Could Frontier League switch to 6-game series?
It is late August and fatigue can be found in every clubhouse in the Frontier League.
Travel-weary players are often found trying to catch some sleep an hour or two before game time. The thought of taking batting practice becomes less appealing with each day. Apathy can overtake a team that has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Much of that fatigue comes from playing a 96-game schedule in a league with far-flung outposts, from Quebec City in Canada to Schaumburg, Ill., to Brockton, Mass., to Evansville, Ind.
The travel, which is done by bus in the Frontier League, and the schedule can wear down even the best-conditioned athletes.
That’s why the schedule is often the most criticized and scrutinized, both by players and coaches, part of each Frontier League season. Interdivision series, though this year trimmed to a mere 12 games for each team, are the backbreakers.
For example, this year the New York Boulders played a Thursday game in Crestwood, Ill., against Windy City and was back home, in Pomona, N.Y. – a trip of 796 miles – for a game the next night. That was nothing compared to the New Jersey Jackals’ recent 12-game road trip. It began with a series in Brockton, Mass., then the Jackals used an off day to travel to Sauget, Ill., a distance of 1,206 miles. Then it was on to Evansville before using another off day to travel 1,179 miles to Quebec City. That’s a lot of hours on a bus.
“The travel in this league is so difficult because each series is three games,” says Sussex County manager Chris Widger. “We will go to Canada six times this year for six three-game series. That’s 12 times to Canada in two years that I’ve been the manager. I know fans like to see different teams, and players and coaches like to go to different ballparks, but for us to go to Schaumburg, Joliet, Windy City, Gateway for a three-game series, that’s rough.”
Widger says many of the league’s travel issues can be solved without having to eliminate interdivision play. His idea is to copy the minor league baseball model of playing a season of six-game homestands. The affiliated minor leagues switched to this type of scheduling after the pandemic.
“You play the same team in a six-game series, from Tuesday through Sunday. Mondays would be an off day, so that wouldn’t change,” Widger said. “Each team’s travel would be cut down because you’re not changing cities every Friday.
“You still play the same number of games against each team in a year. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is for the teams, the hotels, the bus scheduling. I managed in the Midwest League and Texas League in the Kansas City Royals organization and we used the six-game series format for two years and didn’t have one problem. It makes everything easier.”
What such a change would mean is the Wild Things would play a division opponent for a six-game home series in the first half of the year and at the same opponent in the second half, or vice versa. In other words, the Wild Things go to Schaumburg, Ill., only one time each season instead of the current two.
Frontier League commissioner Steve Tahsler said the six-game series idea has been discussed but isn’t optimistic that it will be approved for 2025 or ever.
“It has been loosely discussed, but at this point there doesn’t seem to be much momentum for it,” Tahsler said.
One person who is not in favor of such a change is Lake Erie Crushers manager Jared Lemieux.
“I’m not a fan of that. I’m a traditionalist. Six games in a row against the same team … you’re going to develop issues,” he said. “Minor league baseball can do that because … what is minor league baseball about? It’s all about player development. The major leagues don’t play six-game series because it’s about winning at that level. Independent baseball is also about winning, so we should be playing three-game series, but that’s a decision that’s above my pay grade.”
Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth also isn’t in favor of playing six-game homestands against one opponent.
“I know it has been discussed, and they are still looking at the feasibility at our level. I wouldn’t want to do it, though some of the overnights are tough,” Vaeth said.
“Seeing the same team all week, you’re likely to have hostilities by the fifth or sixth game. And as much as the rosters turn over in this league, you could get one team at the right time of year and pick up six big wins when the other teams in the division wouldn’t get that advantage.”