Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft

Today marks 100 days until Opening Day for the Frontier League.

The annual Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft has been announced for the season.

The Frontier League of Professional Baseball has announced that their 30th annual Tryout Camp and Draft will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25 at GCS Credit Union Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois, home of the Gateway Grizzlies. 

All 16 Frontier League teams will be represented at the workouts, and scouts from multiple Major League Baseball teams also attend each season.  Representatives from other independent leagues participate as well.  Advance registration is available at frontierleaguetryouts.eventbrite.com

The workouts officially begin at 9:00 AM on April 24 and will feature running, fielding and throwing drills for infielders, outfielders, and catchers, and batting practice for position players while pitchers will throw 15-20 pitch bullpens.  Following the first day, the field managers will post a list of players invited back for inter-squad games on April 25.  At the conclusion of the games, action will break for 30 minutes as clubs and prepare for the draft.   

All players attending the Tryout Camp and Draft will receive analytic data of their performance, including pitch speed and spin rates for pitchers and launch angles and exit velocities for hitters. 

An average of 35 players have been drafted and signed to spring training contracts over the past twelve seasons.  Several draftees have gone on to be signed by Major League Baseball organizations, with five having ascended to the Major Leagues (Chris Jakubauskas, Seattle; Josh Smoker, New York Mets; Chris Smith, Toronto; Robert Stock, San Diego; and Nick Duron, Philadelphia). 

“Our Tryout Camp and Draft allows teams to complete their spring training rosters, with camps opening later that week,” commented deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler.  “Dozens of players each season receive professional contracts out of the event, and we have had many All-Star and championship players get their start at the workouts, along with the many players who have signed with MLB clubs. 

GCS Credit Union Ballpark is located at exit 15 off I-255 in Illinois, 30 minutes from St. Louis Lambert International Airport. 

IMPORTANT: As per the manufacturer’s warranty for the artificial playing surface at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, all players trying out must wear turf shoes or molded cleats. No metal cleats will be allowed. This policy is the same that is in effect for all events at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. Players attempting to enter GCS Credit Union Ballpark with metal cleats will be immediately disqualified from the workouts.  In addition, there is a strict no seed policy at the stadium. Participants are not permitted to bring seeds into the facility. 

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Asian Breeze Travel Team To Play Exhibition Games in Arizona

ASIAN BREEZE TRAVEL TEAM TO PLAY EXHIBITION GAMES

A travel team called The Asian Breeze is a multi-cultural indy baseball team that plans on playing exhibition games against MiLB, and colleges in Arizona this February and March.

The owner of the team has many connections throughout Asian baseball, and the manager and coaches for the team will be current independent league managers.

2023 spring will be 4th seasons for Asian Breeze and we have played total 18 games with 9 MLB organizations in Arizona.

The 2022 spring game schedule included 12 games:
2/26-2/27 Spring Training
2/28 San Luis All Star
3/2 Benedictine University Mesa
3/3-4 LA Dodgers
3/6 Phoenix College
3/7 OAK Athletics
3/9 SF Giants
3/11-12 SD Padres
3/14 MIL Brewers
3/15 CIN Reds
3/16 LA Angels

Tentative 2023 spring schedule (12 games):
2/27 Report day
2/28-3/1 Spring training
3/2-3/3 games with college and local team
3/4 Travel to Phoenix
3/5-17 MLB games (around 10 games)
3/18 Travel

While the team is mostly comprised of Japanese players, they are looking to add a few pitchers.

Information for potential players:

Location:
Phoenix, and Yuma Arizona
Dates:
February 27th through March 18th (20 nights 21 days)
Players will arrive from oversea at the San Diego Airport around noon on February 27th. They will leave from the San Diego Airport on the afternoon of March 19th. 
Age: 
18 years old and older
Exhibition game opponents: 
MiLB (affiliated teams), Colleges and etc
Scouts: 
MLB, Atlantic League, American Association, Frontier League, BC League in Japan and more Scout connections in Asia: NPB (Japan) , KBO (Korea), CPBL (Taiwan), Shinkoku Island League (Indy ball), BC League (Indy ball) and Kansai Independent Baseball League (Indy ball).
Fee:
Plan 1 – $3,000 including housing, transportation and lunch.
Plan 2 – $2,000 with your own housing and transportation.

Registration due date: December 28th, 2022.

Player online registration form https://forms.gle/jYXftsSkHGRvtniU6

Yumezo Densaki, Asian Breeze COO
702-624-0866
yumezo@asian-breeze.com

Writing and sharing stories about Independent Baseball.