Welcome to Protoball
Supporting Researchers and Writers on Baseball’s Origins.
Resources
The Chronologies covers the evolution of ballgames from Ancient Times to 1870, when baseball became officially established.
The Games Tabulation is a record of ballgames in various parts of the US from 1845 to 1860 compiled through extensive research by Craig Waff.
Our Pre-pro Baseball section is a database of clubs, games, fields, and players that had their time before 1870. We have interactive maps to help you visualize the spread of baseball over time.
The Glossary of Games provides a description of 330 ballgames that sprung up in our collective ball-playing culture.
The Bibliography is a list of publications you can use to explore the origins of ball games and baseball in depth. Some of these publications are available online.
A listing of fellow origins enthusiasts and contributors can be found in our Diggers section. Read the latest new about them in the Next Destin'd Post. Some have contributed Essays on the baseball’ origins.