The Frontier League is a professional

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League and Frontie ...

with teams in the Northeastern and

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

and

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrad ...

. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The league is headquartered in Sauget, Illinois. In 2020, the Frontier League, together with the American Association and the Atlantic League, became an official MLB Partner League. The league has a partnership agreement with the California Winter League for player development.

Structure 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" (Players older than 29 years as of October 1), while a minimum of ten of the 24-man roster are required to be rookies. Typically, teams play a 96-game regular season from May to September. Pay in the Frontier League is minimal. For the 2020 season, each team had a salary cap of $85,000 and the player salaries ranged from a minimum of $600 up to $1,600 per month. Veterans could earn up to $2,500 per month, and each team's highest-paid player could make as much as $4,000 a month with only one-third of the salary counting against the cap. 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 The Zanesville Greys were a minor league baseball team based in Zanesville, Ohio. The Greys played as members of the Class C level Middle Atlantic League from 1933 to 1937, winning league championships in 1933, 1934 and 1936. The Greys were a mi ...

. Eight 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 Roosters in 2001 and 2002, Windy City in 2007 and 2008, the Joliet Slammers in 2011 and 2018, and the Evansville Otters in 2006 and 2016. With four titles, the Schaumburg Boomers have won the most league championships. On June 20, 2000, Brian Tollberg debuted with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, 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 The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

. 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. The

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

area has three teams ( Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and Windy City ThunderBolts), as does the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

area ( New Jersey Jackals, Sussex County Miners, and New York Boulders), and St. Louis ( Gateway Grizzlies),

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

( Lake Erie Crushers),

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

( Florence Y'alls) and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

( 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 The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

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.

2019–2020: Merger, MLB Partner League

On October 16, 2019, it was announced that the Frontier League would be merging with the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, absorbing five of its teams to form the largest independent professional baseball league. This added the New Jersey Jackals, New York Boulders, Quebec Capitales, Sussex County Miners, and Trois-Rivieres Aigles to the league; the Ottawa Champions, the last remaining Can-Am League team, was not invited to participate. The divisions were renamed, with the easternmost teams playing in the Can-Am Division and the westernmost in the Midwestern Division. On September 24, 2020,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

announced that it named the Frontier League an MLB Partner League. This enables collaboration with MLB to jointly discuss marketing and promotional initiatives to grow, expand, and enhance the game of baseball.

2021: New teams, border issues

For the 2021 season, the Frontier League announced it would be adding two new teams. The first announcement came around the same time as the announcement of the partnership with Major League Baseball, as

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

was granted an expansion franchise in the league. The team, as chosen by fans in a contest, was named the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...

and will play at

RCGT Park Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park (French: Parc Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton), also known as RCGT Park (French: Parc RCGT) is a baseball stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with a seating capacity of 10,332. The stadium is located in the city ...

. Then, on January 8, 2021, after the reorganization of Minor League Baseball, the league added the Tri-City ValleyCats, which were one of several teams that were orphaned or disbanded when the

New York-Penn League New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

was folded. The Titans and ValleyCats joined the five former Can-Am League teams and Washington in the Can-Am Division; to even the divisions at seven teams, Lake Erie was moved to the Midwestern Division. In April 2021, the league announced that the Québec Capitales, the Trois-Rivières Aigles, and the Ottawa Titans would not compete in the 2021 season due to the prolonged closure of the Canada–United States border as a result of the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The Titans, the Aigles and the Capitales later joined forces to form a new team that competed as a member of the Atlantic Division. Known as ''Équipe Québec'', they began the season as a

traveling team Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ca ...

, and starting on July 30, 2021, started sharing home games between

Québec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is th ...

and

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...

following a loosening in border restrictions. 10 games were played in Québec City and 11 in Trois-Rivières. They did not play in Ottawa due to COVID-19 restrictions in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. On October 6, 2021, the owners of the

Southern Illinois Miners The Southern Illinois Miners were a professional baseball team based in Marion, Illinois. The Miners were members of the West Division of the independent Frontier League. From 2007 to 2021, the Miners played their home games at Rent One Park. ...

, Jayne and John Simmons, announced they would be retiring from professional baseball to spend more time with family and the Miners would be ceasing operations and dropping out of the Frontier League. As a result, the league formed the Empire State Greys, to compete as a

with a roster of players from the Empire Professional Baseball League.

