May 2, 2024
Major League Baseball announced that the MLB Draft League has been extended through the 2030 season. The MLB Draft League has become the premier destination for draft-eligible players each summer, providing opportunities for hundreds of players to be evaluated by MLB Club scouts and to receive unparalleled player development resources.
The league’s founding members, the Frederick Keys (Frederick, Md.), Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Niles, Ohio), State College Spikes (State College, Pa.), Trenton Thunder (Trenton, N.J.), West Virginia Black Bears (Morgantown, W.Va.) and Williamsport Crosscutters (Williamsport, Pa.) will remain in the MLB Draft League and the league is planning to expand by two teams in the coming seasons. The six current members will start their 80-game 2024 schedule on June 4, with Trenton hosting State College, West Virginia hosting Frederick and Williamsport hosting Mahoning Valley.
Since its founding in 2021, the MLB Draft League has had more than 230 players sign with MLB organizations, as 133 were selected in the annual 20-round MLB Draft, and another 103 players signed out of the MLB Draft League as free agents. As of the start of the 2024 season, 37 Draft League alums have reached Double-A or higher, and eight players are currently in Triple-A. Additionally, the 2023 Draft was the league’s most successful to date, with more players drafted in the top 10 rounds in 2023 than in the 2021 and 2022 Drafts combined.
“In three short years, the MLB Draft League has done exactly what we had hoped, as it has provided players another chance to be evaluated by scouts from all MLB clubs both before and after the draft,” Sean Campbell, President of the MLB Draft League, said. “The league has also kept professional-caliber baseball in six terrific baseball cities, and we are most appreciative of the fans that come out to watch these players chase their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues.”
All six Draft League managers enjoyed professional playing careers, with West Virginia’s David Carpenter, Frederick’s Jacque Jones, Mahoning Valley’s Quinton McCracken and Williamsport’s Ryan Hanigan reaching the Major League level as players. Trenton’s Adonis Smith and State College’s Tim Battle Jr. played professionally in the United States and overseas.
The West Virginia Black Bears have won the last two league titles after Trenton claimed the first Draft League title in 2021.
