Global Rosters Spread Appeal of New Women’s Pro Baseball League

The Women’s Professional Baseball League will play every game of its inaugural season in Springfield, Illinois, but the historic startup already carries an international imprint that should attract a diverse fan base.Five countries — Japan, South Korea, Canada, the Dominican Republic and the United States — were represented among the first nine picks of its recent inaugural draft. Players from another five countries — Mexico, Curacao, Australia, France and England — were selected among the 120 drafted with ages ranging from 18 to 37.The WPBL begins play August 1 with four teams representing Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. There will be roughly 25-30 players per club with each team enforcing a $95,000 salary cap.Widely recognized as the first American pro women’s baseball league since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, the WPBL actually follows the professional Ladies League Baseball which began in 1997 with teams in San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Phoenix and Los Angeles. It ceased operation 12 games into its second season.WPBL co-founder Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach on a MLB team, believes her version has staying power. Part of maintaining stability was the decision to scale down from six initial teams to four. “Each of these cities are storied sports cities,” Ms. Siegal said. “We can’t wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country.”Each team will play roughly 40 games then the post-season at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield after the Women’s Baseball World Cup concludes on July 26.The draft pool came from 600 women who attended tryouts in August at National Park in Washington. The inaugural class includes trail blazing women who have played on men’s college and pro teams and international women’s teams. There’s even a former Little League phenom in the group.Mo’ne Davis captivated the nation at age 13 when she became the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series. Ms. Davis, now 24, was selected with the 10th pick overall by Los Angeles. She has played primarily softball and basketball since appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline: “The Girl Who Changed Baseball History.”“It’s really cool to be playing in this league with other women,” Ms. Davis said, “especially the women whose names got called and whose names will get called. “I’m just happy to be alongside them and to help push this league and the game forward.”San Francisco selected pitcher and outfielder Kelsie Whitmore with the first overall choice. The 27-year-old is a Savannah Bananas alum and has played on pro men’s teams in her career. She pitched in the MLB partner Atlantic League in 2022 and the Pioneer League in 2024.Los Angeles used the second overall choice to take Ayami Sato, a 35-year-old pitcher from Japan. Ms. Sato is a six-time medalist for Japan in the Women’s World Cup. New York added University of Washington softball infielder Kylee Lahners with the third choice and Boston took South Korean catcher Hyeonah Kim at No.4The WPBL partnered with Fremantle, a production, broadcast and distribution company, which plans to broadcast games on a national network. Given the global makeup of the draft–20 players are from Canada–the fan base may be even broader.“I truly didn’t know if this moment would come, to be able to have a women’s professional baseball league while I’m still in the prime of my career,” Ms. Whitmore said. “It’s just a cool opportunity that’s not just for me, but for a lot of young girls. They now have a platform to look up to and to navigate through.”Organizers of WPBL are hoping to ride the rising tide of women’s sports that has seen historic ratings. The recent WNBA Finals–without Caitlin Clark–had its highest ratings in 25 years and the Women’s College World Series set a ratings record. The Professional Women’s Hockey League is expanding from six to eight teams next year. Women’s soccer is also drawing record numbers.“Baseball is a game for everyone,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “I am delighted that girls will soon be able to watch the Women’s Pro Baseball League and aspire to play and participate in the future.”For many players, the biggest relief is competing on a women’s platform. Ms. Whitmore said competing with men was “stressful,” constantly having to prove her worth. “It takes you out of who you are as a player,” she said. “I feel like there’s so much peace now going into this women’s league because I’m finally done trying to impress or prove or compare myself. I just be myself.”

Global Rosters Spread Appeal of New Women’s Pro Baseball League

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