Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
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| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country(ies) | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Long Island Ducks |
| Most titles | Somerset Patriots (5) |
| Official website | atlanticleague.com |
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either. The Atlantic League requires cities to have the market for a 4,000 to 7,500-seat ballpark and for the facility to be maintained at or above AAA standards.[1] When Atlantic League professionals are signed by MLB clubs, they usually start in their Double-A or Triple-A affiliates.[2] The level of play has been rated between Triple-A and the Major Leagues.[3]
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History[edit]
In 1998, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball played its inaugural season, with teams in Somerset, Newark, and Atlantic City (NJ), Nashua (NH), Newburgh (NY), and Bridgeport (CT). The creation of the league was the result of the New York Mets' objection to Frank Boulton's proposal to move the former Albany-Colonie Yankees because of its territorial rights to the region. Boulton, a Long Island native, decided to create a new league that would have a higher salary cap for its players and a longer season than most of the other independent baseball organizations. He modeled the Atlantic League after the older Pacific Coast League, with facilities that exceed AAA-level standards. Boulton also emphasized signing players of Major League Baseball experience for all Atlantic League teams, raising the level of play above other independent leagues.
The Long Island Ducks, founded in 2000, continue to be a strong draw in the region, averaging 400,000 fans a season, and have seen the likes of such Major League alumni as Edgardo Alfonzo, Pedro Borbón, Jr., José Offerman, Donovan Osborne, Bill Pulsipher, Armando Ríos, John Rocker, and Mark Whiten. In 2007, Frank Boulton expressed his contentment with the Atlantic League and the Ducks to Baseball America saying, "The Long Island Ducks are the best thing I've ever done in baseball."[4]
Current Atlantic League franchises[edit]
| Team | City/Area | Stadium | Founded | Joined | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Division | ||||||
| Lancaster Barnstormers | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | Clipper Magazine Stadium | 2003 | 2005 | ||
| Somerset Patriots | Bridgewater, New Jersey | TD Bank Ballpark | 1998 | 1998 | ||
| Sugar Land Skeeters | Sugar Land, Texas | Constellation Field | 2010 | 2012 | ||
| York Revolution | York, Pennsylvania | Sovereign Bank Stadium | 2006 | 2007 | ||
| Liberty Division | ||||||
| Bridgeport Bluefish | Bridgeport, Connecticut | The Ballpark at Harbor Yard | 1997 | 1998 | ||
| Camden Riversharks | Camden, New Jersey | Campbell's Field | 1999 | 2001 | ||
| Long Island Ducks | Central Islip, New York | Bethpage Ballpark | 1998 | 2000 | ||
| Southern Maryland Blue Crabs | Waldorf, Maryland | Regency Furniture Stadium | 2006 | 2008 | ||
| Future teams | ||||||
| Loudoun Hounds | Ashburn, Virginia | Edelman Financial Field | 2010 | 2014 | ||
Further expansion[edit]
Fort Worth, Texas: Opening Day Partners is exploring the possibility of renovating LaGrave Field, currently home to the Fort Worth Cats of the United Baseball League, on par with their other ballparks and for an expansion team to join the Atlantic League's upcoming Western Division. If completed, the Fort Worth Atlantic League franchise would play possibly in the 2015 season and be the first Texas-based rival of the Sugar Land Skeeters.[5][6]
Fredericksburg, Virginia: Bob Hagan, the former president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, is working with Opening Day Partners to study the impact of a ballpark in the Washington, D.C. suburb. Since Fredericksburg is close to the Potomac Nationals Single-A franchise in Woodbridge, Virginia, they would be required to pursue independent baseball instead of affiliated.[7]
Malden, Massachusetts: Boston Baseball Field of Dreams, LLC plans to privately invest $51 million toward a 6,500-seat ballpark in Malden. It is tenatively proposed for a site bound by Commercial, Centre, Canal, and Charles Streets and will include locker rooms for the Malden High School baseball teams.[8]
Virginia Beach, Virginia: Virginia Beach Professional Baseball, LLC has been granted conditional approval for an expansion team provided it can secure financing to build a 6,000-seat stadium near the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.[9]
Former teams[edit]
Atlantic League Championship Series[edit]
| Year | Winner | Division | Games | Loser | Division | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Atlantic City Surf | South | 3 | Bridgeport Bluefish | North | 1 |
| 1999 | Bridgeport Bluefish | North | 3 | Somerset Patriots | North | 0 |
| 2000 | Nashua Pride | North | 3 | Somerset Patriots | South | 0 |
| 2001 | Somerset Patriots | South | 3 | Newark Bears | North | 2 |
| 2002 | Newark Bears | South | 3 | Bridgeport Bluefish | North | 0 |
| 2003 | Somerset Patriots | South | 3 | Nashua Pride | North | 2 |
| 2004 | Long Island Ducks | North | 3 | Camden Riversharks | South | 0 |
| 2005 | Somerset Patriots | South | 3 | Nashua Pride | North | 0 |
| 2006 | Lancaster Barnstormers | South | 3 | Bridgeport Bluefish | North | 0 |
| 2007 | Newark Bears | North | 3 | Somerset Patriots | South | 1 |
| 2008 | Somerset Patriots | Freedom | 3 | Camden Riversharks | Liberty | 1 |
| 2009 | Somerset Patriots | Freedom | 3 | Southern Maryland Blue Crabs | Liberty | 1 |
| 2010 | York Revolution | Freedom | 3 | Bridgeport Bluefish | Liberty | 0 |
| 2011 | York Revolution | Freedom | 3 | Long Island Ducks | Liberty | 1 |
| 2012 | Long Island Ducks | Liberty | 3 | Lancaster Barnstormers | Freedom | 2 |
All-Star Game[edit]
League records[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Atlantic League Market Requirements". Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Archived from the original on 2 May 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2006.
- ^ Walk, John (18 May 2012). Ian Thomas earns first affiliated contract. Published by The York Dispatch.
- ^ Walk, John (13 October 2012). Atlantic League: big plans for 2014 and beyond. Published by Ballpark Digest.
- ^ Baseball America's 2007 Independent organization of the year
- ^ Kirk: Atlantic League looking at Fort Worth
- ^ Atlantic League eyes Fort Worth's LaGrave Field
- ^ Group Wants Support For Pro Baseball Team in Fredericksburg Region
- ^ Ballpark Public Hearing Tonight
- ^ [1]
External links[edit]
Team websites[edit]
- Bridgeport Bluefish
- Camden Riversharks
- Lancaster Barnstormers
- Long Island Ducks
- Loudoun Hounds
- Somerset Patriots
- Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
- Sugar Land Skeeters
- York Revolution
| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Division | Liberty Division | |||
| Lancaster Barnstormers | Bridgeport Bluefish | |||
| Somerset Patriots | Camden Riversharks | |||
| Sugar Land Skeeters | Long Island Ducks | |||
| York Revolution | Southern Maryland Blue Crabs | |||
| Expansion: Loudoun Hounds | ||||
| Annual events: Championship Series · All-Star Game | ||||
| Other: Alumni · Final standings · Records | ||||
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