American Association of Independent Professional Baseball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
 This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please add more appropriate citations from reliable sources. (June 2009)

This article refers to the modern American Association that started in 2006. For the major league, which existed from 1882 to 1891, see American Association (19th century). For the minor league, which existed from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997, see American Association (20th century).

American Association
American Association logo
Sport Baseball
Founded 2006
No. of teams 10
Country(ies)  United States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Sioux Falls Canaries
Most championships Fort Worth Cats (2)
Official website Official Site

The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the midwestern and the southeastern United States. The American Association operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball and is not affiliated with either organization.

The American Association exists so that professional baseball players who are not signed by a Major or Minor League organization could have another chance at playing at a higher level. Although the level of American Association play can be categorized as between A and AA, players in independent baseball are usually not scouted heavily by Major League teams. Many Major League alumni have called American Association teams home in an effort get back to the Majors. The league also caters to players who are not quite talented enough to play at a higher level.

The American Association was founded in October 2005 by four former Northern League teams; these teams were joined by five teams from the Central Baseball League and by an expansion team in St. Joseph, Missouri. The league began play in 2006, with a 96-game schedule. The Fort Worth Cats defeated the St. Paul Saints 3 games to 2, to win the first league championship. The same two teams met for the 2007 title, with the exact same result. In 2008, the Sioux Falls Canaries won the league championship series 3 games to 1 over the Grand Prairie AirHogs.

The league's first All-Star game was played in El Paso, Texas on July 18, 2006, which pit a team of American Association All-Stars against a team from the Can-Am League. The American Association won 5-3. The 2007 All-Star Game (played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and the 2008 All-Star Game (played in St. Paul, Minnesota) featured teams of North Division All-Stars against teams of South Division All-Stars.

Miles Wolff is the commissioner of the American Association.

Contents

[edit] Current franchises

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
North Lincoln Saltdogs 1996 Lincoln, Nebraska Haymarket Park 8,000
Sioux City Explorers 1993 Sioux City, Iowa Lewis and Clark Park 3,631
Sioux Falls Canaries 1993 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls Stadium 4,500
St. Paul Saints 1993 Saint Paul, Minnesota Midway Stadium 6,069
Wichita Wingnuts 2007 Wichita, Kansas Lawrence-Dumont Stadium 6,400
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
South El Paso Diablos 2005 El Paso, Texas Cohen Stadium 9,725
Fort Worth Cats 2001 Fort Worth, Texas LaGrave Field 4,100
Grand Prairie AirHogs 2007 Grand Prairie, Texas QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie1 5,445
Pensacola Pelicans 2002 Pensacola, Florida Pelican Park 3,000
Shreveport-Bossier Captains 2003 Shreveport, Louisiana Fair Grounds Field 6,400

1 Hosting 2009 American Association All-Star Game

[edit] League Champions

2006- Fort Worth Cats

2007- Fort Worth Cats

2008- Sioux Falls Canaries

[edit] 2009 All-Star Game

The Grand Prairie AirHogs will host the 2009 American Association All-Star Game at their home field, Quik Trip Park, on July 21, 2009. In the 2008 All-Star Game, the South Division All-Stars defeated the North Division All-Stars 11-4, at Midway Stadium, the home of the St. Paul Saints.

[edit] North Division All-Star Starters

(Manager: Steve Shirley, Sioux Falls Canaries)

1B: Phil Hawke, Lincoln Saltdogs

2B: Joe Anthonsen, Sioux Falls Canaries

SS: Josh Horn, Wichita Wingnuts

3B: Trevor Lawhorn, Sioux Falls Canaries

C: Joe Muich, Wichita Wingnuts

DH: Kelly Hunt, Wichita Wingnuts

OF: Josh Burrus, Lincoln Saltdogs

OF: Cory Harris, Sioux Falls Canaries

OF: Greg Porter, Wichita Wingnuts

[edit] South Division All-Star Starters

(Manager: Pete Incaviglia, Grand Prairie AirHogs)

1B: John Allen, Fort Worth Cats

2B: Antoin Gray, Pensacola Pelicans

SS: Cameron Blair, Fort Worth Cats

3B: Cesar Nicolas, Grand Prairie AirHogs

C: Kelley Gulledge, Fort Worth Cats

DH: Pat O’Sullivan, Fort Worth Cats

OF: Kennard Bibbs, El Paso Diablos

OF: Brian Fryer, Fort Worth Cats

OF: Aaron Garza, Grand Prairie AirHogs

[edit] Former Teams

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Independent_Professional_Baseball"
Personal tools