| Classification | Minor professional |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1993 |
| No. of teams | 82 |
| Countries | United States andCanada |
| Most titles | Québec Capitales (10 titles) |
Anindependent baseball league is aprofessional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen byMajor League Baseball or its affiliatedMinor League Baseball system (historically referred to asorganized baseball).[1]
Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiplefranchises. Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example, the city ofLancaster, Pennsylvania, cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to theHarrisburg Senators andReading Fightin Phils, leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—theLancaster Stormers—to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: theLong Island Ducks,Staten Island FerryHawks,New Jersey Jackals,New York Boulders, andSussex County Miners.
TheAtlantic League is considered as the top level of competition among the independent leagues, comparable toDouble-A,[2][3] and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, includingJose Canseco,Mat Latos,Steve Lombardozzi Jr.,Francisco Rodríguez,Chien-Ming Wang,Roger Clemens,Rich Hill,Scott Kazmir,Juan González,John Rocker, andDontrelle Willis. Two former Atlantic League players are in theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,Tim Raines andRickey Henderson.Gary Carter, another Hall of Famer, managed in the league. TheAtlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, includingWally Backman,Frank Viola,Tommy John,Sparky Lyle, andBud Harrelson. The Northern League alumni includeLeon "Bull" Durham,J. D. Drew, andDarryl Strawberry.
Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and the Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993.[4]
Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were theCalifornia League, which was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; theUnited States Baseball League, which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded.[5] Another independent league, theFederal League, played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915.[6]
Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included theCarolina League and theQuebec-basedProvincial League. The Carolina League, based in theNorth CarolinaPiedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938.[7] The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years.[5][8]
Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after the new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members.[9] TheNorthern League andFrontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independentleagues like theTexas-Louisiana League andNortheast League. Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002.[5] As of the 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting asMLB Partner Leagues.[10]
Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates theMLB Draft League, which operates as an amateurcollegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder.[11]
| Affiliation | League | First season | Teams | Geographical area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB Showcase League | MLB Draft League | 2021 | 6 | Northeast United States |
| MLB Partner Leagues | American Association of Professional Baseball | 2006 | 12 | Midwest,Manitoba,Texas |
| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | 1998 | 10 | Mid-Atlantic,Southeast | |
| Frontier League | 1993 | 18 | Northeast,Midwest,Ontario,Quebec | |
| Pioneer Baseball League | 1939 | 12 | Northern Mountain States,California | |
| Independent | Canadian Baseball League | 1919 | 9 | Ontario |
| Empire Professional Baseball League | 2016 | 4 | Upstate New York | |
| Mavericks Independent Baseball League | 2021 | 4 | Keizer, Oregon | |
| Pecos League | 2011 | 16 | California,Southwest,Southern Mountain States,Great Plains | |
| United Shore Professional Baseball League | 2016 | 4 | Utica, Michigan |
American Association
Atlantic League
Frontier League
Mavericks League
Pioneer League
Empire League
Pecos League
United Shore League
MLB Draft LeagueIn Japan, the Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of theShikoku Island League Plus andBaseball Challenge League, operates independently fromNippon Professional Baseball (NPB).[12] Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting ofindustrial teams, where players are fulltime employees of the company that own and operate the team.[12] South Korea also has series of small independent leagues.[13]
Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (theEastern League and theWestern League).[12] Similarly, withinKBO Futures League, the minor league ofKorea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is anunaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel.[14]
A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in the off-seasonMiyazaki Phoenix League alongside Japanese and Korean minor league teams. An all-star team of Japanese independent and industrial league players was invited to participate at the2025 Caribbean Series under the moniker of the Japan Breeze.[15]
| League | First season | Teams | Geographical area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shikoku Island League Plus | 2005 | 4 | Shikoku |
| Baseball Challenge League | 2006 | 8 | Chūbu,Kantō,Tōhoku |
| Nihonkai League Baseball | 2022 | 2 | Chūbu |
