farm team
Noun: A farm team is a minor-league sports team that is owned by or has a formal development agreement with a major-league team. Its primary purpose is to train and develop young or less experienced players, who can later be promoted ("called up") to the parent major-league team. This system is most commonly associated with professional baseball.
The term is used to describe the developmental and organizational relationship between a major-league club and its affiliated minor-league teams. * The star pitcher spent two seasons in the farm team before joining the major-league roster. * Successful farm teams are crucial for a major-league organization's long-term success. * He was assigned to a farm team in the AAA league to gain more experience.
- "To be in the farm system": To be part of the collection of a major-league team's minor-league affiliates.
- Several promising prospects are currently in the organization's farm system.
- The concept can be metaphorically extended to other fields to describe a subsidiary or training ground that prepares individuals for a larger, more prominent organization.
- That small design studio acted as a farm team for the giant tech company, which hired most of its talented staff.
- Farm system (n): The entire network of a major-league team's minor-league affiliates.
- Minor-league team (n): A professional sports team not part of the premier major league; a farm team is a specific type of minor-league team with a direct affiliation.
- Affiliate (n): A team linked to a parent club, often used synonymously with farm team.
- Call up (phrasal verb): To promote a player from a farm team to the major-league team.
- Minor-league affiliate
- Development team
- feeder team
- To be sent down to the farm team: To be demoted from the major-league team to a minor-league affiliate for more development.
- After struggling in the majors, the rookie was sent down to the farm team.
- a minor-league team that is owned by a major-league team (especially in baseball)