Former Major Leaguer and two-time MLB All-Star, Dmitri Young will manage the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the MLB Draft League during the 2023 season. Young was selected as the 4th overall pick in the 1991 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. During his13-year career in Major League Baseball, Young recorded a .292 batting average with 648 runs scored and 501 extra-base hits, including 301 doubles, 29 triples and 171 home runs in 1,364 games between the St. Louis Cardinals (1996-97), Cincinnati Reds (1998-01), Detroit Tigers (2002-06) and Washington Nationals (2007-08). During his time in Major League Baseball, Young split time as first baseman (439 games), third baseman (54 games), outfielder (506 games), and designated hitter (316 games).
Ray King made his Major League debut in 1999 with the Chicago Cubs and went on to play for the Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2002, 2007), Atlanta Braves (2003), St. Louis Cardinals (2004-2005), Colorado Rockies (2006), and the Washington Nationals (2008). Throughout his ten seasons in the major leagues, King appeared in 593 games and pitched 411 innings with a win-loss record of 20-23 and an ERA of 3.46. King will be joining the Scrappers as their head pitching coach for the 2023 season.
Bryant Nelson played for the Boston Red Sox in 2002 with a batting average of .265, 6 runs, and 9 hits. After 2002, Nelson continuing playing baseball in the minor leagues and independent leagues. In 2016, Nelson hit an Atlantic League milestone when he became a member of the 1,000 Hit Club, joining only two other players in Atlantic League history. Nelson will be joining the Scrappers for the 2023 season as their hitting coach.
Mahoning Valley will also see a familiar face returning to their coaching staff this season, Craig Antush will be returning as assistant pitching coach. Antush has over 20 years’ experience in collegiate athletics and was the official scorekeeper and batting practice pitcher for Mahoning Valley for 15 years. This will be Antush’s third year as an assistant for the Scrappers.