Southern League All-Star Game


The Southern League All-Star Game is an annual baseball game sanctioned by Minor League Baseball between professional players from the teams of the Double-A Southern League. Each division, North and South, fields a team composed of players in their respective divisions as voted on by the managers, general managers, and broadcasters from each of the league's 10 clubs.
From the first All-Star Game in 1964 through 1998, the event predominantly consisted of a single team of the league's All-Stars versus a Major League Baseball team. The division versus division format has been used since 1999. No game was held from 1991 to 1995 as the Southern League and the other two Double-A leagues, the Eastern League and Texas League, participated in the Double-A All-Star Game instead.
Traditionally, the game has taken place during the three-day All-Star break between the first and second halves of the season. The game is meant to mark the halfway-point in the season with the first 70 games being played before and the remaining 70 after. Some additional events, such as the Home Run Derby and All-Star Fan Fest take place each year during this break in the regular season.

History

The first Southern League All-Star Game was played in 1964 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. In the inaugural game, held in the league's first season of operation, the hosting Birmingham Barons served as the competition for a team of Southern League All-Stars as they held first place at a predetermined point in the season. Through 1998, the game usually pitted an All-Star team versus a Major League Baseball team, sometimes the host's major league affiliate. The Atlanta Braves participated in 12 All-Star Games, the most among MLB teams. The Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Seattle Mariners also competed in one game each.
Other arrangements were also utilized. On seven occasions, a Southern League team, usually the league's leader at a given point before the game, was selected to compete against the All-Stars. These were the Birmingham Barons, Columbus Confederate Yankees, Mobile A's, Montgomery Rebels, Memphis Chicks, Nashville Sounds, and Mobile BayBears. In such instances, players from the rival team who were voted onto All-Star teams played for their own clubs, or the league prohibited voting for players on the host team and chose to recognize all players on those teams as All-Stars. Triple-A teams twice served as the All-Stars' opponents: in 1986 against Nashville, which had moved to the American Association, and in 1987 versus the International League's Richmond Braves. In 1990, one team was made up of All-Stars from American League affiliates and the other of National League affiliates.
A division versus division format, where each division fields a team composed of players in their respective divisions, was used intermittently—first in 1975 and again in 1984 and 1988. This format was readopted in 1999 and has been utilized each year since. From 1999 to 2004, it was East against West. Since realignment in 2005, it has been North versus South.
No game was held from 1991 to 1995 as the Southern League and the other two Double-A leagues, the Eastern League and Texas League, participated in the Double-A All-Star Game instead. The Southern League continued to participate in the Double-A All-Star Game through its final contention in 2002 but resumed holding its own All-Star Game in 1996.

Structure

Each division's roster consists of 25 players, as voted on by the managers, general managers, and broadcasters from each of the league's 10 clubs. The actual number of players on gameday may be less due to call-ups, injuries, or players choosing not to participate. Nonparticipants retain their All-Star status. The game itself consists of a single nine-inning game to determine a champion. The division in which the host city competes is considered the home team for the game and the other team is designated the visiting team. Designated hitters bat in place of the pitchers.
Historically, players wore their respective team's uniforms. Typically, players on the home team wore their club's white home uniforms, while players on the away team wore their club's gray road uniforms. This changed in 2019 when players wore division-specific jerseys paired with the appropriate home/road pants and their respective team's cap.

Results

Most Valuable Player Award

The Most Valuable Player Award is bestowed on the player with the best performance at each All-Star Game. No award was given in the first eight games or in 1973's rain-shortened game, but it has been awarded continuously since 1974. Eight players from the Birmingham Barons have been selected for the MVP Award, more than any other team in the league. The Jacksonville Expos/Suns have the second-most with five MVPs. Seven players from the Chicago White Sox organization have won the MVP Award, the most of any Major League Baseball organization. They are followed by the Detroit Tigers with five MVPs and the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins with four winners each. The only player to win the MVP Award more than once is Birmingham's Jeff Inglin, who won back-to-back in 1999 and 2000.
, 1979 MVP|alt=A man in a red baseball jersey with "Sounds" written on the front in white and blue and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center stands on a baseball field swinging a bat.
, 1986 MVP|alt=A man in a red baseball jersey with "Sounds" written on the front in white and blue and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center stands on a baseball field swinging a bat.
, 2008 MVP|alt=A man in a red baseball jersey with "Sounds" written on the front in white and blue and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center stands on a baseball field swinging a bat.
, 2011 MVP|alt=A man in a red baseball jersey with "Sounds" written on the front in white and blue and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center stands on a baseball field swinging a bat.