Atlantic League celebrates 10 years of Rick White’s leadership

On February 4, 2014, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball announced that Rick White would join the league at President. Over his 10 years of leadership, the ALPB has grown from six teams to 10, while continuing to serve professional baseball as a way for both aspiring Major League players to achieve their dream, and for those who have already reached the Majors, to return. The Atlantic League is the highest level of professional baseball outside of MLB.

Here are a few of Rick White’s accomplishments during his 10-year tenureas Atlantic League President.

• Made the Atlantic League the first Professional Partner League with Major League Baseball
• Helped the Atlantic League become the first professional baseball league to produce its own baseball (Drake)
• Pioneered rules initiatives that MLB has instituted in recent years including:
  • No-pitch intentional walk
  • Prohibition on infield defensive shifts
  • Starting extra innings with a runner on second base
  • Three-batter minimum for relief pitchers
  • The use of 18” bases
• Agreed to experimental rules still in development
  • Designated pinch-runner
  • Automated Ball-Strike System
• Pioneered pace of play initiatives that have helped speed up the game
• Introduction of items to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
• Grew the league from six teams in 2014 to 10 teams today
• Helped usher in new clubs in Charleston, W.Va., Lexington, Ky., High Point, N.C., Gastonia, N.C., Staten Island, N.Y., and Hagerstown and Frederick, Md.
• Celebrated the 25^th Anniversary of the Atlantic League in 2023