Where do they rank?

Early this season, I heard a comment made by one of the Wild Things' coaches about his days in the American Association, which is another independent league. It had something to do with the coach being on a team that had a player who eventually made it to the major leagues but during his time in the American Association was traded to "a lower-tier team" in the league.

I had never heard the term "lower-tier team" used in Frontier League circles, but that comment got me thinking. Which Frontier League teams would be considered "upper-tier" based on their on-field performance, ballpark,  attendance and all the other things that go with making a team desirable for somebody considering playing in the league.

Here's one guy's current rankings:

1. Schaumburg  – Won league championship each of the last two years. Led the league in attendance in 2014. Was named organization of year in 2013. Has the best all-time winning percentage of any current team. Has been in the league only four years but has skyrocketed to the top.

2. Southern Illinois – Amazingly consistent team under Mike Pinto, who is the only manager the Miners have ever had (nine years, which scores points for consistency). Won a championship in 2012 and has made the playoffs five times with two division championships. Has NEVER finished with a losing  record. Three times Southern Illinois was named organization of the year.

3. Traverse City – Led the league in total attendance five times and has made the postseason three of the last five years with one division title. Only thing missing for the Beach Bums is a league championship. One drawback is it’s located more than 300 miles from the nearest FL team.

4. Gateway – Though the Grizzlies are going through a rough season – the tailspin actually started in the second half of last year – Gateway has many positives: great stadium, has finished int eh top 3 in attendance every season since 2003, has hit more home runs than any team in league history, was named the organization of year in 2014. Downside is the Grizzlies appear on course to miss to the playoffs for the third year in a row. Only championship was in 2003.

5. River City – These rankings are based primarily on the on-field product, which is where the Rascals do their best work. However, if it were only wins and losses that were considered, River City would rank higher than arch-rival Gateway. The Rascals won the league title in 2010 and have four playoff appearances in last six years. That includes three division titles. River City used to be at the top of the attendance list in the team’s early days and was the organization of the year in 1999 and 2000 but has not been selected since.

6. Lake Erie – Crushers are scuffling this year but that has rarely happened in Lake Erie’s seven years in the league. The Crushers have made the playoffs four times and won the league title in 2009, their inaugural season. Downside is attendance has decreased in each of the last four years and this year’s team currently sits in last place in the East Division.

7. Windy City – The ThunderBolts won back-to-back league championships in 2007 and ’08. They had a run of four consecutive playoff years (2007-10). Ballpark is interesting with an upper deck over half of the lower bowl, but based on the last time I was there it rated in the bottom half of the league. Though I have no hard data to support this, it seems like the ThunderBolts have had more players sold to affiliated ball than any other team in the league. Usually travels fewer miles than any other league team during a season because of its central location.

8. Evansville – Stable franchise playing its 21st Frontier League season. The Otters won their lone championship in 2006. Ended a string of seven consecutive years without a playoff berth last year but lost a wild-card at home to Washington. Last playoff win was in 2006. Team seems headed back to the playoffs for the second year in a row under manager Andy McCauley and has bettered its record each fo the last four years. The home ballpark, Bosse Field, is 100 years old. I’m not sure if that’s a positive or a negative.

9. Joliet – Slammers can boast a league championship in 2011, which is why they rank this high. That was the team's first season in the league. Joliet has a nice ballpark in Silver Cross Field and the location of the city means the Slammers don't do as much traveling as teams like Washington and Traverse City. Has had an ownership change since joining the Frontier League.

10. Washington – The Wild Things were a top-half-of-the-league franchise for many years but have been a steady downward spiral. One exception is last year’s playoff appearance, the team’s first since 2007. Even with the postseason trip, Washington hasn’t finished higher than third in its division since 2007. The Wild Things were named Organization of the Year in 2002 and 2005, back in the days when they had as many as 34 sellouts in a season. Attendance has fallen off dramatically as has the record. Coaching instability factors in to this ranking. The Wild Things have had seven managers in nine years and haven’t had a hitting coach make it through an entire season since 2013. Two positives are last year’s team had five players sold to affiliated teams and one former pitcher (Vidal Nuno) is in the major leagues.

11. Normal – Would rate higher is it wasn’t for one thing: The CornBelters have never made the playoffs. That should change this season, the team’s sixth in the league, which will result in a rise in these rankings. Normal has never been named the organization of the year nor had an executive receive league honors.

12. Florence – I’ve tried to find reasons to rank the Freedom higher but I just can’t find many. Though the franchise has improved greatly over the years from its early days when it was a mess under previous ownership, the Freedom have made the playoffs one time in their first 12 seasons. Stadium is in a great location but the visiting club hotel has been called the worst in the league by many people.

13. Rockford –This was once a good franchise. That was when it was nicknamed the Riverhawks and produced a league championship in 2004. As the Aviators, Rockford has been a sinking ship. Attendance has been on a steady decline, to the point the Aviators are averaging only 794 fans per game this season. The future seems shaky as scuttlebutt around the league has Rockford likely playing its last season on the Frontier. Rockford has never been named organization of the year or had an executive receive league honors. Though in the thick of the playoff race this year, Rockford’s last playoff appearance in the Frontier League was 2007.