Black Sox Pro Baseball

The 2022 MLB World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros kicks off tonight, officially starting the beginning to the end of the 2022 baseball season.

Additionally, the MLB partner leagues and other independent leagues have all wrapped up their seasons and are looking ahead to what the 2023 season will bring.

Here’s a look at your 2022 season champions and some news on what you can look forward to in 2023.

2022 Season Champions:

MLB Partner Leagues

Atlantic League – The Lancaster Barnstormers captured their third Atlantic League championship with a series sweep over the High Point Rockers.
Lancaster Barnstormers Official Press Release

American Association – The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks walked off on the Milwaukee Milkmen in the bottom of the 10th inning in game five of the Miles Wolff Cup Finals to win the 2022 American Association Championship.
American Association Official Press Release

Frontier League – The Quebec Capitales became the first team to defeat the Schaumburg Boomers in a playoff series to capture the Frontier League Championship in four games.
Frontier League Official Press Release

Pioneer League – The GJ Rockies win their first PBL Championship in 41 years with a two-game sweep over defending champions the Missoula Paddleheads.
Pioneer League Official Press Release

MLB Draft League – The WV Black Bears win the inaugural MLB Draft League Championship. (While the first half of the season featured draft eligible prospects, the second half belonged to professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility.)
MLB Draft League Official Press Release

Other Independent Leagues

United Shore Pro Baseball League – The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers rallied from four runs down late to defeat the Utica Unicorns in the USPBL Championship Game.
United Shore Pro Baseball League Official Press Release

Pecos League – The Roswell Invaders won their fourth Pecos League championship, their first in seven years, after defeating the defending champions the Tucson Saguaros.

Empire League – The Tupper Lake Riverpigs win their first Empire League Championship.
Empire League Official Press Release

Mavericks League – The Salem Senators defeated the Portland Mavericks to win the Mavericks League Championship.
Mavericks League Official Website

Yinzer Baseball Confederacy – In its third season of play, the Yinzer League (ran by Black Sox Pro Baseball) continued to be a feeder league for many players. Throughout the summer, players from the Yinzer League were able to sign contracts and play in various MLB Partner Leagues.

2023 News

Atlantic League

Nashville Developer Acquires Lexington Legends and Wild Health Field
Nathan and Keri Lyons have acquired the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) along with Wild Health Field and its real estate.
Read more HERE (Atlantic League).

York Revolution Announce Rick Forney as New Manager
Forney, a native of Frederick, Maryland, spent the last 17 seasons managing the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association, compiling a record of 887-753 with 13 winning seasons, 10 playoff appearances and three league championships in 2012, 2016 and 2017. He was also named American Association Manager of the Year in 2011 and 2020.
Read more HERE (York Dispatch).

Atlantic League Breaks Ground in Hagerstown
A ground breaking ceremony was held in Hagerstown which is set to host a new Atlantic League team in 2024.
Read more HERE (Herald-Mail Media).

Frontier League

Crushers Name Jared Lemieux Manager
Lemieux spent the past 2 seasons coaching with the New Jersey Jackals, and has been involved in professional baseball, either playing or coaching since 2006.
Read more HERE (Frontier League).

Florence Names Chad Rhodes Manager
This marks Rhoades’ third stint with Florence, having spent his two previous stops with Florence as the team’s pitching coach.
Read more HERE (Frontier League).

Windy City Names MLB All-Star Richie Sexson Manager
This will be the first professional managerial position for Sexson, who has spent much of the last decade as director of baseball at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. He played for 12 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1997-2008.
Read more HERE (Frontier League).

2023 Schedule Announced
The Frontier League, a MLB Professional Partner League, unveiled the schedule for its 30^th season of play. The 2023 regular season will begin on Thursday, May 11 and run through Sunday, September 3.
Read more HERE (Frontier League).

Pioneer League

Stu Pederson Named Second Ever Manager of Range Riders
Pederson served as an assistant coach for the Range Riders this past season, helping guide the team to a successful second half, including a 17-12 record at home and a five-game home win streak to finish off the season.
Read more HERE (Our Sports Central).

2023 Missoula PaddleHeads Coaching Staff Announced
Manager, Michael Schlact is returning to the Garden City after having the highest winning percentage in all of professional baseball each of the past two seasons. The PaddleHeads have re-signed 2022 hitting coach, Jeff Lyle who played an integral role in the team’s success in 2022. New to the coaching staff, but not to the PaddleHeads is the new 2023 assistant coach Brandon Riley. Riley has been a leader in the clubhouse each of his past two playing seasons in Missoula.
Read more HERE (Our Sports Central).

MLB Draft League

2023 Format Announced
First half (June 1-July 4): For Amateur/Draft-eligible players from the Divisions I-III, NAIA, junior college and high school (graduating seniors) levels. 30 games per team.
Second half (July 7-Sept. 2): For professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility. Players receive housing, meal money, travel and weekly compensation. 50 games per team.
See the MLB Draft League Official Site HERE.

