Shagging (baseball) since it drains their energy and actually increases the risk of stiffness in the lower back and leg as a result of prolonged standing. In response to these claims, several teams have exempted pitchers from having to shag fly balls. In the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, teams pay groups specifically assembled to shag fly balls in place of pitchers, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim recruit local firefighters in Arizona to do the job when the team plays in the Cactus League during spring training. Although shagging baseballs is not considered to be dangerous, several freak injuries have
Independent baseball league both teams have frequently worked together to promote baseball in the Upper Midwest. A new independent league, the Southwest League of Professional Baseball, was announced in February 2016 to begin play in 2018. The league will initially consist of six teams in Texas and Missouri. In mid 2017, they announced that they were postponing the league's open until 2019. Independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization located in the United States and Canada that is not operated in conjunction with either a Major League Baseball team or an affiliated Minor League Baseball team. Being independent