There are a good number of teams in the MLB. This number could soon increase. However, it is important to examine how many there are now. Without further ado, let’s answer the question: how many MLB teams are there?
How Many MLB Teams Are There in Total?
It makes sense to begin by simply answering the question. In total, there are 30 teams in the MLB currently. This is the same number of teams in the NBA. Additionally, MLB teams are either in the National League or in the American League. This is a fairly simple way to organize these teams.
However, there is more that goes into this than simply the number of teams. It is worth mentioning that Major League Baseball makes some merchandise for fans of all teams, including an official baseball with the team logo of whichever team you choose. Let’s continue by breaking down the organization of the National League and American League.
How Many Divisions Are in the National League?
The National League has a total of three divisions. These divisions are the National League Central, National League East, and National League West. It is also important to point out the fact that each division has the exact same number of teams.
All three divisions in the National League have five teams each. This is a sensible way to organize these divisions. The National League includes a total of 15 teams. Without further ado, it is important to discuss the American League now.
How Many MLB Teams Are There in the American League and How Are They Divided?
Moving onto the National League, it is also important to discuss how many teams are in this part of the MLB. The organization of the National League mirrors the organization of the American League. Also, there are three divisions in the American League: the American League East, American League West, and American League Central. As with the National League, each division in the American League has five teams each. This means the American League contains 15 teams, just like the National League.
Which Teams Are In Which Divisions?
Now that it is clear that the 30 MLB teams are organized into two leagues and six divisions, it makes sense to discuss which teams are in which divisions. Also, this is an important piece of information to know. Let’s start with the American League Central.
The teams that are in the American League Central division are as follows: the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals, and the Minnesota Twins. The placement of these teams makes sense, since the states they are based in are in the central United States. Let’s continue by discussing the American League East.
The American League East contains the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Additionally, the American League West includes the Athletics, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. Now that all American League teams have been mentioned, it is time to move onto the teams in the National League.
Which MLB Teams Are in the National League?
An important part of answering the question how many MLB teams are there is discussing the teams that are in the National League. The National League Central includes the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals play in the National League East.
This leaves us with only the National League West to cover. The National League West contains the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants. That covers the divisions of MLB teams among the two leagues and the six divisions.
How Many MLB Teams Are There? | The History of MLB Teams
It also makes sense to look at this question from a historical perspective. Naturally, Major League Baseball didn’t start with all 30 current teams in existence. The National League started in 1876 and the American League began in 1901. However, the origin of Major League Baseball goes back to 1903 when the National League and American League signed the National Agreement. This effectively established Major League Baseball and is the origin point of answering how many MLB teams are there.
The legal merger of the two leagues happened much later. The National League and American League didn’t merge into one organization until 2000. The first fully professional baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. This team was founded in 1869.
However, the first MLB team didn’t originate until later than that. Let’s discuss the origins of each MLB team, starting with the teams in the American League. This is part of answering how many MLB teams are there, since each team joining affected that number.
When Were the American League Teams Founded?
Most Teams Changed Their Name at Least Once
The Baltimore Orioles first started out in 1901 when they were the Milwaukee Brewers. However, they quickly changed their name and were the St. Louis Browns from 1902 to 1953. After that, they altered their name once again to the Baltimore Orioles and have played under that name ever since.
Also, the Boston Red Sox first named themselves the Boston Americans from their origin in 1901 to 1907. However, they changed their name to the Boston Red Sox in 1908 and have played under that name since then. The Chicago White Sox have always used their current name, going back to their beginnings in 1901.
Some Teams Changed Their Name Several Times
The Cleveland Guardians began as the Cleveland Blues and used that name from 1901 to 1904. They then changed names to the Cleveland Naps, then the Cleveland Indians, and finally to their current name, the Cleveland Guardians. Moving on, the Detroit Tigers have always had their current name since their founding in 1901. The Houston Astros started out as the Houston Colt .45s until 1964.
They changed their name to the Houston Astros (NL) before dropping the (NL) in 2013. The Kansas City Royals have used their current name since their founding in 1969. Also, the Los Angeles Angels were previously the California Angels and the Anaheim Angels. The Minnesota Twins played as the Washington Senators from 1901 to 1960 and changed their name to the Minnesota Twins in 1961. Additionally, the New York Yankees were previously called the Baltimore Orioles and New York Highlanders before settling on their current name in 1913.
The Oakland Athletics used the names Philadelphia Athletics and Kansas City Athletics previously. The Seattle Mariners have always been the Seattle Mariners. Also, the Tampa Bay Rays used to call themselves the Tampa Bay Devil Rays until 2008. The Texas Rangers previously used the name Washington Senators until changing it to their current name in 1971. The Toronto Blue Jays have always used their current name.
What About the National League Teams?
Starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks, they have always used their current name. However, the Atlanta Braves changed their name many times before finally sticking with their current name beginning in 1966. The Chicago Cubs have used their current name for all of their MLB history, but previously had a few different names. The Cincinnati Reds were previously the Cincinnati Redlegs before switching to their current name in 1959.
However, the Colorado Rockies have never changed their team name. The Los Angeles Dodgers changed their name several times, but settled on their current name in 1958. The Miami Marlins were previously the Florida Marlins before changing their name in 2012. Interestingly, the Milwaukee Brewers previously called themselves the Seattle Pilots (AL) and the Milwaukee Brewers (AL) before dropping the (AL) in 1998. The New York Mets have retained their current name for all of their history.
The same is true for the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates were previously the Pittsburgh Allenghenys. The St. Louis Cardinals have retained their current name for all of their MLB history. The San Diego Padres have used their current name since their origin, as well. However, the San Francisco Giants were previously the New York Giants until changing their name to their current name in 1958.
Finally, the Washington Nationals called themselves the Montreal Expos from 1969 until 2005. They changed their name to the Washington Nationals in 2005.
That concludes our answer to the question of how many MLB teams are there.