NILES — In 2000, Jason Stanford was all set to make his first trip to what was then Cafaro Field.

In November 1999, the Arizona native signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Indians. The following spring Stanford was assigned to Niles to begin his professional career. In fact, he was actually listed on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ 2000 opening day roster, but at the last minute the Indians instead sent him to their Class-A affiliate in Columbus, Georgia.

Stanford then began a baseball journey which ultimately led him to Cleveland, where he pitched three years for the Indians. With the Tribe, he logged a 3.61 ERA in 23 appearances despite battling an ongoing elbow injury. He also spent time with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs.

As for that missed trip to Niles?

Well, he has since made up for it in numerous ways.

In fact, it’s safe to say that Stanford has likely carried out more roles at what is now 7 17 Credit Union Field than any other player or coach.

In 2005, Stanford played for the Scrappers briefly while on a rehab assignment while with the Indians.

Five years later, Stanford found himself living in the area and serving as the head coach at Howland – a team which frequently played at the stadium. Stanford coached the Tigers from 2010-13, then stepped aside to become the pitching coach at Youngstown State. 7 17 Credit Union Field also serves as the home of the Penguins.

In 2018, Stanford made several trips to the stadium, this time to compete against the Scrappers when he was the pitching coach of the West Virginia Black Bears. He later spent numerous hours at the stadium conducting camps and clinics.

Now, Stanford says that “things have come full circle,” as he’ll once again spend the summer at 7 17 Credit Union Field – this time as the Scrappers pitching coach.

“Pretty bizarre, I guess I never realized just how much time I have spent here in so many different positions,” said Standford, who now resides in Boardman. “Things happened really quickly. I’ve been wanting to get back into pro ball in some way. I reached out to a friend who is at a high level in the MLB, I told him I was ready to get back in and fifteen minutes later he calls back and says, ‘I got a job for you.'”

Stanford has two daughters (Kherington, Larkin) and a son (Tucker) who live in Niles. He reached out to them before making a decision. By the end of the day, Stanford was set to return to baseball – and return to 7 17 Credit Union Field.

“My daughters were like, ‘yeah, do whatever is best for you, go for it,'” Stanford said. “My son, who is infatuated with baseball, was over the moon excited. Honestly, this was a perfect fit in so many ways.”

Stanford last coached professionally in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves organization. After COVID, he returned to coaching and instructing youth baseball. In 2024, he and his girlfriend Vanessa Livi started the Frontline To Field Foundation – designed to provide veterans, first responders and youth athletes with mental health support and wellness programs. The foundation was established locally and has since expanded, with chapters in Colorado and Arizona.

Stanford said the game has greatly evolved since his playing days. He’s confident that he can utilize his experience and knowledge to help a new generation of athletes reach their goals.

“No doubt, the game has changed dramatically, even since I was with the Braves in 2019,” Stanford said. “A lot of pro coaches today have never even played pro ball, and that’s fine, if they are good at what they do, we have to accept that.

“When we were coming through the system we were given a generic template by our minor league coordinator and we all ran with the same program. Today most players are doing individual, specialized training. They all have advisors. They have private coaches. There is a heavy lean toward analytics, which we had back in the day, but we just didn’t have the technology to store every number, every movement in real time.

“So much focus today is on velocity and spin rate. That’s great, but there is an art to pitching that needs to be taught.”

Aside from pitching, Stanford also hopes to educate his players on how to handle the game both from a physical and mental aspect.

“You have to be consistent, you have to have a routine,” Stanford said. “Show up every day and be able to work, even when you don’t feel like it. None of these guys have played six days in a row, all summer long. It’s a tall feat. You need to play through aches and pains, but you also need to know how to listen to your body and back off a little bit.

“I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I went through two surgeries, rehab, the whole bit. Hopefully I can be a valuable resource.”

Stanford also hopes that his latest stint with the Scrappers evolves into something bigger.

“It’s my ultimate goal to get back into affiliate ball,” Stanford said. “I’m just going to go out, respect the game, give it everything I got and see where it goes.”

If he should reach that next level, Stanford can credit a lot of his success to his many stops in Niles.