[9], On September 1, 2015, the Atlantic League announced conditional approval for an expansion team or a relocated team to play in New Britain, Connecticut for the 2016 season. This marked the first time that MLB, which has enjoyed a U.S. Supreme Court-granted antitrust exemption since 1922, had made any formal agreement with or acknowledgment of an independent baseball league. About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. History. The only team that played in 2020 was the Sugar Land Skeeters, who had already announced they would create a new 4-team independent league in Texas, with all 60 games played at Constellation Field. 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 Triple-A standards. The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is an eight-team league that was founded in 1998. Meanwhile, the Long Island Ducks, High Point Rockers, and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs initially attempted to partner with teams from other leagues in order to play a 70-game season from mid-July through the end of September. [16], Shortly before the conclusion of the 2017 season, the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut voted to not continue with professional baseball in the city and announced plans to convert The Ballpark at Harbor Yard into a music amphitheater; the Bridgeport Bluefish announced plans to relocate to High Point, North Carolina in 2019 when the construction of a new multipurpose facility in High Point is completed.

The Atlantic League has consistently posted higher per game and per season attendance numbers than other independent circuits including the American Association, Can-Am League, and Frontier League. [3] The league uses a pitch clock and limits the time between innings in an effort to speed up the game. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives.

There are also two teams in North Carolina (the Piedmont Triad and Charlotte regions) and one in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area.

[14] The team was replaced by the New Britain Bees for the 2016 season. [32] In addition to rule changes noted above, additional changes being implemented for the second half of the league's 2019 season are:[33]. However, due to ongoing restrictions and capacity limitations, they ultimately decided to suspend all baseball activities for the 2020 season. [26] Several teams (Somerset, York, and Lancaster) did not gain necessary approval from governmental and health officials to open their ballparks to the capacity level necessary for competition. [15] On May 29, 2016, Jennie Finch was the guest manager for the league's Bridgeport Bluefish, thus becoming the first woman to manage a professional baseball team. The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball league located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. [4] In 2019, the Atlantic League began a three-year partnership with Major League Baseball allowing MLB to implement changes to Atlantic League playing rules, in order to observe the effects of potential future rule changes and equipment.[5]. In 2019, the Long Island Ducks won the league championship behind the leadership of manager and former Met great Wally Backman. He modeled the Atlantic League after the older Pacific Coast League, with facilities that exceed AAA-level standards. ", "Atlantic League Batter Steals First, Makes Baseball History", All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atlantic_League_of_Professional_Baseball&oldid=980424733#All-star_games, Independent baseball leagues in the United States, Professional sports leagues in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Folded when they lost the lease on their ballpark; replaced by the, Reducing the time between half innings by 20 seconds, from 2 minutes 5 seconds to 1:45, Requiring pitchers to face at least three batters, Exceptions: pitching change, or for medical issues, Two infielders must be positioned on each side of second base, Increasing the size of bases from 15 inches (38 cm) to 18 inches (46 cm), This change would have taken effect in the second half of the season, The tracking system for calling balls and strikes "will be implemented gradually over the course of the 2019 season". The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball league located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis, with one team located in Texas.League offices are located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania..

League offices are located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. [25], In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that it would be unable to operate for the 2020 season with the current 8 member ballclubs, thereby canceling its season.


Boulton also emphasized signing players of Major League Baseball experience for all Atlantic League teams, raising the level of play above other independent leagues. [39], Independent professional baseball league founded in 1998, For previous leagues named "Atlantic League", see, Baseball awards#U.S. [10][11][12][13] On October 21, 2015, the Camden Riversharks announced they would cease operations immediately due to the inability to reach an agreement on lease terms with the owner of Campbell's Field, the Camden County Improvement Authority. Ryan grew up wearing the #5 on every team he played on to idolize David Wright and has not lost any of that Mets passion since. Other notable former and future Major League ballplayers who have played in the league include Roger Clemens, Scott Kazmir, Dontrelle Willis, Juan González, Rich Hill, John Rocker and José Canseco, and several others have coached or managed, including Gary Carter, Tommy John, Bud Harrelson, Gary Gaetti and Sparky Lyle. The Atlantic League operates in cities not served by Major League Baseball (MLB) or Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams and is not affiliated with either; most of its teams are within suburbs and exurbs too close to other teams in the organized baseball system to have minor league franchises of their own. [19][20] Two former Atlantic League players have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson. 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. This partnership allows the ALPB to continue to be the testing grounds for new rules and initiatives that could change the way the game of baseball looks at the highest level. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. Among other rules that were tested in the ALBP were limits on defensive shifts, mound visits, inning breaks, as well as the use of larger bases.

[21][22][23][24], In 2015, the Atlantic League experienced a watershed moment for independent baseball when it signed a formal agreement with Major League Baseball which put into writing the rules which the ALPB would follow in selling its players' contracts to MLB clubs and their affiliates.
Major League Baseball has reached an agreement with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) to make them the first ‘Partner League’ to the MLB. In 2010, amid financial struggles, the Newark Bears moved from the Atlantic League to the Can-Am League, leaving the Bridgeport Bluefish and Somerset Patriots as the only teams remaining from the league's inaugural season. [28], In July 2020, the league announced the addition of a new franchise in Gastonia, North Carolina beginning in 2021; it will be the league's second team based in North Carolina. About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball.