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The Mahoning Valley Scrappers concluded their 2026 season Tuesday with an 11-8 road win at West Virginia, bringing an end to a Jekyll and Hyde-type summer for the team.
At home, the Scrappers were competitive throughout the summer, finishing with a record of 24-15 when playing at 7 17 Credit Union Field.
Unfortunately, the Scrappers were never able to bring their home success with them on the road. The Scrappers' season-ending win at West Virginia was a rarity. The team won just seven of their 37 road games.
The result was an overall 31-45 record and a last place finish in the MLB Draft League standings. The Scrappers finished last in both the first-half and second-half standings.
Despite the disappointing overall finish, a number of players found themselves in the spotlight.
Five players who were part of the Scrappers first-half roster were selected in July's MLB Draft. They were: Nick Williams (10th round, 286th pick, Washington Nationals), Carlos Sanchez (10th round, 290th pick, Baltimore Orioles), Ethan Stade (18th round, 532nd pick, Atlanta Braves), Ryan Nelson (19th round, 572nd pick, Cincinnati Reds) and Luke Guth (19th round, 577th pick, Chicago Cubs).
Sanchez led the first-half roster in hits (28), RBIs (23), doubles (9), home runs (4), runs scored (23) and stolen bases (18). Sanchez batted .308.
Stade (LHP) joined the Scrappers in late June and had an immediate impact. He started four games, working 14.2 innings while surrendering just two runs and recording 28 strikeouts. He earned back-to-back Draft League Pitcher of the Week honors in his short time in the Mahoning Valley.
The second-half of the season was highlighted by the play of Maddox Mihalakas, who appeared in 45 games and led the team in RBIs (41), home runs (8), triples (4) and doubles (9). Mihalakas set a franchise record for most RBIs in the second-half of a season during the Draft League era. He finished with a .297 batting average.
Cooper Vance played in front of family and friends through July and August and he didn't disappoint. The New Watertown native and Mohawk (Pa.) graduate batted .317 with 27 RBIs.
"Overall this was a great experience in almost every way," Vance said. "Obviously we didn't have the overall team success we were hoping for and that was disappointing, but otherwise this was everything I was hoping for and more.
"The Scrappers organization put together a lot of great nights that brought in the fans and really energized our home games. It was a fun experience and for me it was a rewarding summer. I'm hoping this leads to a free agent signing, but until then, I'll probably play fall ball somewhere and see where it leads."
Scrappers starting pitcher Jay Newman (Akron University) was the workhorse of the staff, appearing in 24 games, including eight as a starter. Newman improved with each start. In his second-to-last home start of the season, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and ended up throwing seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while recording four strikeouts.
Newman followed that up by throwing a complete game -- the only complete nine-inning game by a Scrappers pitcher in the Draft League era -- limiting Trenton to just one run and three hits. The Scrappers' success at home wasn't limited to the playing field. The Scrappers attracted 98,175 fans to 7 17 Credit Union Field this summer, an average of 2,517 fans per home game. The attendance figure was the second-best in the Draft League behind Trenton.
The Scrappers played 39 of their scheduled 42 home games. Three games were cancelled in July. A July 5 game was cancelled due to rain. Then there were back-to-back cancellations on July 16 and July 17 due to poor air quality as a result of the Canadian wildfires.
On July 24, MV set a franchise single-game attendance record when 12,061 watched the Scrappers defeat West Virginia on 7 17 Credit Union Financial Wellness Night. The night concluded with a fireworks and drone show.
"I felt welcomed the very day I got here and then all throughout the season the fans here in Niles have been spectacular," Scrappers outfielder Davis Mauzy said. "Every day I looked forward to running out on that field. It just felt different here. The fans were always lively, they were always supportive.
"This place just had a different vibe. Fans were really into their baseball. This was a special summer."
Wednesday evening, Aberdeen played at Williamsport in the Draft League title game. With the IronBirds reaching the championship game in their first year in the league, the Scrappers are now the only current Draft League team to never reach the title game.
The Draft League was formed in 2020, and began play in 2021.
From 1999-2019 the Scrappers were members of the New York-Penn League and an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. During their time in the NYPL, the Scrappers won six division titles and one league title (2004).
The Scrappers will return to 7 17 Credit Union Field next June for their 29th year of baseball in Niles.