League History
History
The NYSL: Hall of Fame Roots
The first New York State League was formed in 1885. There were no cars to take us to games in those days and the first major league night game was fifty years away. The original league lasted one year but in 1889 it returned for a single season. A later and stronger version of the league was formed in 1902 and played through the 1917 season. Many cities participated in the league. Among them were Syracuse, Troy and Reading The last three cities were notable because they each sent a player to the Hall of Fame. Grover Cleveland Alexander (1887-1950) pitched for the 1910 Syracuse Stars. Johnny Evers (1881-1947) was a member of the 1902 Troy Trojans. And Bucky Harris (1896-1977) played for the 1917 Reading Pretzels. All of them are enshrined in Cooperstown.Today's NYSL was founded in 2006 and is a lower level independent baseball league. Generally speaking, its teams consist of players whose college eligibility is exhausted or of players who have been released from other pro teams and who are looking to work their way back up the pro baseball ladder. The NYSL is only for the hardcore baseball player. There are no excuses for not showing up for a game—car trouble, a family vacation, etc. You must be ready to play each game on the date and time it is scheduled. Players who do not comply with this rule are released. Games are played mostly in studio settings--like Extended Spring Training or Gulf Coast League games. There is more than a bit of built-in adversity because we want to see which players will survive and thrive in this baseball bootcamp. This is no frills, no excuses baseball—do not apply to play in this league if you are looking for a country club setting. But if you are serious about your pro baseball career, our players will tell you this is the league for you. Over three hundred of them have moved on to higher pro leagues.