Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were a Minor League Baseball team that played as members of the New York–Penn League. The club was the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians from its inception until Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors following the 2020 season.
In 2004, the Scrappers won the New York–Penn League championship.
Season-by-season results
Post-season
- 1999: Defeated Batavia Muckdogs, 2 games to 0; lost to Hudson Valley Renegades, 2 games to 1, in NYPL Championship Series
- 2000: Defeated Batavia Muckdogs, 2 games to 0; lost to Staten Island Yankees, 2 games to 1, in NYPL Championship Series
- 2004: Defeated Auburn Doubledays, 2 games to 0; defeated Tri-City ValleyCats, 2 games to 0, in NYPL Championship Series
- 2009: Defeated Brooklyn Cyclones, 2 games to 0; lost to Staten Island Yankees, 2 games to 1 in NYPL Championship Series
- 2017: Lost to Vermont Lake Monsters, 2 games to 0
- 2018: Lost to Tri-City ValleyCats, 2 games to 0
Past and Present Affiliations
From 1999-2020, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians as their Class A Short Season team.In 2021, as a part of a series of cuts to many Minor League teams, they were terminated from Minor League Baseball. They were then assigned to the MLB Draft League where they continue to play to this day.
Broadcasters and radio
Youngstown, Ohio station WBBW originally broadcast Scrappers games from 1999 to 2001 with John Batcho calling the games.Youngstown station WNIO broadcast Scrappers games from 2002 to 2009. Mike Pilch called their games in 2006 and 2007 while the broadcasts right were with Clear Channel.
Warren, Ohio station WHTX broadcast Scrappers games from 2010 to 2012.
Warren station WHKZ broadcast Scrappers games in 2013.
Austin Pollack was named the play-by-play broadcaster in January 2015. Pollack will broadcast all 76 games for the Scrappers.
As of the 2015 season, the Scrappers' flagship radio station was again WBBW. All of the games were carried live.
Scrappers games from 2021-2022 were broadcast by Your Sports Network digitally on YSNLive.com. Ron Potesta covered play by play duties in 2021 before Richie Juliano assumed the responsibilities of the "Voice of the Scrappers" in 2022.
Former Channel 27 news anchor Robb Schmidt, is the current P.A. announcer. Schmidt took over the position from John Brown, who was a communications student at Youngstown State University and served as announcer in 2009 and 2010. Brown replaced current Cleveland Indians announcer Ryan Pritt.