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39-662: The Freedom Pro Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in Arizona that played in 2012 and 2013. The league started with four teams, the Scottsdale Centennials, Peoria Explorers, Phoenix Prospectors, and the Prescott Federals in 2012. The Phoenix Prospectors won the inaugural league championship in 2012 and repeated as champions in 2013. Joe Sperle was the President and Founder of

78-662: A Class C level league based in Southern New England . In April, Alexander Bannwart drew notice by acquiring Big Jeff Pfeffer to manage the team in Pawtucket, Rhode Island , and by May, it was suspected that Bannwart was working as an agent of the Federal League, which Bannwart denied. Upon these news reports, some of the founding members of the Colonial League resigned, fearing banishment by

117-611: A level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included the Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and

156-480: A minor league playing outside of the National Agreement. After James A. Gilmore succeeded Powers as league president, the league declared itself to be a major league. Playing in what detractors called the "outlaw" league allowed players to avoid the restrictions of the organized leagues' reserve clause . The competition of another, better paying league caused players' salaries to skyrocket, demonstrating

195-573: A new league with teams in Chicago , Cleveland , Pittsburgh , Indianapolis , St. Louis , and Covington, Kentucky . He named the organization the Federal League, and served as its first president. Because it did not abide by the National Agreement on player payment in place in organized baseball , the Federal League was called an "outlaw league" by its competitors. The Federal League's outlaw status allowed it to recruit players from established clubs, and it attracted many current and former players from

234-539: A variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for the company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and

273-578: A virtual tie for first. But since the Whales (86-66) played two fewer games than the St. Louis Terriers (87-67), they were awarded the pennant based on their slightly better winning percentage (.566 to .565). Pittsburgh, with one game unplayed, ended up at 86-67 (.562). During the 1914–15 offseason, Federal League owners brought an antitrust lawsuit against the American and National Leagues. The lawsuit ended up in

312-601: The Buffalo Bisons and Indianapolis Indians , respectively. Newark had a team, the Bears , in the independent Can-Am League , which folded after the 2012 season. There is at least one achievement of note that happened in Federal League play. Eddie Plank , pitching for the St. Louis Terriers , won his milestone 300th game on September 11, 1915, at St. Louis' Handlan's Park , becoming the first 300-game winning left-hander in

351-476: The Federal League , was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league ", in competition with the established National and American Leagues , from 1914 to 1915 . The Federal League came together in early 1913 through the work of John T. Powers, and immediately challenged the operations of organized baseball as

390-786: The MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate 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. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan, the Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has

429-754: The National Baseball Commission . At the April 1915 league meeting, Coppen was re-elected as president and Bannwart was elected secretary. Walter S. Ward, the treasurer of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League and George S. Ward's son, was elected as the league's treasurer. The Colonial League reorganized itself as a farm system for the Federal League and voluntarily withdrew itself from organized baseball. The Federal League had close pennant races both years. In 1914, Indianapolis beat out Chicago by 1½ games. 1915 witnessed

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468-529: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in the league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in

507-506: The Sherman Antitrust Act ; MLB remains the only North American sports league with such a status, and it has not faced any competitor leagues since unlike the other pro sports leagues because of this exemption. Though significantly weakened in the 1970s, this exemption remains intact 102 years later; however, it has been eroded by subsequent court rulings and legislation regarding issues specific to Major League Baseball. Of

546-626: The Ward Baking Company . As a major circuit, the Federal League consisted of eight teams each season. Four of the teams were placed in cities with existing major league baseball teams (Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Brooklyn). The other four teams were placed in areas without a current major league club (Baltimore, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Kansas City). In the first year, 1914, some of the teams had official nicknames and some did not, but either way, sportswriters were inclined to invent their own nicknames: "ChiFeds," "BrookFeds," etc. By

585-584: The Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in the off-season Miyazaki Phoenix League alongside Japanese and Korean minor league teams. Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs , known simply as

624-588: The Federal League included Bill McKechnie , Claude Hendrix , Jack Quinn , Russell Ford , Tom Seaton , Doc Crandall , Al Bridwell , and Hal Chase . The Federal League also recruited Big League names to manage the new teams. Joe Tinker managed the Chicago team, Mordecai Brown managed the St. Louis team and Bill Bradley managed the Brooklyn team. In 1914, the Colonial League began to operate as

663-758: The Freedom Pro Baseball League. Sperle, the owner of Joe Sperle's Baseball School, has over 20 years of playing and coaching experience. Former Major League Baseball players Julio Lugo and Joey Gathright were signed in 2013 to develop their skills to try to make a come back in the Major Leagues. The league did not play in 2014 because they were unable to work out a lease agreement with Kino Stadium . Independent baseball league Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to

702-631: The National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United 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. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at

741-486: The National and American Leagues in their operations caused the Federal League to fold after the 1915 season. This resulted in a landmark federal lawsuit, Federal Baseball Club v. National League , in which the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Sherman Antitrust Act did not apply to Major League Baseball . The Federal League left its mark on baseball history in the field now known as Wrigley Field , which

780-539: The Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of the 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates

819-580: 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. 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

