The Frontier League of Professional Baseball, a Partner League of Major League Baseball, has announced that the 33rd Annual Tryout Camp and Draft will take place on Monday, April 20 and Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The event will be hosted at ForeFront Field, the home of the Lake Erie Crushers, in Avon, OH.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2026 TRYOUT CAMP AND DRAFT

Along with managers from all 18 Frontier League clubs, scouts from several MLB teams and other independent leagues will also be present.

"The Crushers host more than 200 events a year at ForeFront Field, but this one is particularly special because it acts as a gateway for young ballplayers to play professional baseball," said Crushers Team President Vic Gregovits. "We are proud and honored to host the 2026 Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft. Every story needs a beginning, and we look forward to being on the first page of many ballplayers' stories."

Tryout activities will begin at 9:00 a.m. on April 20 and will include fielding, throwing and baserunning drills for all position players; all position players will also participate in batting practice. Pitchers will throw bullpens in front of team and league evaluators and scouts. The field managers will then post which players are to be invited back for Tuesday's simulated intrasquad game. Following the game, there will be a 30-minute break to allow each team to prepare for the draft.

“With the Tryout Camp and Draft leading directly to our spring trainings, managers use this event to fill out their rosters and provide competition for the regular season team,” said Frontier League Commissioner Steve Tahsler. “The number of players who make impacts on playoff teams each season demonstrates our highly teams value this event each year.”

Any interested players can sign up for the 33rd Annual Tryout Camp and Draft using the following link: https://frontierleaguetryouts.eventbrite.com/.

Of the 49 players taken in the 2025 draft, 21 saw regular season action in the Frontier League and four more played in other MLB Partner Leagues. Players originally signed through the Tryout Camp and Draft have been acquired by Major League Baseball organizations in each of the past four seasons.

ForeFront Field is located off I-90 at exit 151/Colorado Ave in Avon, OH, approximately 30-45 minutes from Cleveland and 25 minutes from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

The 2026 Frontier League Draft will be streamed live on social media. Further details will be released closer to the date of the draft.

The Frontier League is proud to have extended our agreement with the California Winter League and to make the CWL the Official Winter League of the Frontier League for a twelfth season in 2026.  Frontier League managers and coaches will be instructors in the California Winter League and sign players each season to spring training contracts. Frontier League staff is onsite for the duration of the CWL to facilitate player signings.

Over the past ten years, an average of over 40 players each CWL season sign Frontier League contracts with dozens more signing with other independent leagues. Several of these players have advanced to affiliated baseball, including Mickey Jannis who made his MLB debut in 2021; Luke Barker, who was a Triple-A All-Star in 2021 and made his Major League debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022; Nick Schulz, who saw MLB spring training action in 2018 and won a Midwest League Player of the Month award; and Kyle Johnson, who appeared in MLB spring training with the Chicago Cubs than six weeks after playing in the 2022 CWL.

For more information on or to register for the California Winter League, please visit www.californiawinterleague.com

Information on individual team tryouts will be listed below as the events are scheduled.  Click here for a directory of clubs and their contact information.