Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
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- This article refers to the modern Atlantic League. For the original incarnations of the Atlantic League, which operated between 1896 and 1915, see Atlantic League (1896-1915)
| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | |
|---|---|
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| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1998 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country |  United States |
| Current champions | Lancaster Barnstormers |
| Official website | AtlanticLeague.com |
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, based in Camden, New Jersey, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. 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 4,500 to 7,500 seat ballpark and for the facility to be maintained at or to exceed AAA standards.[1]
The Atlantic League 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 Atlantic League play can be categorized as between AA and AAA, players in independent baseball are usually not scouted heavily by Major League teams. Many Major League alumni have called Atlantic League 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 Atlantic League is sometimes nicknamed the "Urban Renewal League", as many of its cities, such as Lancaster, Newark, Bridgeport, and Camden, have purposefully used ballparks to revitalize themselves.[2]
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[edit] Atlantic League History
In 1998, the Atlantic League started with six teams: Atlantic City Surf, Bridgeport Bluefish, Nashua Pride, Newburgh Black Diamonds, Somerset Patriots and the second inception of the Newark Bears. The Newburgh Black Diamonds moved to the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, in 1999, but failed after they lost funding for an unfinished ballpark and became a traveling team in 2001. In 2000, the Aberdeen Arsenal and the Long Island Ducks joined the league. In 2001, the Camden Riversharks joined the league as the Aberdeen Arsenal folded. The Black Diamonds became the Pennsylvania Road Warriors in 2002. In 2005, the Lancaster Barnstormers joined the league, replacing the Road Warriors. In 2006, the Nashua Pride moved to the CanAm League, and the Road Warriors returned so that the Atlantic League could field an even number of teams.
In 2007, the Atlantic League will welcome the York Revolution from York, Pennsylvania. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, of Waldorf, Maryland, are expected to join in 2008. The league is also in support of four other potential teams: one in Nassau County, New York in conjunction with the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum complex, and teams in Montgomery County, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Leominster, Massachusetts.
[edit] Atlantic League Rules
[3] League Leaders: A player must have a minimum of 340 plate appearances (at-bats, walks, hit-by-pitch, sacrifices and catcher interference) to qualify for batting categories. (2.7 x 126 games)
Disabled List: Any player placed on the disabled list must sit out for at least seven games. The first day on the disabled list is the day after the player's last game.
Designated Hitter: A hitter may be designated to bat for the pitcher in any spot in the batting order in any game without affecting the status of the pitcher. The DH must be selected and be included on the lineup cards presented to the umpires prior to the game. The DH is locked into the batting order, but may be removed for a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner, who in turn immediately becomes the DH. While still in the game, the DH may be used defensively, but the pitcher must assume the batting of the replaced defensive player, thus terminating the DH role.
Pinch Hitter: A player shall be considered a pinch hitter only if he enters the game as a substitute batter, and then only on his first time at bat, which must be before he becomes a fielder.
Regulation Game: A regulation game consists of nine innings, unless extended because of a tie score, or shortened (1) because the home team needs none of its half of the ninth or only a fraction of it, or (2) because the umpire calls the game. EXCEPTION: A double-header consists of two seven inning games, in which the rules applied for the ninth inning are applied to the seventh inning. If a game is called, it is a regulation game: 1- If five innings have been completed. 2- If the home team has scored more runs in four or four and a fraction half-innings than the visiting team has scored in five completed half-innings. 3- If the home team scores one or more runs in its half of the fifth inning to tie the score. If each team has the same number of runs when the game ends, the umpire shall declare it a "tie game." If a game is called before it becomes a regulation game, the umpire shall declare it "no game."
Expansion Drafts: When a new team joins the league, the existing teams must protect a given number of players from their end-of-season roster (active and disabled). The new teams will draft The Atlantic League negotiating rights to a selected number of players from the existing teams' rosters. No team can lose more than two players.
