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Frontier League
The Frontier League (FL; French: Ligue Frontière, LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 15 teams in the United States and 3 in Canada. The league is an official MLB Partner League and is the oldest active independent professional baseball league in North America. The FL is headquartered at the Crushers' ballpark in Avon, Ohio.[citation needed]
In April 2026, the league announced that it would rebrand as the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) beginning with the 2027 season. The league stated that its history, statistics and records would continue under the new identity.
The Frontier League was organized during the winter of 1992–1993 by a group seeking to bring professional baseball to communities in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southeast Ohio that were unlikely to receive affiliated professional baseball teams. The group named the new circuit the Frontier League.
At its inception, the FL had eight teams, all in the United States. The league expanded to Canada in 1999, when the London Werewolves joined. From 2008 to 2019, the league operated with several different franchise structures, peaking with 14 teams. The league added five teams as a result of the Can-Am and Frontier Leagues merger in 2020, increased to 16 teams by 2021, and reached 18 teams with 2025 expansion clubs in Pearl, Mississippi, and Kinston, North Carolina. The Mississippi Mud Monsters were established at Trustmark Park following the departure of the Mississippi Braves, while the Down East Bird Dawgs were established at Grainger Stadium following the departure of the Down East Wood Ducks.
The league's regular season is typically held from May to September, with each team playing 96 games. Following the conclusion of the regular season, eight teams advance to the Frontier League playoffs, a three-round tournament that runs into late September to determine the league champion. The reigning league champions are the Québec Capitales, who defeated the Schaumburg Boomers in five games in the 2025 Frontier League Championship Series to win their fourth consecutive league title.
The Frontier League was founded in 1993. It initially struggled to retain franchises, with four of its eight founding teams folding within three seasons, though it steadily grew to twelve teams within a decade. The first league champions were the Zanesville Greys. Eight teams have won more than one championship: Springfield in 1996 and 1998; Johnstown in 1995 as the Steal and in 2000 as the Johnnies; Richmond Roosters in 2001 and 2002; Windy City in 2007 and 2008; the Joliet Slammers in 2011 and 2018; the Evansville Otters in 2006 and 2016; the Schaumburg Boomers in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2021; and the Québec Capitales in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. With four titles each, the Boomers and Capitales are tied for the most league championships.
On June 20, 2000, Brian Tollberg debuted with the San Diego Padres, becoming the first FL player to make it to the major leagues. A week later, Morgan Burkhart made his debut with the Boston Red Sox.
Although the league does not have any teams located in the same city as Major League teams, several Frontier League teams play within Major League Baseball markets. The Chicago area has three teams, the Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and Windy City ThunderBolts, while the New York area has the New Jersey Jackals, Sussex County Miners and New York Boulders. Other markets include St. Louis with the Gateway Grizzlies, Cleveland with the Lake Erie Crushers, Cincinnati with the Florence Y'alls and Pittsburgh with the Washington Wild Things.
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Frontier League
The Frontier League (FL; French: Ligue Frontière, LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 15 teams in the United States and 3 in Canada. The league is an official MLB Partner League and is the oldest active independent professional baseball league in North America. The FL is headquartered at the Crushers' ballpark in Avon, Ohio.[citation needed]
In April 2026, the league announced that it would rebrand as the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) beginning with the 2027 season. The league stated that its history, statistics and records would continue under the new identity.
The Frontier League was organized during the winter of 1992–1993 by a group seeking to bring professional baseball to communities in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southeast Ohio that were unlikely to receive affiliated professional baseball teams. The group named the new circuit the Frontier League.
At its inception, the FL had eight teams, all in the United States. The league expanded to Canada in 1999, when the London Werewolves joined. From 2008 to 2019, the league operated with several different franchise structures, peaking with 14 teams. The league added five teams as a result of the Can-Am and Frontier Leagues merger in 2020, increased to 16 teams by 2021, and reached 18 teams with 2025 expansion clubs in Pearl, Mississippi, and Kinston, North Carolina. The Mississippi Mud Monsters were established at Trustmark Park following the departure of the Mississippi Braves, while the Down East Bird Dawgs were established at Grainger Stadium following the departure of the Down East Wood Ducks.
The league's regular season is typically held from May to September, with each team playing 96 games. Following the conclusion of the regular season, eight teams advance to the Frontier League playoffs, a three-round tournament that runs into late September to determine the league champion. The reigning league champions are the Québec Capitales, who defeated the Schaumburg Boomers in five games in the 2025 Frontier League Championship Series to win their fourth consecutive league title.
The Frontier League was founded in 1993. It initially struggled to retain franchises, with four of its eight founding teams folding within three seasons, though it steadily grew to twelve teams within a decade. The first league champions were the Zanesville Greys. Eight teams have won more than one championship: Springfield in 1996 and 1998; Johnstown in 1995 as the Steal and in 2000 as the Johnnies; Richmond Roosters in 2001 and 2002; Windy City in 2007 and 2008; the Joliet Slammers in 2011 and 2018; the Evansville Otters in 2006 and 2016; the Schaumburg Boomers in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2021; and the Québec Capitales in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. With four titles each, the Boomers and Capitales are tied for the most league championships.
On June 20, 2000, Brian Tollberg debuted with the San Diego Padres, becoming the first FL player to make it to the major leagues. A week later, Morgan Burkhart made his debut with the Boston Red Sox.
Although the league does not have any teams located in the same city as Major League teams, several Frontier League teams play within Major League Baseball markets. The Chicago area has three teams, the Joliet Slammers, Schaumburg Boomers and Windy City ThunderBolts, while the New York area has the New Jersey Jackals, Sussex County Miners and New York Boulders. Other markets include St. Louis with the Gateway Grizzlies, Cleveland with the Lake Erie Crushers, Cincinnati with the Florence Y'alls and Pittsburgh with the Washington Wild Things.