Sport | Baseball |
---|---|
Founded | September 2009 |
No. of teams | 10 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Washington Blue Sox |
Official website | www.californiawinterleague.com |
The California Winter League is an instructional showcase league for free agent baseball players who are looking to earn a professional contract before spring training begins. The league was created by Andrew Starke in 2010, and takes place in Palm Springs, California, at the Palm Springs Stadium complex which is a former spring training facility of the Los Angeles Angels.
Each season, the California Winter League hires current MLB pro scouts and professional independent league managers to act as instructors during the CWL season. These instructors manage games, work to develop CWL players, and sign CWL players during their time at the CWL. Every year, roughly 40% of CWL players receive a professional contract offer. The league has a partnership agreement with the Frontier League for scouting and player development. [1]
The purpose of the California Winter League is to provide coaching and an avenue for players to get noticed by scouts with the ultimate goal of signing a professional contract. Past players have signed with any of various Independent baseball leagues and MLB organizations.
Randy Alan Flores is an American professional baseball executive and former pitcher who is the assistant general manager and director of scouting for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Minnesota Twins.
Palm Springs Stadium is a stadium in Palm Springs, California. It is primarily used for baseball. It used to be named Angels Stadium and was the home field of the Palm Springs Suns of the Western Baseball League in 1995 and 1996. Palm Springs Stadium is the home of the Palm Springs Power, a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the California Premier Collegiate League. The stadium is also the official home of the Power Summer Collegiate League and the California Winter League (2010). The stadium has a seating capacity of 5,185.
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The Arizona Winter League was an independent professional winter baseball league. Arizona Winter League games were all played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. The league was founded in 2007. It disbanded in 2013 due to parent league, the Golden Baseball League/North American League, folding, but was restarted in 2016, only to fold again following the 2018 season.
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The Canada A's are an independent professional baseball team representing Canada that will be based in Palm Springs, California as a part of the new California Winter League. They play their games in a short-season schedule from January to February at Palm Springs Stadium along with the Palm Springs Chill, Coachella Valley Snowbirds and Palm Desert Coyotes.
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Robert Anthony Stock is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets and in the KBO League for the Doosan Bears. He pitched for the Israeli national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
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