The 27th annual Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft will be held on Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24 at Joliet Route 66 Stadium, home of the defending champion Joliet Slammers.
All 10 Frontier League teams will be represented at the workouts, and scouts from multiple Major League Baseball teams also attend. Representatives from other independent leagues participate as well. Advance registration is available at frontierleaguetryouts.eventbrite.com while walk-up registration will begin at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, April 23.
The workouts officially begin at 9:00 AM on April 23 and will feature a 60-yard dash, 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 24. At the conclusion of the games, action will break for 30 minutes as clubs and prepare for the draft.
An average of 35 players each season have been drafted and signed to spring training contracts over the past eight years. Each year, at least one tryout camp participant has appeared in the Frontier League’s All-Star Game. Several draftees have gone on to be signed by Major League Baseball organizations, with four draftees having ascended to the Major Leagues (Chris Jakubauskas, Seattle; Josh Smoker, New York Mets; Chris Smith, Toronto; and Robert Stock, San Diego).
13 tryout attendees have been signed by MLB clubs during the season over the past six years.
“We are excited to bring our Tryout Camp to the Chicagoland area for the first time in 13 years,†commented Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee. “The recent upgrades to Joliet Route 66 Stadium, highlighted by the new turf playing surface, make Joliet a great facility for our workouts.â€
The Frontier League is entering its 27th season in 2019 and features ten teams stretching from Pennsylvania to Missouri and from Kentucky to the Great Lakes. The Frontier League annually advances the most players to MLB organizations of any of the independent leagues. Over 100 players have signed with MLB clubs since the start of the 2015 season, and 36 former Frontier League players have played in the Major Leagues, 10 seeing MLB action in 2018.
The Frontier League is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States. The league formed in 1993 and is the oldest active independent league.
To be eligible to play in the Frontier League, you must be at least 18 years old to play and must have been born on or after October 1, 1992 to be eligible.
Joliet Route 66 Stadium is located in downtown Joliet, hear the intersection of I-80 and I-55. For more information, please visit www.frontierleague.com or contact the Frontier League offices at 618.215.4134 or office@frontierleague.com.
