River City Rascals manager Steve Brook gathered his players before they trudged onto the team bus in Washington, Pa., in June 2017. The St. Louis area-based independent league team was preparing to drive to Chicago for a second-consecutive road series.
After debriefing the game, Brook made a surprise announcement. The Cardinals had bought the contract of pitcher Austin Warner from the Rascals, who play in the Frontier League. Warner was going from independent league baseball to the minors.
“It was always kind of in the back of my head, hoping it would happen,” Warner said. “But the further I got in (independent league) ball, the less I expected it, just because I’m getting getting older.