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Independent Baseball Outlook

golden baseball leagueThere is no such thing as the Independent Baseball League. Instead, there are various independent baseball leagues, operating under this common title because none of them are affiliated with Major League Baseball or the MLB Minor League Affiliates. These independent leagues serve two main purposes: 1) To provide a place for those initially overlooked to show their skill in front of MLB scouts with the hope of being picked up into an affiliated organization, 2) To serve as a stop for MLB affiliated players who have been cut by their organizations and hope to return to affiliated ball. MLB seasons might be starting soon, so it might be worth looking into getting your MLB tickets from somewhere like https://www.ticketclub.com/compare/stubhub.

Dynasty has three clients who will be starting their 2009 campaigns in various independent leagues. Gerard Haran will start the season with the Atlantic League’s Newark Bears, Brendan Murphy will be with the Frontier League’s Kalamazoo Kings, and Paul Rutgers will be with the Golden Baseball League‘s Tucson Toros.

Independent Leagues are respected by MLB scouts. Many players have been able to come out of various indy leagues to have successful careers in Major League Baseball. One league that is getting some good press is where Rutgers will be starting the 2009 season: The Golden Baseball league.

The GBL is only going into its 5th season of existence, and is seeing nice revenue growth year-to-year. Interestingly, two Stanford students dreampt up the league and started it with $5 million from outside investors. While mainstream leagues are being stunned by the economic downturn, losing sponsor after sponsor, the GBL has mostly been unaffected. In fact, two years ago, the GBL fielded 6 teams; this year it will start with 10 teams.

Many of the independent leagues have not started their seasons or are just beginning this week. The GBL does not start until the middle of May.

If you want information about Dynasty’s Professional Baseball Placement Service, please click here to email us.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

2 replies on “Independent Baseball Outlook”

Yep, I played in that league…it was a very fun league to play in, very good players up there and I made some great friends along the way.

In addition to points 1 & 2, independent baseball leagues also give upcoming talent in the front offices an opportunity to do some unique marketing and learn how to run baseball operations. Some of the more innovative promotions and marketing techniques have come out of the independent leagues.

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