Major League Baseball Extends Partnership With Pioneer League

Major League Baseball announced its agreement with the Pioneer Baseball League has been extended through the 2028 season, with the league implementing the Automated Balls and Strikes system for the 2024 season.

The Pioneer League is based in the western United States and operates as one of four MLB partner leagues without MLB team affiliations. The league includes 12 teams from the Northern California and Rocky Mountain regions.

“In just three years, the Pioneer Baseball League has proven to be a terrific league for young players to launch their professional careers,” said Michael Shapiro, president of the Pioneer Baseball League. “The extension of this partnership with MLB ensures that not only will more players realize their dreams of playing professional baseball, but it keeps professional baseball as an entertainment option and source of community pride in each of our cities.”

Since 2021, the Pioneer League has provided players with less than three years of professional experience the opportunity to be scouted by MLB clubs and allowed MLB to experiment with new rules. The Pioneer League opens the 96-game 2024 season on May 21.

In 2024, the PBL will be the baseball league to implement the Automated Balls and Strikes system to further test the technology and gather data in game situations. In 2019, the Atlantic League used the electronic strike zone in an all-star game and that same year, the Arizona Fall League was played with the ABS. In 2021, the ABS was deployed in some Class A parks. In 2022, the full ABS was used for some Class AAA games. Last season, MLB implemented an electronic strike zone in all 30 Triple A ballparks.

In recent years, the PBL has also experimented with a shootout-style “Knockout Round” to replace extra innings and used designated pinch hitters and pinch runners.

The Pioneer League has added the Oakland Ballers (California) and Yolo High Wheelers (Davis, California) to bring the league to 12 teams. The Glacier Ridge Riders (Kalispell, Montana) joined the PBL in 2022 and the Boise (Idaho) Hawks came in 2021. The Grand Junction (Colorado) Jackalopes and Northern Colorado Owlz (Windsor) both entered the league in 1978, one year after the Ogden (Utah) Raptors and Rocky Mountain Vibes (Colorado Springs, Colorado) joined. The Missoula (Montana) PaddleHeads and Idaho Falls Chukars were the inaugural members in 1938–1939, with the Billings (Montana) Mustangs and the Great Falls (Montana) Voyagers joining in 1948.

“Major League Baseball’s continued support of our baseball operations and our communities is greatly appreciated and we look forward to taking the league to new heights moving forward,” Shapiro said.