2023 Frontier League season

Last updated
2023 Frontier League season
League Frontier League
Sport Baseball
DurationMay 11 September 3
(Playoffs: September 5 September 17)
Number of games96 (768 games in total)
Number of teams16
East Division
League champions Québec Capitales
West Division
League champions Evansville Otters
Frontier League Championship
Champions Québec Capitales
  Runners-up Evansville Otters
Seasons

The 2023 Frontier League season was the 30th season of operation (29th season of play) of the Frontier League (FL). The regular season began on May 11, 2023, when the Florence Y'alls were hosting the Gateway Grizzlies at Thomas More Stadium.

Contents

The playoffs concluded on September 17, with the Québec Capitales defeating the Evansville Otters in the finals in five games, winning their second consecutive championship and 9th in franchise history.

Team and rule changes

The 16 teams in the league are split evenly between two divisions, East and West. The Empire State Greys return as a traveling team with a roster of players from the Empire Professional Baseball League.

The season will be played with a 96-game schedule; teams play either three or four series against their divisional rivals while facing the eight teams from the other division at least one series each. The top three teams in each division will qualify for the 2023 playoffs, with the first-place team already qualifying for the division championship, and the second and third place teams playing each other in a wild card game.

The league's player compensation budget increased by $230,000 compared to 2022. Teams were required to spend a maximum of $365,000 on their 24-player rosters with a minimum of $13,800 per player. Veterans could earn up to $22,800, and each team's highest-paid player could make as much as $27,300. For players aged 23 and younger, only 50% of their salary counts towards the cap.

Regular season standings

East Division Regular Season Standings
PosTeam G W L Pct. GB
1y Québec Capitales 956035.632--
2x New Jersey Jackals 956035.632--
3x Sussex County Miners 955540.5795.0
4e Tri-City ValleyCats 955540.5795.0
5e New York Boulders 965442.5636.5
6e Ottawa Titans 964848.50012.5
7e Trois-Rivières Aigles 953857.40022.0
8e Empire State Greys 951877.18942.0
West Division Regular Season Standings
PosTeam G W L Pct. GB
1y Gateway Grizzlies 965937.615--
2x Schaumburg Boomers 955441.5684.5
3x Evansville Otters 965244.5427.0
4e Washington Wild Things 964749.49012.0
5e Joliet Slammers 964650.47913.0
6e Windy City ThunderBolts 954352.45315.5
7e Florence Y'alls 963858.39621.0
8e Lake Erie Crushers 963759.38522.0

Sussex County earned the second wild-card spot in the East Division because of a 7-2 head-to-head record against Tri-City. [2]

Statistical leaders

Hitting

StatPlayerTeamTotal
HR Keon Barnum, James Nelson New Jersey Jackals, New Jersey Jackals 30
AVG James Nelson New Jersey Jackals .388
RBIs Alfredo Marte, Josh Rehwaldt New Jersey Jackals, New Jersey Jackals 90
SB Jairus Richards Gateway Grizzlies 75

Pitching

StatPlayerTeamTotal
W Cole Cook Joliet Slammers 12
ERA Cole Cook Joliet Slammers 2.23
SO Collin Sullivan Gateway Grizzlies 135
SV Frank Moscatiello Québec Capitales 20

[3]

Awards

End of year awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Most Valuable PlayerJames Nelson New Jersey Jackals
Pitcher of the YearCole Cook Joliet Slammers
Rookie of the YearNoah Myers Evansville Otters
Manager of the YearSteve Brook Gateway Grizzlies

Playoffs

Format

The second-place team hosted the third-place team from their division in a wild card game. The winners of these games faced their division winners in best-of-three divisional series, with the division winners hosting games 2 and 3 (if necessary). The championship series was a best-of-five format, with the team advancing with the best regular-season record hosting games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary). [4]

Playoff bracket

Wild Card GameDivision Series
(best-of-three)
Championship Series
(best-of-five)
East Division
2 New Jersey Jackals 426
3 Sussex County Miners 01 Québec Capitales 31415
2 New Jersey Jackals 5E1 Québec Capitales 775212
West Division
W3 Evansville Otters 661433
3 Evansville Otters 459
3 Evansville Otters 41 Gateway Grizzlies 3157
2 Schaumburg Boomers 3

See also

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References

  1. "Frontier League - standings". frontierleague.com.
  2. "Miners Squeak in the Playoffs, Cats Just Miss Out". frontierleague.com.
  3. "Frontier League - stats". frontierleague.com.
  4. "2023 Playoff Format - Frontier League". frontierleague.com.