Broadcasting

On February 24, 2022, the Frontier League announced that all games for the 2022 season would be available through the streaming platform FloSports.

Teams

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 The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their colleg ...

) *

Dubois County Dragons {{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Ohio Valley Redcoats , firstseason = 1993 , lastseason = 2005 , allyears = , city = , logo = , caplogo = , past class level = , league = Frontier League , conference = , division = , past ...

(2000–2002, became the Kenosha Mammoths) * Erie Sailors (1994, became the Johnstown Steal) * Florence Freedom (2003–2019, became the Florence Y'alls) *

Johnstown Johnnies Johnstown may refer to: Places Australia * Johnstown, Queensland, a locality split between the Southern Burnett Region and the Gympie Region, Queensland Canada * Johnstown, Nova Scotia * Johnstown, Ontario, United Counties of Leeds and Grenvill ...

(1998–2002, became the Florence Freedom) *

Johnstown Steal The Florence Y'alls are a professional baseball team based within the Greater Cincinnati region in the city of Florence, Kentucky. The Y'alls are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league. Since 2004, t ...

(1995–1998, became the Johnstown Johnnies) * Kalamazoo Kings (2001–2010, folded) * Kalamazoo Kodiaks (1996–1998, became the London Werewolves) *

Kenosha Mammoths {{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Ohio Valley Redcoats , firstseason = 1993 , lastseason = 2005 , allyears = , city = , logo = , caplogo = , past class level = , league = Frontier League , conference = , division = , past ...

(2003, became the Springfield-Ozark Ducks) * Kentucky Rifles (1993–1994, folded) * Lancaster Scouts (1993–1994, became the Evansville Otters) * London Rippers (2012, folded) * London Werewolves (1999–2001, became the Canton Coyotes) * Mid-Missouri Mavericks (2003–2005, folded) * Midwest Sliders (2008–2009, became the Oakland County Cruisers) * Normal CornBelters (2010–2018, joined the

) *

Newark Buffaloes {{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Mid-Missouri Mavericks , firstseason = 1994 , lastseason = 2005 , allyears = , city = , misc = Columbia, Missouri (2003-2005)Canton, Ohio (2002) London, Ontario (1999-2001)Kalamazoo, Michigan (1996-19 ...

(1994–1995, became the Kalamazoo Kodiaks) *

Oakland County Cruisers The Oakland County Cruisers were a professional baseball team based in Waterford Township, Michigan, in the United States. They were a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The team ...

(2010-2011, became the London Rippers) * Ohio Valley Redcoats (1993–1998, became the Dubois County Dragons; returned 2005, folded) *

Portsmouth Explorers The Rockford Aviators were a professional baseball team based in Rockford, Illinois that played in the independent Frontier League. Rockford previously had a team in the Frontier League called the RiverHawks (2002-2009). There was no Rockford team ...

(1993–1995, became the Springfield Capitals) * Richmond Roosters (1995–2005, became the Traverse City Beach Bums) * River City Rascals (1999–2019, folded) * Rockford Aviators (2013–2015, folded) * Rockford RiverHawks (2002–2009, moved to

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

; returned 2011–2012, replaced by Rockford Aviators) *

Slippery Rock Sliders The Slippery Rock Sliders were a professional, and later collegiate summer baseball team based in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They were a member of the Frontier League and the East Division of the summer collegiate Prospect L ...

(2007, became the Midwest Sliders) *

(2007–2021, folded) *

Springfield Capitals The Springfield Capitals were an independent baseball league team in Springfield, Illinois. The Capitals were members of the Frontier League from 1996 to 2001. The Capitals won the Frontier League championship in 1996 and in 1998. After the 2001 se ...

(1996–2001, became the Rockford Riverhawks) * Springfield-Ozark Ducks (2004, became the Ohio Valley Redcoats) * Traverse City Beach Bums (2006–2018, folded) *

Tri-State Tomahawks The Tri-State Tomahawks were a professional independent league baseball team that played in the Frontier League in 1993. They were located in Ashland, Kentucky, USA and played their home games at the Boyd County High School Boyd County High Schoo ...

(1993, folded) *

West Virginia Coal Sox The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The lea ...

