The Modern Prometheus: Stitching Together the WPBL
In this article, former college English professor, athlete agent, and sports attorney, Lee Walpole Lassiter, draws parallels between the art of assembling a winning baseball team and the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Lee’s blog highlights the importance of key roles like the catcher, who acts as the team's eyes and central nervous system, and emphasizes the hidden value of versatile players such as Andreanne Leblanc.
As the inaugural WPBL draft moves into its critical late rounds, the piece warns that simply collecting talent isn't enough—team culture and identity are essential to avoid creating a dysfunctional group. The closing metaphor urges general managers to nurture their creation, suggesting that with the right approach, they could make history and build something extraordinary.
THE SERPENT'S STRATEGY: BREAKING DOWN THE INAUGURAL WPBL DRAFT ORDER
The WPBL’s inaugural draft marks a defining moment in the launch of professional women’s baseball. With six rounds and 20 picks per round, the 120-player structure forms the first-ever rosters for franchises in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston. The league uses a snake draft format—reversing order within each turn—to enforce competitive balance and force strategic, paired decision-making from front offices.
Though being drafted grants negotiation rights rather than guaranteed contracts, it secures each athlete a chance to compete during rigorous spring training and evaluation periods. This historic draft celebrates years of player development and sets the stage for a fully realized professional ecosystem in women’s baseball. Fans can watch history unfold during Thursday night’s official live stream.
Age Is Just the Count: How Micaela Minner and Homa Schweers Are Proving Experience Belongs in the WPBL (and Why that Makes Me Cheer)
In her latest piece, Lee celebrates the return of professional women’s baseball — and two athletes who refuse to let age define their game. As the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) prepares for its 2026 debut, forty-year-old standouts Micaela Minner and Homa Schweers are rewriting the rules on what it means to be “in your prime.”
From Minner’s powerhouse days at the University of Missouri and her career mentoring hundreds of young athletes, to Schweers’ decades of grassroots leadership and endurance, both women embody what the WPBL stands for: opportunity that doesn’t expire.
Lee draws a parallel to her own “second inning” as a sports attorney and agent, cheering for a league that values persistence as much as potential. Her message is clear — in the WPBL and in life, experience is the real MVP.
Breaking New Ground: The Women’s Pro Baseball League Arrives
After more than seventy years without a professional women’s baseball league, the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is set to debut in 2026, signaling a major cultural and sporting milestone. Founded by Dr. Justine Siegal and Keith Stein, the WPBL will launch with six Northeastern teams, a seven-week season, and an innovative format designed for speed, sustainability, and visibility. The league’s first open tryouts in Washington, D.C. drew over 600 athletes from 10 countries, underscoring the global hunger for opportunity in women’s baseball. With production and media support from Fremantle, and an advisory board that includes icons like Ayami Sato, Cito Gaston, and Maybelle Blair, the WPBL blends authenticity with star power—highlighted by Mo’ne Davis, the Little League legend now chasing a pro dream. While challenges remain—financial sustainability, fan awareness, and the absence of a collegiate pipeline—the league’s independence, leadership, and timing place it at the forefront of a new era for women in sports.