YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers had been an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians for 20 years, but were among 42 minor league affiliates across the country on the MLB chopping block last year. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Scrappers will play a 68 game regular season schedule beginning in June

  • MLB Draft league rosters include some of the best prospects across the country

  • More than 100 former Scrappers have played Major League baseball including Indians players Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber

“We've lost a lot over the last few decades, and we always had the Scrappers that had been around. It was a consistent place for families to go and have some affordable entertainment. To think that we were going to move forward without the Scrappers was really heartbreaking for a lot of people,” says Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles. 

The news struck hard for die-hard fans, but management, as well as local and state leaders knew all along they weren't going to strike out.  

“Major League Baseball hearing from people and our political leaders and the community as a whole really helped turn the tide for us and find a solution that gives us the Scrappers tied to Major League Baseball for a long time,” says Scrappers General Manager Jordan Taylor. 

Taylor says rallies and the “Save Our Scrappers” campaign made a difference and showed the MLB an active and engaged fan base.

Ryan was a big part of the bipartisan fight to keep the team in town and playing at Eastwood Field.

“Can't say enough about our community. We don't win every battle we get into, but everyone knows we're going to scrap every step of the way to try to keep something that we have or get something that we want. And this is a great example of the community coming together,” says Ryan. 

The Scrappers are one of six teams that will play a 68-game schedule from June to mid-August.

The MLB Draft League rosters will include some of the best college prospects in the country.

“Each one of these teams is going to be loaded with potential draft prospects and many of those players will make it on to the big leagues. The big difference now is we may have a handful of Cleveland Indians draftees from a particular team. But then we also may have Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox,” says Taylor. 

Taylor says the Scrappers still hope to maintain a relationship with the Cleveland Indians.

Both he and Ryan are confident the Scrappers will be able to play a full 2021 season with fans. They agree its a win-win and the Scrappers presence will be a huge lift for local business as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 You can follow the Mahoning Valley Scrappers here: https://www.milb.com/mahoning-valley.