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CMS Grad And Queens College Star Drafted By New York Yankees

Dillon Lewis is literally getting to live the dream. I’m talking about the dream that all little boys who play sports have. If you’re a football player, chances are you’ve…

Dillon Lewis drafted by New York Yankees
Luke Hales/Getty Images

Dillon Lewis is literally getting to live the dream. I'm talking about the dream that all little boys who play sports have. If you're a football player, chances are you've dreamed of playing for The Dallas Cowboys. If basketball is your thing, then you can't tell me you haven't fantasized about wearing a Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics jersey. And if you're a baseball player like Audrey Kell alum (and current Queens College student-athlete) Dillon Lewis, then getting a chance to wear the pinstripes of the New York Yankees? Are you kidding me? Well, guess who just got drafted by The Bronx Bombers? Let me put this in perspective really quick. Less than six percent of high school athletes get the opportunity to play their sport in college, and two percent of college athletes are fortunate enough to play professionally.  Yeah, this is a big deal.

How The Yankees Dream Began For Dillon Lewis

No surprise that as a boy, Dillon Lewis looked up to Yankees legend Derek Jeter (I'm a grown man who hasn't played baseball since I WAS a kid, and I want to be Derek Jeter). In 2009, Lewis took in a game in New York at Yankees Stadium. In fact, that's his first memory of going to a baseball game. Flash forward fifteen years, and with their pick in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft, The Yankees selected Dillon Lewis.

Does Dillon Lewis Have What It Takes To Make It To The Big Leagues?

Lewis tells Yahoo Sports, “The moment where it really started to set in for me...this year we had a fall game. I believe I had four hits or so and I got a message from a Yankees scout a few weeks after inviting me to a workout.” Dillon followed up this moment with a monster junior season at Queens College. His stat line for Blue and Gold? .371 with 14 doubles, 22 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. Additionally, he broke the program's single-season home run, hits, runs, and RBI records. So, can Dillon Lewis make it to the major leagues? Let me remind you of something I stated earlier. Less than six percent of high school athletes get the opportunity to play their sport in college, and two percent of college athletes are fortunate enough to play professionally. Lewis' response to this? “I beat the odds to get to this point, now it’s how can I beat the odds again to progress further in major league organizations?”

Do You Know Every North Carolina Minor League Baseball Team?

Baseball is widely regarded as America's pastime. Without a major league team closer than Atlanta or DC minor league baseball takes the stage in North Carolina. So it's a good thing that we have plenty of North Carolina minor league baseball teams to be a fan of! It can seem like there are so many teams that it's hard to make sense of what they all mean. It seems like every town has a baseball team. Are they all the same level?

The short answer is no. Minor league baseball is made up of several different levels. These are used for player development and getting players ready to hopefully one day compete in the "big leagues". Each major league team has 4 minor league teams affiliated with them for a total of 120 teams in the country. Additionally, there are other independent baseball leagues that players can play in and fans can take in games.

Minor league baseball can be a fun and relatively inexpensive outing for families and friend groups alike. Most tickets are very affordable with fun promotions as well as food and drink specials. North Carolina is home to 10 official minor league teams in the triple A, high A, and single A levels. We also have 5 independent baseball teams. Keep reading to learn a little about each of the teams, where they are located, their major league affiliate, and their level!

Triple A Teams

Triple-A is the level just under the major leagues. These players are often good enough to play in the major leagues but there just isn't space on them on the roster. They can easily be called up due to injury or other situations. North Carolina has 2 Triple-A teams.

Charlotte Knights

Major League Team: Chicago White Sox

Location: Charlotte, NC

Durham Bulls

Major League Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Location: Durham, NC

High A Teams

High-A formerly known as Class A-Advanced the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball. North Carolina has four High A Teams. 

Asheville Tourists

Major League Team: Houston Astros

Location: Asheville, NC

Greensboro Grasshoppers

Major League Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Location: Greensboro, NC

Hickory Crawdads

Major League Team: Texas Rangers

Location: Hickory, NC

Winston-Salem Dash

Major League Team: Chicago White Sox

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Single A Teams

Single A or Class A is is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball. North Carolina has 4 single A teams.

Carolina Mudcats

Major League Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Location: Zebulon, NC

Down East Wood Ducks

Major League Team: Texas Rangers

Location: Kinston, NC

Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Major League Team: Houston Astros

Location: Fayetteville, NC

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Formerly Intimidators)

Major League Team: Chicago White Sox

Location: Kannapolis, NC

Independent League Baseball Teams

North Carolina is also home to 5 teams that play in independent baseball leagues that are not part of Major League Baseball.

Burlington Sock Puppets

League: Appalachian League

Location: Burlington, NC

Gastonia Honey Hunters

League: Atlantic League

Location: Gastonia, NC

High Point Rockers

League: Atlantic League

Location: High Point, NC

High Point Thomasville HiToms

League: Coastal Plain League

Location: Thomasville, NC

Wilson Tobs

League: Coastal Plain League

Location: Wilson, NC

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.