Realities of the Frontier League Tryout Camp

Trying to continue your playing career after college, but didn’t get picked in the draft? Independent baseball is your route. It’s not, however, an easy one.

The Frontier League Tryout Camp is Tough.

It represents a ray of hope for a lot of undrafted, quality ballplayers each May. 300+ attend annually, and “An average of 35 players each season have been drafted and signed to spring training contracts over the past eight years” (from the Frontier League’s website).

If it’s your goal to play professionally, you should go to the camp and give it a shot. It is, how ever, a tough way to get a pro career started, one that few make it through. This article is just to give you a working knowledge of the process behind the tryout camp and Independent baseball in general.

I Was a 2x All-Star in Six Independent League Seasons

My name is Dan Blewett and I played independent baseball for six seasons, earning an All-Star selection in two of them. I played in the Frontier League, American Association, North American League (defunct) and Atlantic League.

My career started by making the team in Normal out of spring training. I was lucky to get a chance and made the most of it.

If you want to learn more about my work since I’ve retired, check out my new book, Clean Your Cleats.

Realities Of The Frontier League Tryout Camp

Disclaimer: I never attended the Frontier League Tryout camp. However, having been in the independent game for a few years, I got a lot of privileged information on how the system works. Here’s what you need to know…

Recommended Book: Sign Me by Scout Chris Carminucci

Chris Carminucci is a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and scouted me during my playing days – he is a good scout and a good man.

He wrote a book sharing his extensive experience scouting the independent leagues and it’s a MUST-READ for aspiring players.

✅ Buy the book here or by clicking below.

The Frontier League

The Frontier League is a “younger” league among the Independent leagues, but it’s still a well-run league. The finances are pretty stable and they specifically cater to younger ballplayers as the stepping stone to older leagues and affiliated ball.

There’s more turnover in the league because of their rookie rules – each team must carry a minimum number of rookies, which is currently at 11. Other Leagues have no rookie rules (Atlantic League) or much lower minimums, such as 4 in the American Association. So, the Frontier League, by rules, gives rookies a fighting chance.

However…

There are two classifications for Rookies – R1 & R2.

If you’re right out of college, you’re an R1. If you’ve played a year, or part thereof, of pro ball, then you’re an R2. Because both are technically “Rookies,” which do you think a manager prefers? If you guessed “R2, because they at least have some pro experience,” You’re correct.

So, if you get a contract as an R1, and they have the chance to add an R2 to your teams roster, but the roster is full, who do you think they’ll release to make room? Yep – the R1. Sorry, but see ya later.

Sourcing Players

If you haven’t yet, DEFINITELY listen to my episode of the Dear Baseball Gods Podcast in which I interviewed Mike Pinto. Mike is the manager for the Southern Illinois Miners, and will be the winningest coach in Frontier League history soon after the 2018 season begins.

Managers like giving chances to true rookies, at least all of the ones I’ve played for. But, they aren’t going to do it without having a really, really good look at them, especially when R2s are available. Managers keep their jobs based on wins, and experienced players win; Rookies are unproven by definition, no matter how good they were in college. When you have a choice, you go with experience.

Managers get their players from lots of sources, 99% of which is not the Frontier League tryout camp, or tryout camps in general, though there are exceptions. Most of the time it’s from agents, affiliated scouts, college coaches, private coaches or instructors that they know and/or played with, or other independent coaches.

So, managers are getting the bulk of their players from people that they know. And, when they get a good player from someone, they will reward their source by taking hard looks at future guys – it’s what keeps a good relationship. “If you cut my guys after one day, I’m not going to keep sending players to you.” “Well, if you send me crappy players, I’m not going to keep signing them.” It’s a give and take.

Managers will give a few more days to someone recommended by a friend, especially a friend who sent over a good player before, rather than some kid they don’t know and saw at a tryout. In general, they will give roster priority and a longer leash to the players recommended to them by trusted colleagues.

This is how everything in life works, anyway. Want a job? It’s gonna be easier if you know someone at the company. This was how I was initially signed. And, in fact, I was the only pitcher they had signed sight-unseen. I figured this out in camp when everyone else was talking about how good they were (I was concentrating on making the team, instead).

Why The Source of the Player is Important

This is important information because one must understand that rosters are completely built before the day of the Frontier League Tryout (which is held 3 days before the first day of teams’ training camp). So, it’s basically a situation like in college – you’re the walk-on to a program with all scholarship players. The manager spends the whole offseason sourcing players from colleagues and affiliated ball, building his team so he is ready to go on day 1. Then, the tryout camp comes.

