Correspondent photo / David Dermer Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ Josue Malave, right, gets a fist bump from Chris Domke during pregame introductions before a game against the State College Spikes in Niles on June 2.

NILES — In 1999, Dennis Malave played for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers during their inaugural season in Niles. Malave also played for the Scrappers in 2000 and 2001. He played a total of 92 games in a Scrappers uniform during the three-year stretch.

Malave eventually became the Scrappers hitting coach in 2010. He was a coach with the Akron RubberDucks for several years, then in 2019, he became the first former Scrapper player to serve as the team’s manager.

Now, Malave’s son Josue Malave has added to the legacy by becoming a second-generation Scrapper – the first in franchise history.

“It’s neat, it’s kind of surreal to be here as a player considering my dad’s connection with the team,” Josue said. “It’s a unique situation, because I spent a lot of time here seven years ago.”

Ironically, Josue celebrated his 19th birthday on June 2. That night, he made his Scrappers debut in what was the team’s season-opener against State College. Dennis was 19-years-old when he first joined the Scrappers in ’99.

Though he was born in Cleveland, Josue grew up in Goodyear, Ariz., which is where his dad became a fixture in the Guardians organization. Today Dennis serves as the outfield and base running coordinator for the Guardians.

Josue spent the summer of 2019 in Niles while his dad managed the Scrappers. Josue spent his days at Eastwood Field, and even traveled with the team when they played on the road. At the time he was 12-years-old.

“I was all over the place here,” Josue said. “Shagging fly balls, fielding grounders in warmups, doing a little hitting with the coaches. We’d play wiffle ball in the cages. I’d be in the dugout during games, and the traveling was a great experience.

“That summer was a great learning experience. It had a big impact. It introduced me to what baseball at the next level is like.”

Josue graduated from Millennium High School (Goodyear) in 2025. As a senior he batted .321 with 18 RBIs in 25 games. This past spring during his freshman season at Glendale Junior College, Josue batted .275. He led the team in triples (3) and home runs (5) and was second on the team in runs (43), RBIs (33) and stolen bases (19).

Josue began his high school career as an outfielder. Like his father, he played left field. However, he has since converted to an infielder.

“I grew up watching Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor, and that kind of made me want to play on the infield,” Josue said. “It was a challenge at first, but now playing shortstop or second base feels like my natural position.”

In fact, Josue said that the game in general was “quite a challenge” until recently. Josue described himself as “a late bloomer” who never garnered much interest from college scouts until his senior year of high school.

“There was always a glimpse of talent, but I never had the size and I never had anything about my game that stood out,” Josue said. “It wasn’t until right before the end of my high school career that I started hitting some out, I started playing solid defense and that caught some eyes.

“I’ve been lucky. I have had a close and inside look at the game that few others have. But at the same time, my dad never pressured me into playing, he never pushed me toward the game. It was always, ‘Do whatever you want, you have our complete support’ from both of my parents.”

Entering Tuesday, Josue played in four games with the Scrappers. He was batting .389 (7-for-18) with two RBI and three stolen bases.

TUESDAY’S GAME

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers entered Tuesday’s game against Williamsport averaging 8.5 runs per game through the first week of the season.

However, at 7 17 Credit Union Field, the Scrappers’ bats were silenced in a 9-0 loss to the Crosscutters.

The Crosscutters (2-4) broke through in the third inning. With one out and a runner on second, Maddix Dalena belted a home run over the left-field wall, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Williamsport doubled its lead in the fifth. With two out, a walk, a single and a wild pitch put runners at second and third, and both runners scored on a Chris Stanfield double, giving the Crosscutters a 4-0 advantage.

One inning later, Williamsport posted its third two-run inning of the game. This time, a double steal put a pair of runners in scoring position. The first runner scored on a George Malone groundout. That was followed by a Kyle Schupmann RBI single.

The Crosscutters tacked on a run in the seventh on a Tristan Strickland sacrifice fly. They put together their fourth two-run inning of the game in the ninth on an Addison Smith two RBI double.

The Scrappers (4-3) mustered just four hits, including doubles by Josue Malave, Carlos Sanchez and Edison Polanco.

Four Williamsport pitchers combined to record 15 strikeouts.

The Scrappers and Crosscutters continue their three-game series today with a special start time. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.