Independent baseball leagues are professional baseball organizations located in the United States and Canada. They are not operated in conjunction with either a Major League Baseball team or an affiliated minor league team. Being independent allows teams to be located close to major-league teams without their consent. They have been around for many years and were once known as "outlaw leagues" due to their position outside the rules of affiliated minor league baseball.

The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League. The Atlantic League has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including José Canseco, Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Canseco, Rubén Sierra, Carlos Baerga, and John Rocker. The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham, J. D. Drew, and Darryl Strawberry.

José Canseco Capas, Jr. (born July 2, 1964), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder, and designated hitter who is currently playing for the Worcester Tornadoes. He last played for the AAA Quintana Roo Tigres of the Mexican Baseball League, however he was banned from the Mexican League in 2012 for refusing to submit to a drug test and admitting to taking testosterone. He played for the Oakland Athletics (1985–1992, 1997) Texas Rangers (1992–1994), Boston Red Sox (1995–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1998), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2000), New York Yankees (2000) and Chicago White Sox (2001). During his career, Canseco was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, American League (AL) Rookie of the Year, and AL Most Valuable Player.

Canseco has admitted using performance enhancing drugs during his playing career, and wrote a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, in which he claimed that the vast majority of MLB players use steroids.

Walter Wayne Backman (born September 22, 1959) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is best known for his time with the New York Mets from 1980-1988 and was a member of their 1986 World Series-winning team. Backman currently is the Manager for the Buffalo Bisons, the New York Mets AAA minor league Team.

Backman was the Mets' first round pick in the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft (sixteenth overall). He was assigned to the New York-Penn League's Little Falls Mets upon signing, and batted .325 with six home runs in his first professional season. After batting .293 for the triple A Tidewater Tides in 1980, Backman received a September call up to the Mets. Making his major league debut starting at second base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 2, Backman got a single in his first at-bat, driving in Claudell Washington for his first major league run batted in.

After battling for three seasons to earn a starting job, Backman finally emerged as the Mets' starting second baseman in 1984. He batted .280, and finished second on the club to Mookie Wilson (46) with 32 stolen bases.