Even though many today will quibble over whether baseball can legitimately cling to its legacy reputation as the Great American Pastime, one thing is for certain. In the Mahoning Valley, baseball with bite from the Mahoning Valley Scrappers remains the undisputed summer spectator pastime with 96,856 strong reasons why.
That figure represents total attendance at Eastwood Field in Niles for Scrappers’ home games in the 2024 season. It represents a 20% increase over 2023’s total of 81,342 there and signals that fan enthusiasm for our region’s proud Major League Baseball Draft League team just keeps on growing.
We’re confident that growth will continue as the Scrappers open their 27th season as an organization and fifth season as a member of the MLB Draft League in Niles at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against the State College Spikes.
And why shouldn’t it? The Scrappers, sponsored primarily once again this year by Foxconn, have grown up to become the pre-eminent summer sports and entertainment institution in the Youngstown-Warren region. The team has forged strong and enduring bonds with Major League Baseball, the Valley community and a passionate and devoted fan base.
They have more than proved their endurance. After all, a string of lower-tier professional sports teams has come and gone in our community over the past quarter century. Most of them lacked sufficient fan support and organization to keep them on the ice, on the field or on the court.
Over those same years, however, the franchise has enjoyed an incredibly successful and sustained run at Eastwood Field, owned by the Cafaro Company, which we salute for approving a lease with the Scrappers through at least 2033.
From a strictly business perspective, the team has proved itself an asset for MLB in its primary mission of player development. The squad has fielded more than 100 savvy players over the years who have ended up on Major League rosters.
From a community-building perspective, the Scrappers drive home a tangible spirit of regionalism and pride in our five-county area, a refreshing change from the parochial and negative attitudes that too often hinder progress on economic, community development and other playing fields.
And while fans support the team, the Scrappers support their home base. The team wields a significant economic impact on the Valley through its staff and scores of game-night workers. The team supports hundreds of community groups through mascot Scrappy appearances, donations and fundraising programs.
The Scrappers also provide families and individuals with excitement at affordable prices, close to home and in one of the most attractive ballparks in the draft league. Promotional highlights this season include eight post-game fireworks shows, seven giveaways, 10 specialty jersey nights, seven Buck Nights and a drone show.
Many of those popular and oftentimes fun-filled and zany promotional nights double as major fundraisers for deserving Valley charities and nonprofits. For example, proceeds from Wednesday night’s Jimmy Buffett-themed “Margaritaville Night,” will benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Mahoning Valley.
Additional beneficiaries of the Scrappers’ generosity this summer will include the Rich Center for Autism, Junior Achievement, Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, Cadence Care Network, United Way, Flying High and others.
Team Manager Quinton McCracken returns for a second season after a highly successful inaugural season. In 2024, the team finished second overall in the league in runs (404), home runs (35), stolen bases (179), team batting average (.258), ERA (4.61) and saves (16). Many rightly feel confident that a league championship could well be in the cards for the squad this summer.
McCracken, too, is pumped: “The Scrappers organization and the Mahoning Valley community hold a special place in our hearts as they truly welcomed and embraced us as family last summer. We thoroughly enjoyed the scenic nature of this part of NE Ohio and the deep passion it has for baseball.”
We’re counting on 100,000-plus fans to let that passion flow freely over the next three months at Eastwood Field. In so doing, they’ll help make this 27th season of scrappy baseball in the Valley a deep and smashing hit.
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