There are 750 men who make their living playing Major League Baseball. There are thousands more who get paid to play in a couple hundred affiliated minor league teams at various levels. These days, there are even more players earning a living, although not a great one, in the professional independent leagues. Indies are not new, but in the last ten years, they have flourished.

Independent professional baseball teams are all over the country. They are not at all affiliated with any Major League club. The players in the indie leagues are generally those that were not drafted in MLB’s annual free agent draft. Many are former affiliated minor league and ex-major league players who are attempting to showcase their talent for another shot at the Show.  Some are even former MLB stars such as Ricky Henderson, Edgardo Alfonso, and Carl Everett.

The quality of independent league baseball is generally very good. The mission statement of these leagues is to produce high quality winning baseball, not develop players for some higher level like affiliated teams. The competition is better than what is found at single A or even double A baseball.

Independent league baseball is also a great value for family entertainment. Tickets are cheap and seating provides great views from any location because of the smaller venues. In the northeast alone, there are many independent teams, eight in particular play in the highly rated Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

The Somerset Patriots, who play in Bridgewater, New Jersey, are a prime example of how good independent league ball can be. The Patriots play in the Atlantic League. The league’s eight teams, who play a 140 game schedule, make their home in five different states. Somerset won the Atlantic League championship last season and is managed by former Yankee Sparky Lyle.  TD Bank Park, the Patriots home, is a beautiful ballpark that seats about 6000 and is generally filled every night. The field is immaculate and looks as good as any Major League ball field.

Like affiliated clubs, the indie leagues provide family entertainment during the game. Between innings there are various contests for patrons to participate, quizzes for prizes, and tee-shirts being catapulted into the stands. Hot Dogs, Sausages, Sodas, Beer and other treats are more affordable than at Citi Field or Yankee Stadium. On some nights, you can even bring your dog. For a few bucks, three hours of fun is guaranteed.  The Patriots have a fire works night almost on every home stand, and the show is excellent.

Not every team is a success story like the Patriots. The Newark Bears, also in the Atlantic League, last year filed for bankruptcy. New ownership bailed them out and only time will tell if the Bears will be able to survive. They too play in a very nice ballpark called Bears & Eagles Stadium, in honor of the old Newark Bears and the Eagles of the Negro minor leagues.

The CanAm League is another northeast independent league. The New Jersey Jackals who play at Montclair University and the Sussex Sky Hawks, also from New Jersey, are the two southern most teams in a six team league that also includes a team in Quebec, Canada.  The state of New Jersey alone has five independent baseball teams, the two mentioned above from the CanAm League, the Camden River Sharks along with the Patriots and the Bears from the Atlantic League.

The American Association for years was a triple A league affiliated with the Major Leagues. About ten or more years ago, the American Association was dissolved and the International and Pacific Coast League absorbed the American Association teams.  But now the American Association lives on again, this time as an independent league from the mid-west. There are 10 teams in two divisions in the American Association.

The Frontier League (12 teams from the mid-west), the Golden Baseball League (9 teams on the west coast including Canada), and the Northern League (another six team mid-western league) round out the six independent leagues that provide work for hundreds of ball players.  

Major League scouts spend a great deal of time at independent ball parks. Many players have been signed from indie teams and have gone on to play in affiliated minor league and major league clubs. Last season, Nelson Figueroa’s contract was purchased by the New York Mets from the Somerset Patriots.

Major League Baseball has an agreement with independent league teams to purchase contracts. The process helps the Majors with another means to acquire talent and provides advertisement for the indie leagues in that the players you see today could be in the Show tomorrow.

Baseball is still king in America. There is no other sport that comes close to offering as many professional leagues and teams as baseball. The NFL might be considered the most popular sport because of TV ratings and sold out stadiums for very few games on the schedule. But when you consider the millions of fans that come out to baseball parks at the Major and minor league level, and now the independent level, there is no contest.