The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the midwestern and the southeastern United States. The American Association operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball and is not affiliated with either organization.

The American Association exists so that professional baseball players who are not signed by a Major or Minor League organization could have another chance at playing at a higher level. Although the level of American Association play can be categorized as between A and AA, players in independent baseball are usually not scouted heavily by Major League teams. Many Major League alumni have called American Association teams home in an effort get back to the Majors. The league also caters to players who are not quite talented enough to play at a higher level.

The American Association was founded in October 2005 by four former Northern League teams; these teams were joined by five teams from the Central Baseball League and by an expansion team in St. Joseph, Missouri. The league began play in 2006, with a 96-game schedule. The Fort Worth Cats defeated the St. Paul Saints 3 games to 2, to win the first league championship. The same two teams met for the 2007 title, with the exact same result. In 2008, the Sioux Falls Canaries won the league championship series 3 games to 1 over the Grand Prairie AirHogs.

The league's first All-Star game was played in El Paso, Texas on July 18, 2006, which pit a team of American Association All-Stars against a team from the Can-Am League. The American Association won 5-3. The 2007 All-Star Game (played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and the 2008 All-Star Game (played in St. Paul, Minnesota) featured teams of North Division All-Stars against teams of South Division All-Stars.

Miles Wolff is the commissioner of the American Association.

Current franchises

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
Division	Team	Founded	City	Stadium	Capacity
North	Lincoln Saltdogs	1996	Lincoln, Nebraska	Haymarket Park	8,000
	Sioux City Explorers	1993	Sioux City, Iowa	Lewis and Clark Park	3,631
	Sioux Falls Canaries	1993	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Sioux Falls Stadium	4,500
	St. Paul Saints	1993	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Midway Stadium	6,069
	Wichita Wingnuts	2007	Wichita, Kansas	Lawrence-Dumont Stadium	6,400
Division	Team	Founded	City	Stadium	Capacity
South	El Paso Diablos	2005	El Paso, Texas	Cohen Stadium	9,725
	Fort Worth Cats	2001	Fort Worth, Texas	LaGrave Field	4,100
	Grand Prairie AirHogs	2007	Grand Prairie, Texas	QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie1	5,445
	Pensacola Pelicans	2002	Pensacola, Florida	Pelican Park	3,000
	Shreveport-Bossier Captains	2003	Shreveport, Louisiana	Fair Grounds Field	6,400

¹ Hosting 2009 American Association All-Star Game

League Champions

2006- Fort Worth Cats

2007- Fort Worth Cats

2008- Sioux Falls Canaries

2009 - Lincoln Saltdogs

2009 All-Star Game

The Grand Prairie AirHogs hosted the 2009 American Association All-Star Game at their home field, Quik Trip Park, on July 21,2009, where the North Division All-Stars defeated the South Division All-Stars 6-2.

North Division All-Star Starters

(Manager: Steve Shirley, Sioux Falls Canaries)

1B: Phil Hawke, Lincoln Saltdogs

2B: Joe Anthonsen, Sioux Falls Canaries

SS: Josh Horn, Wichita Wingnuts

3B: Trevor Lawhorn, Sioux Falls Canaries

C: Joe Muich, Wichita Wingnuts

DH: Kelly Hunt, Wichita Wingnuts

OF: Josh Burrus, Lincoln Saltdogs

OF: Cory Harris, Sioux Falls Canaries

OF: Greg Porter, Wichita Wingnuts

South Division All-Star Starters

(Manager: Pete Incaviglia, Grand Prairie AirHogs)

1B: John Allen, Fort Worth Cats

2B: Antoin Gray, Pensacola Pelicans

SS: Cameron Blair, Fort Worth Cats

3B: Cesar Nicolas, Grand Prairie AirHogs

C: Kelley Gulledge, Fort Worth Cats

DH: Pat O’Sullivan, Fort Worth Cats

OF: Kennard Bibbs, El Paso Diablos

OF: Brian Fryer, Fort Worth Cats

OF: Aaron Garza, Grand Prairie AirHogs

Former Teams

• Coastal Bend Aviators-- one of two teams which folded after the 2007 season
• St. Joe Blacksnakes-- one of two teams which folded after the 2007 season

External links

• American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
• aabfan.com - American Association Baseball Fan's Guide