(1993, folded) *

(1993–1996, became the River City Rascals) *

Équipe Québec Equipe or Équipe may refer to: ''Équipe'' Équipe may refer to: * team, in French language * '' L'Équipe'', a French newspaper devoted to sports * ''L'Équipe'' (TV series), a television series broadcast in many versions and in many countrie ...

(2021, Travel team composed of the Canadian players from Trois-Rivières Aigles and Québec Capitales due to the COVID-19 Pandemic travel restrictions)

Franchise timeline

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1993 till:2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:40 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rg(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:09/20/2008 text: Chillicothe Paints (1993–2008) bar:2 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:09/20/1994 text: Kentucky Rifles (1993–94) bar:3 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:end text: Lancaster Scouts (1993–94), Evansville Otters (1995–) bar:4 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:09/20/2005 text: Ohio Valley Redcoats (1993–98, 2005),

(1999–2002),

(2003), Springfield-Ozark Ducks (2004) bar:5 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:09/20/2009 text:

(1993–95),

(1996–2001), Rockford RiverHawks (2002–09, 2011–12), Rockford Aviators (2013–15) bar:5 color:orange from:05/15/2011 till:09/20/2015 bar:6 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:07/10/1993 text:

(1993) bar:7 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:06/30/1993 text:

(1993) bar:8 color:orange from:05/15/1993 till:09/20/1996 text:

(1993–96) bar:8 color:orange from:05/15/1999 till:09/15/2019 text: River City Rascals (1999–2019) bar:9 color:orange from:05/15/1994 till:end text: Erie Sailors (1994),

(1995–98), Johnstown Johnnies (1999–2002), Florence Freedom (2003–19), Florence Y'alls (2020–) bar:10 color:orange from:05/15/1994 till:09/20/2005 text:

/Bison (1994–95), Kalamazoo Kodiaks (1996–98), London Werewolves (1999–2001), Canton Coyotes (2002), Mid-Missouri Mavericks (2003–05) bar:11 color:orange from:05/15/1995 till:09/26/2018 text: Richmond Roosters (1995–2005), Traverse City Beach Bums (2006–18) bar:12 color:orange from:05/15/1997 till:end text: Canton Crocodiles (1997–2001), Washington Wild Things (2002–) bar:13 color:orange from:05/15/1999 till:end text:

Cook County Cheetahs The Windy City ThunderBolts are a professional baseball team based in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, Illinois, in the United States. The ThunderBolts are a member of the Frontier League, which is a partner league of Major League Baseball. Sinc ...

(1999–2003), Windy City ThunderBolts (2004–) bar:14 color:orange from:05/15/2001 till:end text: Gateway Grizzlies (2001–) bar:15 color:orange from:05/15/2001 till:09/20/2008 text: Kalamazoo Kings (2001–10) bar:16 color:orange from:05/15/2007 till:07/25/2012 text:

(2007), Midwest Sliders (2008), Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti (2009),

(2010), London Rippers (2012) bar:17 color:orange from:05/15/2007 till:09/12/2021text:

(2007–21) bar:18 color:orange from:05/15/2009 till:end text: Lake Erie Crushers (2009–) bar:19 color:orange from:05/15/2010 till:09/26/2018 text: Normal CornBelters (2010–18) bar:20 color:orange from:05/15/2011 till:end text: Joliet Slammers (2011–) bar:21 color:orange from:05/15/2012 till:end text: Schaumburg Boomers (2012–) bar:22 color:orange from:07/25/2012 till:10/31/2012 text:

Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Warriors" in ...

(2012) bar:23 color:orange from:05/25/2013 till:09/30/2015 text: Frontier Greys (2013–15) bar:24 color:orange from:05/15/2020 till:end text: New Jersey Jackals (2020–) bar:25 color:orange from:05/15/2020 till:end text: New York Boulders (2020–) bar:26 color:orange from:05/15/2020 till:end text: Québec Capitales (2020–) bar:27 color:orange from:05/15/2020 till:end text: Sussex County Miners (2020–) bar:28 color:orange from:05/15/2020 till:end text: Trois-Rivières Aigles (2020–) bar:29 color:orange from:05/15/2021 till:end text: Ottawa Titans (2021–) bar:30 color:orange from:05/27/2021 till:end text: Tri-City Valley Cats (2021–) bar:31 color:orange from:05/27/2021 till:09/19/2021 text:Équipe Québec (2021) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1993 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Frontier League Franchise History"