Because the manager has no clue what kind of talent will be at the tryout, he tries to build an intact team beforehand. Thus, this makes the tryout somewhat irrelevant, and often a burden because managers are forced to draft 2 or 3 players (can’t remember exactly). So, because their rosters are basically full and all positions covered, usually they’ll just draft the two or three hardest throwing pitchers or a position player who shows an exceptional tool or two.

Now, the drafted players come into training camp trying to make a team that didn’t really need them in the first place. But, on the brightside, there are few players left on the market by this point (early May) because all the ones with experience are signed by someone, affiliated or independent by mid-April. So, if a team has a need, the tryout might be good.

Some of these guys from the Frontier League Tryout make the team, and some of them go on to have really good careers. I didn’t go through the tryout camp, but I was basically in the same exact position – given a chance in camp without them even seeing me throw. I just happened to outperform other guys, which is exactly how walk-ons at colleges earn their keep. The saying is that to make it as a walk-on, you can’t be as good as the recruits – you have to be undoubtedly better; why else would they bench a money-guy? There are always longshots, but some longshots work out.

The Draft

Q & A With Brett Lester – #1 Overall Pick in 2010.

Brett Lester was the first overall player picked in 2010. He had a year’s experience (which helped him get selected) but was released by his old team a few days prior to spring training, which put him in dire straits. He went to the Frontier League Tryout, got selected, and made the starting rotation with me in Normal. He pitched well and lasted to the end of the season with us, a feat accomplished by only 8, I think, of our original 24 that year.

Here’s our conversation…

DB: How many pitches did you get to throw in front of the coaches, and what was the overall experience like?

BL: After 3 hours of sitting in the sun, I got 12-15 pitches in front of the coaches. It was important to have good off-speed pitches and to hit spots, but velocity was the most important aspect. You are responsible for getting warm and being ready so you couldn’t really leave, which is why I sat so long. If they call your number and you are not ready they will move on and you missed your shot. The overall experience was 2 long days with my part lasting 5 minutes each day. The whole thing was a blur.

DB: You were selected #1 overall in 2010. What do you feel helped you stand out?

BL: The fact that I had a year of pro-ball under my belt was a huge plus for most coaches, but the fact that every fastball I threw was in the 90’s and I threw a splitter was what set me apart from everyone else.

DB: How hard did the average pitcher throw? What kind of offspeed offerings did they present?

BL: Most pitchers looked like they had some college experience with their velocity in the low-mid 80’s. Almost everyone who got a serious look threw a breaking ball and changeup to complement their fastball. There was a handful of guys who threw a knuckleball as well, but none of them were invited back for the second day.

DB: What did the other pitchers who were drafted have to offer? How did they stand out?

BL: It was all about velocity. If you weren’t throwing consistently 88 mph or higher, you lost the attention of the organizations after a few pitches. 88 would get you invited back for the second day, but then you had to be able to do it again. I believe all the pitchers drafted threw 88-90 or higher with the exception of 1 left hander who had just been released from the Astros organization.

DB: Did your prior pro experience help you?

BL: Having played 1 year of pro ball already gave the organizations more faith in my abilities, it showed them that someone else had thought enough of my talent to earn a paycheck. It also gave them the name of another pro manager they could call and gather information, a full season of stats to consider, and most importantly I never had to say a word about it. Most coaches get annoyed if you try to boost yourself up or sweet talk your way into their organization.

DB: Advice to people trying out?

BL: Tryouts are not a time when you need to do things differently than others to stand out. This is a time where you usually need to do the same things as everyone else, just do it better. These workouts are long and time consuming. I had workouts with the Braves, Tigers, Astros and the MLB scouting bureau before catching on with my first pro team, only to get released and have to complete in an open tryout the following year. There will be a lot of talk from other people as well. Just remember – no one cares what you’ve done in the past, it only matters what you can currently do.

Conclusion

The point of this article is in no way to disparage the Frontier League or the way the tryout is run. I personally owe a tremendous debt to the league, as they are responsible for opening the door to my pro career.

They provide an open tryout for a reasonable cost ($75 or so isn’t a big deal), and it’s no shock that a ton of players show up. With 300+ players to wade through in two days, there simply isn’t enough time to give each guy a long look. Tryouts in general are just a very difficult venue in which to showcase one’s skillset.

The thing to remember is that Independent baseball is just very harsh and difficult. There’s less money (no MLB parent club), and player turnover is frequent because winning and playing well is what matters to managers, GMs and Owners who have to turn a profit from their team. It’s cutthroat in the open tryouts, and cutthroat in the regular season; play poorly for 3 weeks and you’re released. But, you give it your best, ride it out as long as possible, and let the chips fall where they may.

Good Luck!

If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to me via email. -Dan Blewett

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