Ben and the Governors' Cup] Modesto Nuts, Single-A California League Champions Major League affiliate: Seattle Mariners (since 2017) Established: 1946 First title since: 2017 The Nuts last won a championship in 2017, which marked the first of what are now two titles as a Seattle affiliate. Prior to that, they won it all while partnered with Pittsburgh (1950), the New York Yankees (1954, 1959), the Kansas City Athletics (1966), St. Louis (1972) and Oakland (1982, 1984, 2004). [Vancouver celebrates] Vancouver Canadians, High-A Northwest League Champions Major League affiliate: Toronto Blue Jays (since 2011) Established: 2000 First title since: 2017 The Canadians spent the first 11 seasons of their existence as an Oakland affiliate, and in that time they never won it all. It’s been a different story since they partnered with the Blue Jays in 2011, as that year they won the first of what has now been five Northwest League championships. This year's title was their first at the High-A level, as the NWL was a Class A Short-Season circuit through 2019. [Greenville celebrates] Greenville Drive, High-A South Atlantic League Champions Major League affiliate: Boston Red Sox (since 2005) Established: 2005 First title since: 2017 Greenville’s first title came in 2017, which was its 13th season of existence. The Lexington Legends captured the next two SAL championships, then the Bowling Green Hot Rods won two in a row. The trophy returned to Greenville in 2023, and now the Drive will be gunning for a repeat. [The Sod Poodles celebrate] Amarillo Sod Poodles, Double-A Texas League Champions Major League affiliate: Arizona Diamondbacks (since 2021) Established: 2019 First title since: 2019 The Sod Poodles won it all in their debut 2019 campaign, as an affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They became a D-backs affiliate in 2021 and won it all again this season. They now have as many Texas League titles as their predecessor, the Amarillo God Sox (who played their final season in 1982). [Charleston celebrates] Charleston RiverDogs, Single-A Carolina League Champions Major League affiliate: Tampa Bay Rays (since 2021) Established: 1980 First title since: 2022 Talk about a dramatic turnaround: From its 1980 inception through 2020, Charleston failed to win a single South Atlantic League title. In 2021 the RiverDogs switched to the Carolina League and became a Rays affiliate, and since then all they’ve done is win. 2023 marked their third consecutive championship.   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( Don't you dare look away! This is Josh Jackson, the ghoul you know as host of Ghosts of the Minors, The Show Before the Show segment in which I ask you to identify the real historical Minor League team or player disguised among a pair of frauds. Last time, we couldn't get enough of the Montpelier Goldfish. This week, I ask you which of these wild clubs cultivated the field in the Minors of yesteryear? - The Rayne Rice Birds - The Wayne Wheat Wolves - The Cayne Corn Crows For the answer, check out last week's Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show](   DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY My archives, like outer space, are deep, vast and largely incomprehensible to our feeble human intellect. And, like outer space, they allow for infinite exploration. I started poking around, not knowing what I was looking for, and found this:  In 2011, prior to visiting the Gwinnett Braves (now the Stripers), I stopped at Atlanta-area fast food institution The Varsity. This was before I was diagnosed with celiac disease, so nothing on the menu was off limits. I ordered what appears to be a Chili Cheese Slaw Dog, along with what was definitely a side of fries. [A dog at the Varsity] What are your favorite restaurants located within a half hour or so of a Minor League ballpark? Let me know, and send pictures if you’ve got ‘em: benjamin.hill@mlb.com   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. 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