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2023 Frontier League season

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2023 Frontier League season
LeagueFrontier League
SportBaseball
DurationMay 11 – September 3
(Playoffs: September 5 – September 17)
Number of games96 (768 games in total)
Number of teams16
East Division
League championsQuébec Capitales
West Division
League championsEvansville Otters
Frontier League Championship
ChampionsQuébec Capitales
  Runners-upEvansville 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.

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

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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

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East Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Québec Capitales 95 60 35 .632 --
2 x – New Jersey Jackals 95 60 35 .632 --
3 x – Sussex County Miners 95 55 40 .579 5.0
4 e – Tri-City ValleyCats 95 55 40 .579 5.0
5 e – New York Boulders 96 54 42 .563 6.5
6 e – Ottawa Titans 96 48 48 .500 12.5
7 e – Trois-Rivières Aigles 95 38 57 .400 22.0
8 e – Empire State Greys 95 18 77 .189 42.0
West Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Gateway Grizzlies 96 59 37 .615 --
2 x – Schaumburg Boomers 95 54 41 .568 4.5
3 x – Evansville Otters 96 52 44 .542 7.0
4 e – Washington Wild Things 96 47 49 .490 12.0
5 e – Joliet Slammers 96 46 50 .479 13.0
6 e – Windy City ThunderBolts 95 43 52 .453 15.5
7 e – Florence Y'alls 96 38 58 .396 21.0
8 e – Lake Erie Crushers 96 37 59 .385 22.0
  • y – Clinched division
  • x – Clinched playoff spot
  • e – Eliminated from playoff contention[1]

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

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Hitting

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Stat Player Team Total
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

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Stat Player Team Total
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

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End of year awards

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Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player James Nelson New Jersey Jackals
Pitcher of the Year Cole Cook Joliet Slammers
Rookie of the Year Noah Myers Evansville Otters
Manager of the Year Steve Brook Gateway Grizzlies

Playoffs

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Format

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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

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Wild Card GameDivision Series
(best-of-three)
Championship Series
(best-of-five)
East Division
2New Jersey Jackals426
3Sussex County Miners01Québec Capitales31415
2New Jersey Jackals5E1Québec Capitales775212
West Division
W3Evansville Otters661433
3Evansville Otters459
3Evansville Otters41Gateway Grizzlies3157
2Schaumburg Boomers3

See also

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References

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  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.