Open Tryouts: The Atlantic League holds a league wide open tryout in Florida every winter. Each team in the league has the option to hold open tryouts for the ballplayers to attempt to make the team. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and have prior baseball experience for tryout for the team. Players signed by the open tryout are invited to spring training, but not guaranteed a place on the teams' roster.
[edit] Salary Guidelines
Players in the Atlantic League typically make under $3,000 a month. While the $3,000 per month maximum is not a salary cap, Joe Klein, Executive Director of the Atlantic League said that "(The eight teams) do their budgets together," Klein said, "It's hard to get them all in the same room, no less to agree on the same number." according to Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat.
[edit] Playoffs
The Atlantic League plays a split season format in which the first half and second half winners of each division will play in a best of three Divisional Series.
In the event a club should win both halves of their division, their opponent for the best of three divisional playoff shall be the club, regardless of division, designated as the WILD CARD, that has achieved the best overall record for the entire season. In the event of a tie between 2 or more clubs, the normal tiebreakers would be in effect.
[edit] Double Wild Card
In the event the same clubs win both halves of their respective divisions there are two scenarios:
l. If the two Designated Wild Card entrants (teams with next best overall record) are in separate divisions, they shall play the Division Champion in their respective division (regardless of record) in order to ensure each division having a representative in the Championship Series. 2. If the two Designated Wild Cards are from the same division, then and only then would a seeding system come into play, by won loss record with one playing four and two playing three with all ties decided by the tie breakers system described above.
The winners of the two Divisional Playoff Series will meet in a best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series.
[edit] 2007 Atlantic League teams
| North | |||
| Team | Logo | Stadium | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport Bluefish |  |
The Ballpark at Harbor Yard | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Long Island Ducks |  |
Citibank Park | Central Islip, New York |
| Newark Bears |  |
Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium | Newark, New Jersey |
| Road Warriors |  |
traveling team | traveling team |
[edit] Former Teams
- Aberdeen Arsenal, Aberdeen, Maryland, 2000
- Atlantic City Surf, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1998-2006; team moved to the Can-Am League
- Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds, traveling team, 1999-2001
- Nashua Pride, Nashua, New Hampshire, 1998-2005; team moved to the Can-Am League
- Newburgh Black Diamonds, Newburgh, New York, 1998
- Pennsylvania Road Warriors, traveling team, 2002-2004
[edit] Future Teams
- Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, 2008
- Leominster, Massachusetts, possibly 2008
- Bergen Cliff Hawks, legal issues prevent the team from materializing
- Montgomery County, Maryland, undetermined time line
- Northern Virginia, undetermined time line
- Uniondale, New York, undetermined time line
- Yonkers, New York, undetermined time line
[edit] Atlantic League Championship Series
| 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 |
[edit] Atlantic League Alumni in the Majors (past and present)
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[edit] Team Websites
- Bridgeport Bluefish
- Camden Riversharks
- Lancaster Barnstormers
- Long Island Ducks
- Newark Bears
- Somerset Patriots
- Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
- York Revolution
[edit] References
- ^ Atlantic League Market Requirements. Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
- ^ Urban Renewal League. AllGetaways.com. Retrieved on May 26, 2006.
- ^ Atlantic League Rules. Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
[edit] See also
| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball |
|---|
| North Division: Bridgeport Bluefish • Long Island Ducks • Newark Bears • Road Warriors South Division: Camden Riversharks • Lancaster Barnstormers • Somerset Patriots • York Revolution Future Teams: Southern Maryland Blue Crabs |
| Stadiums of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball |
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| North Division: The Ballpark at Harbor Yard • Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium • Citibank Park South Division: Campbell's Field • Clipper Magazine Stadium • Commerce Bank Ballpark • Sovereign Bank Stadium Future Stadiums: Regency Furniture Stadium |
[edit] External links
- Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
- Atlantic League blog
- Atlantic League Independent
- Independent-baseball.com
