If it were me, I'd go with something like
Metro Statistical Area rather than individual city size. Arlington, for example, is really part of the Dallas metro area, so it's hard to think of a city there as being in a "mid-tier city." The Texas Rangers play in Arlington.
Assuming Rochester, NY, and its ~1 million statistical area population as a baseline yields a range of reasonable suggestions, many of which are currently home to AAA clubs.