Scrappers’ Future Secured, Named Founding Member of MLB Draft League

NILES, Ohio – The Mahoning Valley Scrappers will maintain their affiliation with Major League Baseball as they become a founding member of the new MLB Draft League in the 2021 season.

The new five-team league will focus on top college prospects who are eligible to be drafted each summer by MLB teams, “preserving high-level baseball in the Mahoning Valley for years to come,” the team said in a statement.

“This exciting new venture will allow Scrappers fans the opportunity to see the best current Major League prospects at Eastwood Field,” said Scrappers general manager Jordan Taylor in a statement. “We appreciate the opportunity to continue our affiliation with Major League Baseball.”

The Draft League is a partnership between MLB and Prep Baseball Report. Players will receive “unprecedented visibility to MLB club scouts” through both in-person observation and “state of the art scouting technology.” The league will also incorporate educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes.

Prep Baseball Report will provide staffing support, player and coach recruitment, on-field operations and administrative functions.

Plans call for a 68-game regular season, with an All-Star Break centered around the MLB draft. Currently, the league will also include the State College Spikes, West Virginia Black Bears, Williamsport Crosscutters and Trenton Thunder. The league is also discussions with a sixth team.

“We are thrilled to partner with Prep Baseball Report and the founding members of the MLB Draft League to create a one-of-a-kind league that will attract the nation’s top players who are eligible for each year’s MLB Draft and allow local fans to see top prospects and future big league stars in their hometowns,” said Morgan Sword, MLB’s vice president of baseball economics and operations. “This announcement continues MLB’s commitment to preserving and growing baseball in communities around the United States.”

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