2023 Schedule Announced
The halves will be uneven with 30 scheduled games per team in the first half and 50 scheduled games per team in the second half.
See the Draft League schedule HERE (MLB Draft League).

United Shore Pro Baseball League

2023 Schedule Announced
The 70-game schedule will run from May 19 through September 9 at Jimmy John’s Field in historic downtown Utica, Mich.
See the USPBL schedule HERE (USPBL).

Pecos League

The Pecos League Announced two new teams for the 2023 season
The Marysville Drakes in California (more info HERE) and the Blackwell FlyCatchers in Oklahoma (more info HERE).

Empire League

The Empire League Reveals New Team
The Empire Baseball League has revealed the team name for the new Malone, New York team to be the Border Hounds.
More info HERE (Empire League).

The Black Sox Pro Baseball League will be again hosting off-season workouts, a competition camp in Florida, and continuing with their spring training barnstorming tour against the MLB Partner Leagues.
More info HERE (Black Sox Pro Baseball).

This summer, baseball was played from morning until night at Wild Things Park in Washington, PA.

Just like every summer for the past 20 years, the Washington Wild Things played baseball in the evenings from May through September.

But for the second summer in a row, the stadium was also host to the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy and their own double headers every morning.

Born out of the summer of COVID baseball and the need for players to stay active and ready to play ball, the Black Sox pro baseball organization created the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy to give guys a place to play the game that they love.

This year, the Yinzer became a place that the MLB Partner leagues could rely on to find game-ready players at a moment’s notice.

In fact, more than 80 players went through the Black Sox/Yinzer to play in one of the four MLB Partner Leagues this summer. (More on some of those players will be featured in upcoming posts throughout the off season… Stay tuned!!)

I have always been a big supporter of the Black Sox. I’ve known the owner, Joe Torre, since I started this website over 6 years ago.

I’ve been in the dugout when it was hard to find players and the teams struggled to put up runs against established indy teams. I’ve also been there when guys were doing anything to get in that same dugout and have a chance to put up competitive numbers and win against those same indy teams.

They’ve adopted the wrestling “NWO” mentality… the outsiders who come in, take over and change the game.

This website was created for the guys like the Black Sox… For players who are seen as the underdogs… For the true grinders of the sport… For the guys who just want a chance to prove themselves…

It’s for the guys who get up and drive to the ballpark for early work before 7am… and play a double header starting at 9am… That’s right… the majority of the games this season started at NINE IN THE MORNING.

It’s for the players who put in the work on the field and then help out in the stands – charting, chasing foul balls, working the scoreboard, announcing on the PA system, and live streaming on social media…

It’s for those same players who – after early work/BP and two games of their own – stay around to work in the concession stands during Frontier League games just to make enough money to live and play baseball.

These guys played hard every single day with the hope that they would be the next guy up… the next one to get a chance to prove themselves.

Some guys were used for spot starts and to fill depleted positions. Those guys would drop everything at a moment’s notice just to meet up with a team in need… sometimes with no idea how they will even get home if they were released after they did their job.

Some were able to be a part of a “travel” squad who played games north of the boarder when other teams couldn’t field their own full roster.

And then some even proved themselves and stayed around for a lot longer than anyone (outside of this Black Sox organization) ever thought possible.

In fact, a few of them are currently playing in the Frontier League and American Association playoffs or finishing up the regular season in the Atlantic League.

This guys are at the very heart of indy ball and what it’s all about. THEY are the reason I love this sport the way that I do.

On a personal level, this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons of my life.

Getting up and driving an hour to the stadium to be there by 9am, sitting in the blazing sun for two straight games while watching the Killer B’s (the eventual Yinzer League champions), Road Warriors, Brilliance Sox and Wolfpac, and then staying in town to watch the Wild Things play in the evenings… I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

And those Wild Things evenings meant even more this season when my favorite Black Sox guys were working around the ballpark or just sitting in the stands because they just couldn’t get enough baseball.

To those players who I got to talk baseball with and just enjoy the game in the company of someone who truly loves the game the way that I do… Thank you. Those were some of my favorite moments of the entire season.

I was also fortunate enough to travel and see former Yinzer players thrive in the Frontier and Atlantic Leagues. There is something special about seeing a player who put his heart and soul into the Black Sox showcase their talent and commitment in a top league. It’s on the same level as seeing a brother and family member succeed.

And that’s because it is exactly that… it’s a family. Those guys who play against each other every day, who are competing against each other for attention and a chance to “make it” are still brothers. When one succeeds, they all celebrate.

Any time a former Yinzer would be at the plate or on the mound in Wild Things Park – no matter what team they happened to be on – you could always find a crowd of current Yinzers behind home plate cheering on their brothers because…

When you’re NWO… you’re NWO for life.

And if you didn’t know… Now you do.

Stay tuned this off season for more features and articles highlighting players from the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy.

Writing and sharing stories about Independent Baseball.

Indy Ball Island

Tag Archives: Black Sox Pro Baseball

2022 Season Wrap-Up and a Look Ahead