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858-508: The bargaining potential of free agency for the first time since the war between the AL and NL. Notably, six years prior to his founding of the Federal League, John T. Powers took the field to umpire a league game in Goldfield, Nevada on 7 August 1907 with two revolvers strapped around his waist. The local sheriff showed up and disarmed him, before allowing the game to proceed. Interference by

897-511: The court of Federal Judge (and future Commissioner of Baseball ) Kenesaw Mountain Landis , who allowed the case to languish while he urged both sides to negotiate. Swift action might have made a difference, but without the lawsuit going forward, the Federals found themselves in deepening financial straits. After the 1915 season, the owners of the American and National Leagues bought out half of

936-522: The history of major league baseball and one of only six as of 2018. However, that milestone was not acknowledged by Major League Baseball until 1968. The Federal League was the last serious attempt at creating a "third major league" outside the established structure of professional baseball in the U.S. There was one further attempt at creating a third league – the Continental League in 1959 – but its founders had hoped to find their place within

975-620: The home of the Chicago Whales . Marc Okkonen, in his book on the Federal League, referred to Wrigley as a "silent monument" to the failed Federal League experiment. Otherwise, few visible remnants were left by the short-lived Federal League. The Baltimore entry sold their facility to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League , who renamed it Oriole Park and played there for nearly 30 years before it

1014-956: The home of the Pittsburgh Rebels , Exposition Park , which had been the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League until they moved into Forbes Field in 1909. The other "silent monument" to the Federal League is a famous legal decision. In 1922, the Supreme Court ruled in Federal Baseball Club v. National League (brought by the Terrapins, one of the teams which had not been bought out), that Major League Baseball and its constituent leagues were primarily entertainment, not conventional interstate commerce, and thus were exempt from

1053-475: The last serious attempt to create a third major league until the abortive Continental League of 1960. In 1912, baseball promoter John T. Powers formed an independent professional league known as the Columbian League . However, the withdrawal of one of the organization's primary investors caused the league to fail before ever playing a game. Undaunted, Powers tried again the following year, creating

1092-521: The league office after the close of the regular season, and the Baltimore owners rejected the offer made to them. They had sought to buy and move an existing franchise to their city, but were rebuffed, and sued unsuccessfully. One of baseball's most famous ballparks was originally built for a Federal League team: Wrigley Field , the home of the Chicago Cubs , began its long life as Weeghman Park,

1131-651: The locations of teams in the Federal League, five currently have major league teams. Those are Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Brooklyn has a minor league team, the Brooklyn Cyclones . (The major league Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, although the New York Mets , the Cyclones' parent club, have been located in the adjacent borough of Queens since 1964.) Buffalo and Indianapolis have International League teams,

1170-476: The major as well as minor leagues. In 1913, the Federal League played as an independent six-team minor league. In its first season Powers initially served as president, but he was soon replaced by James A. Gilmore , under whose leadership the league declared itself a major league for the 1914 season. Other financiers of the League included oil baron Harry F. Sinclair , ice magnate Phil Ball , and George S. Ward of

1209-490: The owners (Pittsburgh, Newark, Buffalo, and Brooklyn) of the Federal League teams. Two Federal League owners were allowed to buy struggling franchises in the established leagues: Phil Ball, owner of the St. Louis Terriers , was allowed to buy the St. Louis Browns of the AL, and Charles Weeghman , owner of the Chicago Whales , bought the Chicago Cubs . Both owners merged their teams into the established ones. The Kansas City franchise had been declared bankrupt and taken over by

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1248-593: The purview of organized baseball . The Continental League disbanded in 1960 without ever playing a game, making the Federal League the last such league to ever take to the field. The Federal League features prominently in Ring Lardner 's sports humor book You Know Me Al (1916), in which the protagonist pitches for the Chicago White Sox and repeatedly threatens to jump to the Federal League whenever he feels underappreciated or underpaid. Players in

1287-531: The second season, most of the teams had "official" nicknames, although many writers still called many of the teams "-Feds." In order for the Federal League to succeed, it needed Big League players. Walter Johnson signed a three-year contract with the Chicago team, but the Senators' Clark Griffith went personally to Johnson's home in Kansas and made a successful counter-offer. Major League players that jumped to

1326-675: 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 of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill

1365-510: The tightest pennant race in Major League history, as three teams (Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh) fought into the last weekend of the season. On the season's final day, Sunday, October 3, Chicago split a doubleheader with Pittsburgh, winning the darkness-shortened seven-inning nightcap, 3-0; this combined with St. Louis' 6-2 win over Kansas City, knocked Pittsburgh back to third (albeit just a half-game behind), with Chicago and St. Louis in

1404-722: The void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as the top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in

1443-480: Was destroyed by fire. The Newark ballpark was also used for minor league ball for a short time. Washington Park III in Brooklyn, completed after the 1915 season was underway, resembled Chicago's Weeghman Park. It was used for various sports until the end of 1917 and then for storage until Brooklyn Edison Electric bought the property in 1925 and shortly thereafter tore it down. One wall still stands. The other Federal League ballparks were demolished quickly, including

1482-425: 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. 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. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and

1521-563: Was originally built for the Chicago Whales Federal League team. The league itself and many sports writers considered it a major league during its existence; organized baseball recognized its major league status in 1968. Not including certain periods of the Negro leagues , it would be the last independent major league outside the established structure of professional baseball to make it to the playing field, and would be

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