MLB Draft League

MLB Draft League
ClassificationCollegiate summer (partial)
Independent (partial)
SportBaseball
Founded2021
DirectorSean Campbell[1]
No. of teams6
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Williamsport Crosscutters (2024)
Most titlesWest Virginia Black Bears (2)
Official websitemlbdraftleague.com

The MLB Draft League is a baseball league that began play in 2021.[2] Created by Major League Baseball (MLB) and Prep Baseball Report (PBR), the league operates a split-season format of 80 games with a hybrid amateur–professional structure: for the first half of the season, the league operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league to serve as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each July's MLB draft;[2] after a break for the draft, play resumes for the season's remaining games with paid professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility.[3]

The league's six teams were formerly members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League, Eastern League, and Carolina League before MLB's reorganization of the minors for 2021.[4][5] In 2021, each team in the league played a 68-game regular season, with an All-Star Break taking place around the MLB draft.[6] The season was expanded to 80 games per team beginning in 2022.[7]

In 2024, MLB announced that the league would be expanded by two teams in the near future and that it would extend its support for the league through 2030.[8]

Current teams

Team City Stadium Capacity
Frederick Keys Frederick, Maryland Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium 5,400
Mahoning Valley Scrappers Niles, Ohio Eastwood Field 6,000
State College Spikes University Park, Pennsylvania Medlar Field at Lubrano Park 5,570
Trenton Thunder Trenton, New Jersey Trenton Thunder Ballpark 6,440
West Virginia Black Bears Granville, West Virginia Monongalia County Ballpark 3,500
Williamsport Crosscutters Williamsport, Pennsylvania Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field 2,366
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
100km
62miles
Crosscutters
Black Bears
Thunder
Spikes
Scrappers
.
Keys
  • Current Team Locations

Champions

Team # of Championships Year(s)
West Virginia Black Bears 2 2022, 2023
Trenton Thunder 1 2021
Williamsport Crosscutters 1 2024

References

  1. ^ "Sean Campbell taking over as MLB Draft League Executive Director". MLBDraftLeague.com. MLB Draft League. May 29, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Reichard, Kevin (November 30, 2020). "Kerrick Jackson is New MLB Draft League President". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "What is the MLB Draft League". MLBDraftLeague.com. MLB Draft League. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Mahoning Valley Scrappers Retain Affiliation With Major League Baseball in New MLB Draft League". Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Minor League Baseball. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Cooper, J.J. (December 9, 2020). "Frederick Becomes Sixth Team To Join MLB Draft League". Baseball America. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "MLB to Launch League for Draft Prospects". Major League Baseball. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "Crosscutters 2022 Schedule to Feature More Games and New Start Times". OurSports Central (Press release). November 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "MLB Extends Commitment to Draft League Through 2030 Season" (Press release). Major League Baseball. May 2, 2024.
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