The landscape for the 2015 independent baseball season looks to be very interesting. Some of the information is still private or uncertain, but here is the breakdown of interesting happenings for 2015:
- Atlantic League will likely have the Virginia Beach Neptunes ready to play. This should be interesting if a 10th Atlantic League team comes into the picture, although which one is still unknown. In the worst case, the return of the Road Warriors travel team is still an option; but time is still on the side of the league to get to an even number of teams. Here is more on the Neptunes stadium plans.
- The Atlantic League likely also has other plans on the business side of the industry, including new features for fans. Should those be announced soon then they will be posted on this site.
- The Can-Am League announced the Ottawa Champions. This would bring the Can-Am League to five teams. The early announcement of the new team in Welland Ontario, according to an interview this week that Bob Wirz had with Miles Wolff (Can-Am League) commissioner, is considered to be premature. The Niagra Professional Baseball Group already started a name the team campaign, but it is too early to tell if the team has approval or not. If this happens then the Can-Am would have 4 Canadian teams and two teams in the New York/New Jersey area (Rockland Boulders and New Jersey Jackals). This opens up possibilities, so we will see if the Can-Am becomes its own separate league again (instead of a division in the AA).
- Frontier League has lots on the table for possible expansion, not to mention finding the permanent home for the Greys team.
- American Association has Joplin coming to replace the dormant El Paso Diablos, so the league would have 13 teams next year. What would be done to have an even number of teams (assuming that the Can-Am League gets its sixth team) is still unknown. Once something is official then it will be posted.
- United League has some interesting developments in how it is leveraging its online properties in new ways. When results come in then a case study might be posted.
- Pecos League is finishing up its documentary on Fox Sports 1. How this translates to investor dollars, new teams, or other enhancements to the league is still unknown. Should the documentary help the league in new ways then we will post it on this site.
- Pacific Association started its new team in Pittsburg, CA. Should the league be able to go with 4 teams within a reasonable travel distance from each other, and still draw good crowds, then 2015 should be a year to ensure stability and growth in each market. Doing so would shake off the remaining shackles left from the instability of the NABL and the Hawaii travel issues which took place last year. If the PA decides to expand then we will post it here, but no plans are announced at this time.
- There are some uncertainties coming out of the new Independent Baseball League out of Ohio. According to the Tiffin Saints’ website they won a game this past Sunday (June 15) by a score of 4-3. The league’s social media and website don’t reflect this, so if they catch up and are continuing play then we will post it on this website.
- As for other leagues, there always are upstart leagues considering coming back. Should the FAPB, Northern League or any other league make an official announcement then we will post it on this site.
Feel free to leave your thoughts, with verified information, about the landscape for 2015 changes from this season.
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What about the Loudon Hounds? Thought they were slated for ’15 first. Still having issues? And still no second team in Texas yet? The AL is a snail when it comes to expansion, but quick to drag out the Road Warriors!
Newark should come back into play for the CanAm, since they were forced to the sidelines this year. They DESERVE first dibs on reentry, unless they themselves want to go elsewhere. Being a part of Frank Boulton’s AL minor league would make particular sense, and gain financial support for upkeep from the AL itself, especially if it expands.
If the AA cannot get a 14th team, then they should rent one out to the FL to stand in for the travel Greys. Philosophical ideas should be reduced. But I do hope a permanent setup happens in the FL to replace the Greys.
Why are there never any numbers posted by the Pecos? Attendance numbers would help to grow or solidify the ten team league, would it not?
The AL2 must not be a reality, or it would surface by now. And how do you get players to play for it, unless it is financially competitive and give more playing time than some of the other more established leagues. No good, although I would love to see Atlantic City revived somewhere, and maybe a team in either Warminster or Bristol PA.
Unless the CanAm division/league was going to be a part of the playoff picture with the AA, then I think it silly for the AA to have three divisions. More competition would happen if there were just two divisions of six, and you could easily divide the central teams into north and south.