Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is SAABL?  SAABL stands for the San Antonio Adult Baseball League.  We are a new adult baseball league in San Antonio, under new leadership.  We began play in our first, inaugural season in March 2023.

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Why did we establish a new league?  San Antonio is a very large city with an approximate population of 2.4 million.  Despite our size, there are low levels of participation in the few adult baseball leagues that exist in the city.  Some of these leagues have existed for more than 30 years and have failed to see any significant growth in participation, and at least one national affiliated league has experienced a decline in participation over the past 20 years.  There is considerable player & manager disappointment and frustration, which has led to some individuals walking away from the game of baseball altogether.  In cities across the US that are comparable to the size of San Antonio, there are 60 or more (in some cases 100) teams in their national affiliated leagues.  San Antonio has one national affiliated league that has existed for nearly 30 years, and that league had 16 total teams this past year.  It is clearly time for a change!  

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What separates SAABL from other leagues here in San Antonio?  First & foremost, we have entirely new leadership!  Our leadership has played in other leagues here in San Antonio for over 20 years and we are therefore familiar with not only the state of affairs for adult baseball leagues in our area but also understand what players and managers are looking for in a new league.  We are focused on providing a new & exciting brand of adult baseball for our city.  We are highly motivated, understand that it's the players & managers that are vital to our existence and the success of our organization, and this is at the center of everything we do now and in the future.  We are highly organized and run a league that is well-managed, responsible, competitive, fair and fun.  We play our games only on high-quality high school fields and have many extra features in our league that simply do not exist in others, including live announcers (who play the National Anthem before the start of each game, announce players for plate appearances and music during warm-ups) and official scorekeepers.  Our league is like no other experience in San Antonio, without a doubt!

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Who is the SAABL League President?  The SAABL League President is Travis Minard.  He can be contacted as follows:  email:  SAABL_baseball@outlook.com   or   mobile phone:  210-683-9741

 

Where are the games played?  For the 2023 inaugural season, the SAABL played our games at James Madison High School.  For the upcoming 2024 season, we will play our games at James Madison High School.  Based on the number of teams that join our league in 2024, we will add additional fields, as necessary.

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What days are games played on?  Games will be played primarily on Sundays.  Once schools are out for the summer, we may have access to the fields on Saturdays, and therefore games could be played on a Saturday or Sunday of a given weekend (but not both days in the same weekend).  We may also have opportunities to play some weekdays, under the lights, as an option.

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What are the start times for games?  Weekend games will have start times of 9:00 AM, 12:30 AM and 4:00 PM.  Any game that would be played during the week would have a start time of 7:00 PM.

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How long are the games?  SAABL games are either 9-innings or no new inning after 2:50 in length, whichever comes first.

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Do you have umpires?  Yes. All SAABL games have a 2-person umpire crew.  All umpires are nationally certified.  

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Does the SAABL have insurance?  Yes.  The SAABL has a general liability insurance policy with a minimum of $1,000,000 coverage.  This allows us to secure fields with high schools and other organizations and provides liability coverage only.  SAABL does not offer medical insurance.  That is an individual player responsibility.  

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When does the season start?  The first games for the 2024 season will begin in mid-March (exact date TBD).

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When does the season end?  The regular season schedule ends in late September.  Playoffs begin in early October and the final game, the League Championship, is played generally during the first week of October.  

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How many games in a season?  The SAABL has 20 regular season games.  At the mid-point of the season is an All-Star Game for each division.  The regular season games are followed by single-elimination playoffs. culminating in the division championships.  Players voted to the All-Star Game would experience an additional game.

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What divisions are available?  We intend to offer Open (18+) and a 30+ division.  However, this will largely be determined by the number of whole teams that join as well as the number of players who attend the Tryout.  New teams will undoubtedly be formed from those who attend the Tryout.  

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When is the Tryout?  Our Tryout is scheduled for mid-February (exact date TBD) at James Madison HS.  Tryouts will begin at 10 AM and based on the total number of players that register, we may have start times based on age groups.  

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Is there a cost for the Tryout?  There is a $10 per player fee to register for the Tryout.  

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How will the Tryout be conducted?  Outfielders will field fly balls and ground balls in CF and make throws to 3B.  Infielders will field ground balls at SS and make throws to 1B.  1B will field ground balls and make throws to 3B.  C's will make throws to 2B after receiving a pitch and throws to 1B & 3B after fielding a bunt.  Pitcher's will throw off the mound to catchers.  Batters will hit 10-15 pitches off live BP pitching.  During each of these sessions, managers from existing or newly formed teams will be in the 3B dugout evaluating players and making notes.  Immediately following the completion of the skills sessions, we will hold a draft where each team manager will select a player.  The draft selection process will continue until managers have completed their selections to satisfy their roster needs.  

 

What happens if I don't get selected at the draft?  There's a strong likelihood that you will be drafted.  However, should there be enough players remaining after team managers have made their selections to satisfy their roster needs, if there are enough players to form one or more additional teams, the League President will ask for volunteers for managers to establish and manage a new team or teams.  If there are players still that were not placed on a newly formed team, you will have the opportunity to sign up on the Undrafted Free Agent List.  This list is accessible to all managers and gives you the opportunity to be called in the future should a team need an additional player.  Teams do lose players to relocation and sometimes, unfortunately, injury.  

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Do I have to register for & attend the Tryout if I've been invited to play with a specific team?  No. The Tryout is only for those players that are new to the league and have not been extended an invitation to play on a given team by that team's manager.  If you have been invited by a team manager to join his/her team, you should not register for the Tryout and do not need to attend. 

 

How can I join SAABL if I missed the Tryout?  For players that could not make the Tryout or became aware of our league after it was conducted, you can sign up on the Prospective Player List.  This list is made available to all team managers and gives you the opportunity to be contacted by a manager who may need to add a player to his/her roster.  In this case, managers usually will conduct an individual tryout with you by having you attend a practice session for their team at an indoor facility or perhaps an outdoor practice at a field.  If you receive an invitation to join a team, you would register as a new player in SAABL at that time.

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What is the cost to join SAABL and play in the league?  The registration fee for a full season is approximately $400 per player.  This fee covers the local league costs and league liability insurance.  There are additional player costs associated with their team, including caps,jersey(s) and baseballs.  Of course, players are responsible for their own apparel (pants, belts, socks, cleats) and equipment (glove, helmet, bats, etc.).  

 

Does the total player fee cover the cost of umpires?  Yes, the total amount paid by each player includes payment for the two umpires at each game.  Teams do NOT pay umpires separately.  The league handles payment to the umpires.   

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Can I still join SAABL if the season has already started?  Yes, players can join a team in the league at any time (assuming you have been invited by the manager of that team).  In order to be eligible to participate in the playoffs, a player must have been added to a team's roster and paid in full before the established deadline.  

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Is there a reduced fee for joining SAABL after the season has begun?  Yes, any player that joins a team once the season has already begun will be charged a pro-rated fee based on the number of remaining games in the season.  This fee is calculated as $20 per game x the number of remaining regular season games on the team's schedule.  The fee will be paid directly to SAABL.

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Does it matter if I'm playing in another league too?  No, it does not matter to us at all.  If you are a player or team registered with and playing in the SAABL, we are thankful and appreciative that you want to play in our league.  Furthermore, if you want to play in another league, that is your choice and it makes no difference whatsoever.  You are free to play wherever you want to, from our perspective.  

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