Login
Login

winter league baseball

{{short description|Off-season baseball competitions}}

File:Tunas vs. Cocodrilos (cropped).jpg and Cocodrilos de Matanzas of the Cuban National Series]]

Winter league baseball is baseball contested in sports leagues during what is generally considered the baseball off-season.

Background

Annually, the highest level of professional baseball competition, Major League Baseball (MLB), begins with spring training and runs through completion of the World Series in the fall. Winter league baseball takes place in the months between the completion of the World Series and the start of the next season's spring training. As this spans winter in the Northern Hemisphere, winter baseball leagues are located in warm-weather areas such as Central America and the Caribbean, or, less commonly, in the Southern Hemisphere such as in Australia. In Australia, Baseball Victoria holds its own winter league between April and September.

Winter baseball provides an opportunity for prospects to build their skills or demonstrate their capabilities,{{cite news |url=https://bosoxinjection.com/2021/01/25/red-sox-jarren-durans-time-approaching-winter-league-mvp-performance/ |title=Red Sox: Jarren Duran's time is approaching after Winter League MVP performance |first=Sean |last=Penney |date=January 25, 2021 |accessdate=November 27, 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113756404/top-prospect-tatis-jr-knows-mlb-debut-i/ |title=Top prospect Tatis Jr. knows MLB debut is getting closer |first=Weston |last=Dewitt |agency=AP |newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |location=Tucson, Arizona |page=B2 |date=February 15, 2019 |accessdate=November 27, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}} or for established players to refine their skills or stay in shape.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113756648/winter-baseball-under-the-weather/ |title=Winter baseball under the weather |first=Rick |last=Talley |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=4-1 |date=February 6, 1979|accessdate=November 27, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113755491/carty-buskey-key-9-4-win/ |title=Carty, Buskey key 9-4 win |first=Hank |last=Kozloski |newspaper=The Times-Reporter |location=New Philadelphia, Ohio |page=13 |date=July 27, 1976 |accessdate=November 27, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}} Many notable major-league players have played winter league baseball—during the 1954–55 winter season, the outfield of the Santurce Crabbers in Puerto Rico featured both Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113756108/winter-ball-proving-ground-for-best/ |title=Winter ball proving ground for best |first=Rick |last=Cleveland |newspaper=The Clarion-Ledger |location=Jackson, Mississippi |page=1C |date=July 6, 1995 |accessdate=November 27, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113756200/roamin-around/ |title=Roamin' Around (column) |first=Jack |last=Hernon |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=13 |date=December 28, 1954 |accessdate=November 27, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}

Leagues

Notable professional baseball leagues operating as winter leagues include:{{cite web |url=https://www.overthemonster.com/2022/11/11/23451396/the-complete-guide-to-winter-league-baseball |title=The Complete Guide To Winter League Baseball |first=Dan |last=Secatore |website=overthemonster.com |date=November 11, 2022 |accessdate=November 27, 2022}}

=Active=

Champions of leagues based in and around the Caribbean meet annually in the Caribbean Series, normally contested in February.

=Former=

  • Cuban National Series (Serie Nacional de Béisbol, SNB), restricted to players who reside in Cuba; operated as a winter league before 2022, when it changed to a summer schedule

=Defunct=

See also

References

{{reflist|30em}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |title=Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s |first=Lou |last=Hernández |date=2013 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0786471416 }}
  • {{cite book |title=Puerto Rico's Winter League: A History of Major League Baseball's Launching Pad |first=Thomas E. |last=Van Hyning |date=2004 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0786419708 }}

External links

  • [http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/winterleagues/ Offseason Leagues] at MLB.com