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27-414: Lafayette, Indiana first hosted minor league baseball with the 1909 Lafayette Maroons . The Lafayette Maroons were members of the six–team Class D level Northern State of Indiana League . The Maroons finished as co–league champions in their first season. The Bluffton Babes , Huntington Johnnies , Kokomo Wild Cats , Marion Boosters and Wabash Whitecaps joined Lafayette in league play. The Maroons finished

54-529: A 46–25 record, finishing 3.5 games ahead of the second place Bluffton Babes. The 1911 season was the final season of play for the Northern State of Indiana League. Charles Klunk returned as league president as play began on May 24, 1911. During the final season, the Logansport franchise moved to Anderson on July 2, 1911, and Bluffton folded on the same date. The league permanently folded on July 29, 1911. At

81-612: Is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball ). Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example,

108-501: Is still in existence, having evolved into today's Lansing Lugnuts . Lafayette, Indiana was without minor league baseball until the 1994 Lafayette Leopards played as members of the Independent level Great Central League which folded during the 1994 season. Lafayette was in first place with a 44–24 record when the league folded. Starting in 1955, Lafayette teams reportedly played minor league home games at Loeb Stadium . The ballpark

135-735: The Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years. Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after

162-586: The Wabash Whitecaps as charter members of the league. At the conclusion of the 1909 Northern State of Indiana League season, there was a tie for first place. The Bluffton Babes with a 65–38 (.631) record and the Lafayette Maroons with a 66–39 record (.629) tied for first place in the standings, with the two teams finishing 6.0 games ahead of the third place Huntington Johnnies. The league held no playoffs for its duration. The regular season 1st place team

189-464: The 1909 season with a record of 66–39, playing under manager Pete Driver. The Bluffton Babes with a 65–38 (.631) record and the Lafayette Maroons with a 66–39 record (.629) tied for first place in the standings, as no playoffs were held. The teams finished 6.0 games ahead of the third place Huntington Johnnies in the final standings. Continuing play in 1910, the Lafayette Farmers placed third in

216-537: The 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates the MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan,

243-590: The Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993. Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which

270-579: The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for

297-574: The Midwest League playoffs. Lafayette ended the season with a 55–67 record, under manager Ken Deal, placing sixth in the final standings and finishing 19.0 games behind the first place Kokomo Dodgers. The franchise drew 32,667 at home for the season. After the 1957 season, the Lafayette franchise moved to Waterloo, Iowa and became the Waterloo Hawks , playing in the 1958 Midwest League. The franchise

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324-479: The Northern State of Indiana League final standings after the league realigned during the season. The Farmers finished the season with a 39–30 record under managers Fred Payne and Carl Cominger. In 1910, the Northern State of Indiana League began the season with four teams. On July 2, 1910, the Bluffton Babes and Marion Booster franchises joined league play and games played prior to July 1, 1910, were not counted in

351-800: The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as

378-717: The company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and the Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in

405-515: The eight–team Class D level Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, joining the Clinton Pirates , Decatur Commodores , Dubuque Packers , Hannibal Citizens , Kokomo Giants , Mattoon Indians and Paris Lakers in league play. The Chiefs ended the season with a 63–63 record, finishing in fifth place, playing the season under manager Mark Wylie and finishing 11.0 games behind the first place Dubuque Packers. Lafayette had home attendance of 61,287 fans for

432-410: The league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and

459-568: The new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of

486-491: The other Midwest League charter members. The Lafayette Red Sox placed second in the initial Midwest League standings with a 69–56 record, playing under manager Len Okrie. In the playoffs, the Red Sox were defeated in the firsrst round of the four–team playoff by the eventual champion Paris Lakers 2 games to 0. Lafayette had total season attendance of 42,821. In their final season of play, the 1957 Lafayette Red Sox did not qualify for

513-700: The season. In 1956, Lafayette qualified for the playoffs in a newly named league. Layafette became an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox , adopting the corresponding Lafayette Red Sox nickname. The franchise remained a member as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League changed its league name to become the Midwest League , which continued play as a Class D level league. The Clinton Pirates, Decatur Commodores, Dubuque Packers, Kokomo Dodgers , Mattoon Phillies , Michigan City White Caps and Paris Lakers were

540-691: The season. On July 29, 1911, the Farmers had a record of 28–37 under Carl Cominger when the league permanently folded. Lafayette finished 13.0 games behind the first place Marion Boosters in the final standings. Minor league play next returned to Lafayette, Indiana in 1955. The 1955 the Lafayette Chiefs began play in the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League , playing as an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians . The Lafayette Chiefs became members of

567-408: The standings. The Wabash Rockeries won the league championship with a 46–25 record, finishing 3.5 games ahead of the second place Bluffton Babes and 6.0 games ahead of the third place Lafayette Farmers. The Lafayette Farmers continued play in 1911, as the Northern State of Indiana League folded during the season. Lafayette was in fourth place when the 1911 Northern State of Indiana League folded during

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594-623: The time the league folded, the Marion Boosters, with a record of 46–24, finished 6.0 games ahead of the second place Huntington Indians in the six–team league. The Bluffton Babes (31–31), Wabash Rockeries (30–35), Lafayette Farmers (28–37) and Logansport Whitecaps /Anderson Whitecaps (22–40) were the remaining franchises in the last season of play. 1909 Northern State of Indiana League 1910 Northern State of Indiana League 1911 Northern State of Indiana League Independent baseball league An independent baseball league

621-577: The top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in

648-499: Was a Class D level minor league baseball league that played from 1909 to 1911. The six–team Northern State of Indiana League consisted of teams based in Indiana . The Northern State of Indiana League began minor league play on May 5, 1909 as a Class D level six–team league, under the direction of league president Charles Klunk. The Bluffton Babes , Huntington Johnnies , Kokomo Wild Cats , Lafayette Maroons and Marion Boosters joined

675-615: Was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United States Baseball League , which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included

702-648: Was known as "Colombian Park" until 1971. Built in 1937, the ballpark had a capacity of 5,000 in 1955 and 3,200 in 1997, with dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of 322–415–333. The stadium was demolished in 2019, with a new ballpark opening on the site in 2021. From 1943 to 1945, Colombian Park was the Spring Training site of the Cleveland Indians . In this era, teams held spring training at cities in their region because of restrictions in place due to World War II . Lafayette Red Sox players Northern State of Indiana League The Northern State of Indiana League

729-464: Was the Northern State of Indiana League champion. In 1910, the Northern State of Indiana League was under the direction of presidents Daniel Flanagan and Charles Halderman and began the season with four teams. On July 2, 1910, the Bluffton and Marion franchises joined league play and games played prior to July 1, 1910 were not counted in the standings. The Wabash Rockeries won the league championship with

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