Frontier League

The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either. The league was formed in 1993, and is the oldest currently running independent league. The 2016 season will feature 12 teams in two divisions playing 96 game schedules.^[1]

Description and history

Teams in the Frontier League must recruit and sign their own players, who usually are undrafted college players or one-time prospects who have been released by their teams. Frontier League rules limit teams to three "veterans" (those with three or more years of professional experience), two two-year players and seven one-year players (those with at least 150 professional at-bats or 50 innings pitched). The other half of the 24-man roster is confined to rookies. Players cannot be older than 27 as of January 1.

Pay in the Frontier League is minimal. As of the 2013 season, each team has a salary cap of $75,000,^[2] and the player salaries range from a minimum of $600 up to $1600 a month. Due to the low pay, players typically live with host families and receive meal money during the season.

The first league champions were the Zanesville Greys. Only five teams have won more than one championship: Springfield in 1996 and 1998, Johnstown in 1995 (as the Steal) and in 2000 (as the Johnnies), Richmond (now Traverse City) in 2001 and 2002, Windy City in 2007 and 2008, and the Schaumburg Boomers in 2013 and 2014. The Florence Freedom (including years as Erie and Johnstown) and the Rockford RiverHawks (including years as Portsmouth and Springfield) are currently tied for the most league championships with each franchise winning three.

On June 20, 2000, Brian Tollberg debuted with the San Diego Padres, becoming the first player from the Frontier League to make it to the Majors. A week later Morgan Burkhart made his debut with the Boston Red Sox.

Although the league does not have any teams located in the same city as Major League teams, it does nonetheless have teams located within the markets of Major League teams. Chicago (Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and Windy City ThunderBolts) has 3 teams and St. Louis (Gateway Grizzlies & River City Rascals) has 2 teams while Cleveland (Lake Erie Crushers), Cincinnati (Florence Freedom) and Pittsburgh (Washington Wild Things) each have one. The Wild Things in particular have been able to market themselves as a successful alternative to the Pittsburgh Pirates due to the latter franchise's long stretch of losing seasons, which lasted from the Frontier League's founding in 1993 until 2013 when the Pirates finished with a record of 94-68.^[3]

Franchises

Former teams

• Canton Coyotes (2002, became the Mid-Missouri Mavericks)
• Canton Crocodiles (1997–2002, became the Washington Wild Things)
• Chillicothe Paints (1993–2008, joined the Prospect League)
• Dubois County Dragons (2000–02, became the Kenosha Mammoths)
• Erie Sailors (1994, became the Johnstown Johnnies)
• Frontier Greys (2013-15, travel team)
• Johnstown Johnnies (1998–2002, became the Florence Freedom)
• Johnstown Steal (1995–98, became the Johnstown Johnnies)
• Kalamazoo Kings (2001–10, folded)
• Kalamazoo Kodiaks (1996–98, became the London Werewolves)
• Kenosha Mammoths (2003, became the Springfield-Ozark Ducks)
• Kentucky Rifles (1993–94, folded)
• Lancaster Scouts (1993–94, became the Evansville Otters)
• London Rippers (2012, folded)
• London Werewolves (1999–2001, became the Canton Coyotes)
• Mid-Missouri Mavericks (2003–05, folded)
• Midwest Sliders (2008–09, became the Oakland County Cruisers)
• Newark Bison (1994–95, became the Kalamazoo Kodiaks)
• Ohio Valley Redcoats (1993–98, became the Dubois County Dragons; returned 2005, folded)
• Portsmouth Explorers (1993–95, became the Springfield Capitals)
• Richmond Roosters (1995–2005, became the Traverse City Beach Bums)
• Rockford Aviators (2013–15, folded)
• Rockford RiverHawks (2002–09, moved to Northern League; returned 2011-12, replaced by Rockford Aviators)
• Slippery Rock Sliders (2007, became the Midwest Sliders)
• Springfield Capitals (1996–2001, became the Rockford Riverhawks)
• Springfield-Ozark Ducks (2004, became the Ohio Valley Redcoats)
• Tri-State Tomahawks (1993, folded)
• West Virginia Coal Sox (1993, folded)
• Zanesville Greys (1993–96, became the River City Rascals)

Franchise timeline

Champions

• 1993 Zanesville Greys
• 1994 Erie Sailors
• 1995 Johnstown Steal
• 1996 Springfield Capitals
• 1997 Canton Crocodiles
• 1998 Springfield Capitals
• 1999 London Werewolves
• 2000 Johnstown Johnnies
• 2001 Richmond Roosters
• 2002 Richmond Roosters
• 2003 Gateway Grizzlies
• 2004 Rockford Riverhawks
• 2005 Kalamazoo Kings
• 2006 Evansville Otters
• 2007 Windy City ThunderBolts
• 2008 Windy City ThunderBolts
• 2009 Lake Erie Crushers
• 2010 River City Rascals
• 2011 Joliet Slammers
• 2012 Southern Illinois Miners
• 2013 Schaumburg Boomers
• 2014 Schaumburg Boomers
• 2015 Traverse City Beach Bums
• 2016 Evansville Otters

See also

• Baseball awards#U.S. independent professional leagues

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Frontier League History
• Frontier League Encyclopedia and History at Baseball Reference