The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. is headquartered at the offices of the Camden Riversharks. Our telephone, fax and mailing address are:

THE ATLANTIC LEAGUE
401 N. Delaware Ave.
Camden, NJ 08102
  Phone: 856.541.9400
Fax: 856.541.9410
E-Mail: info@atlanticleague.com

MISSION:

The mission of The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. ("AL") is to bring a high level of professional baseball and affordable family entertainment to selected communities not presently being served by Major League or Minor League teams. The AL began play in 1998.

  • The AL assembles top minor league operators and General Managers with extremely successful track records - Albany-Colonie Yankees, Wilmington Blue Rocks, New Haven Ravens and Prince William Cannons.
  • AL managers, coaches, and player development staff all have Major League experience, e.g., Bud Harrelson, Joe Klein, Sparky Lyle, Ellie Rodriguez, Gary Carter and Tim Raines.
  • AL player development will allow for a National Basketball Association-Continental Basketball Association type relationship allowing players maximum flexibility to play into the Major Leagues.
  • New AL facilities will fully comply with "Facility Standards" as defined by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, Inc. ("NA"), the governing body of minor league baseball. Players will be assured of field conditions that meet or exceed the standards for "Triple A" classification NA facilities. Communities must demonstrate market size sufficient to support a minimum ballpark size of 5,000 to 7,500 seats.
  • The AL has the potential to play an important role in reducing Major League costs in player development.

Each team in the AL will be operated by an experienced, proven minor league owner to assure the highest quality affordable family entertainment to the community. Selection, training, development and evaluation of players, coaches and managers will be under the direction of Joe Klein. Major League standards of player development and evaluation will be adhered to by the AL.

ORGANIZATION OF THE ATLANTIC LEAGUE

The Atlantic League has been created by seasoned professional baseball executives to bridge the future economic gaps in development baseball. The Atlantic League is funded by initial membership fees, league dues and league assessments. The Board of Directors of the AL is composed of representation of each member club. The AL has been in formation for the past four years working with cities and regions that are presently not being served by Major League or Minor League Baseball.

BALLPARKS:

New AL ballparks must fully comply with the "Facilities Standards" as defined by the National Association. Players will be assured of field conditions that meet or exceed the standards for "Triple A" classification N.A. facilities. Communities must demonstrate market size sufficient to support a minimum ball park size of 5,000 to 7,500 seats. The AL has successfully worked with state and local governments in the appropriation of over seventy million dollars in funding and the design development of state-of-the-art minor league ballparks in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Camden, New Jersey; Long Island, New York; Newark, New Jersey; and Somerset County, New Jersey and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

ATLANTIC LEAGUE PERSONNEL

Frank Boulton: CEO of the AL, has owned three minor league teams: the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Albany-Colonie Yankees, and the Prince William Cannons. Frank was also Vice President, Eastern League of Professional Baseball - 1993.
Bud Harrelson:       Thirty-four years with the New York Mets organization as a player, coach, scout and manager. Harrelson was a member of the 1969 Wold Champion and 1973 National League Champions in New York. As a coach Bud is often remembered for waving Ray Knight around third base to score the winning run in the dramatic Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Bud succeeded Davey Johnson in 1990 as manager of the Mets and led the team through the 1991 season. Bud currently is part owner of the Long Island Ducks as well as the team’s first base coach.
Joe Klein: As Executive Director of the Atlantic League Joe handles all the day to day baseball operations of the league. Joe was a former Major League General Manager of the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers.
Ellie Rodriguez: Played nine seasons in the Major Leagues with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and California Angles. Rodriguez was a 2-time All-Star and caught one of Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters with the Angels. Ellie is a player development consultant for The Atlantic League and is in charge of scouting Latin America for the league.

RELATIONSHIP WITH ORGANIZED BASEBALL:

Major League Baseball ("MLB") and the National Association constitute Organized Baseball. MLB and the NA are bound together by the Professional Baseball Agreement ("PBA"). The parties have recently renewed this document. The AL provides options that will allow Organized Baseball maximum flexibility within the framework of the new PBA.The development office of the AL will concentrate on signing six-year professional players, of which there are an average of over 600 in the minor leagues during each season. The AL intends to maintain an on going relationship with Organized Baseball in order to fulfill the League's objectives.

 
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