Highest level of
minor league baseball, one step away from the
major leagues. Players at this level are constantly watching the major league club for signs of
weakness or
injuries that will give them a
shot in the big-time. Two AAA leagues exist affiliated with the majors, the
International League and the
Pacific Coast League; the
Mexican League is AAA, but its teams are all
independent, with no major league affiliations.
It has to be an exquisite form of job-related torture to have your talent level fall somewhere between AAA ball and the majors -- a career full of Triple-A All Star Game appearances, but a .200 batting average in the bigs, is generally deemed a failure.