MLB welcomes new partners, including Dogs, Boomers
The Schaumburg Boomers, Rosemont Dogs and their respective leagues announced Thursday they are Partner Leagues of Major League Baseball.
The Frontier League has 14 teams throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the American Association has its 12 teams in the central U.S. and Canada.
"The league is thrilled to become an official Partner League with Major League Baseball, signifying perhaps the greatest watershed moment and milestone in our league history to date," Bill Lee, commissioner of the Frontier League, said in a statement.
"We look forward to our partnership with MLB incorporating the American Association into the MLB family. To grow America's Pastime, it's critical to bring all stakeholders in professional baseball to the table," said American Association Commissioner Joshua Schaub.
"I am very excited the Frontier League was named a Partner League with Major League Baseball," said Patrick A. Salvi, CEO and owner of the Boomers. "We look forward to collaborating with Major League Baseball to grow the game of baseball in Schaumburg as well as throughout the Frontier League."
"This is a great day for the American Association and the Chicago Dogs," said co-owner Shawn Hunter. "The players and fans have worked very hard for this moment."
"We welcome the American Association and Frontier Leagues as Partner Leagues, and look forward to working with them toward our shared goal of expanding the geographic reach of baseball," Morgan Sword, MLB's Executive Vice President, Baseball Economics & Operations, said in a news release.
It was not immediately announced what a Partner League designation means and whether teams in those leagues will have a direct affiliation with a major league team.
The leagues will collaborate with MLB to discuss marketing and promotional initiatives to grow, expand, and enhance the game, the teams said.
The Boomers have been a part of the Frontier League since 2012 and won the league championship in 2013, 2014 and 2017. With no 2020 Frontier League season, the Boomers hosted the Chicago White Sox taxi squad during the season.
The Dogs have been in the American Association since 2018.
MLB Wednesday named the Atlantic League as a Partner. It has teams in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S.