Journey Bank Ballpark at Bowman Field was the place to be during the MLB Draft League’s first half. The Williamsport Crosscutters proved themselves as the league’s best team, winning the first-half title with a 22-8 record and thus assuring themselves a spot in the league’s overall championship game, scheduled for September 5.
Under MLB Draft League rules, the winner of the first half automatically becomes the host team for the league championship game to be played against the winner of the second half. Should the Crosscutters also win the second-half title, its opponent would be the second-half second-place finisher.
With the league’s second half well underway, the Crosscutters’ first-half performance is still being savored.
“It’s been exciting and positive,” said Gabe Sinicropi, the team’s director of marketing & public relations. “With the split season format utilizing two halves it has created the knowledge that we know we will be playing in the championship game, giving us time to prepare. It is a great opportunity to have more than a month to get ready to schedule things for that night, including ticket sales, sponsorships, and special events.
“Fans are excited. We are excited, and we can’t wait for September 5.”
The players competing in the MLB Draft League during the first half of the season were high-level prospects, collegiate players, and amateurs from across the country who were eligible for this year’s draft. The MLB Draft League scouts invites and assigns the players to the various teams in our league. From this pool of approximately 200 players, they are then divided up, with attention being paid to how many pitchers, catchers, and position players each team needs.
“The makeup of our team is 100% luck of the draw,” Sinicropi admitted.
The second half of the MLB Draft League schedule features a completely different look from the first half. The first half players, if they get drafted, are gone. If they don’t get drafted and they still have eligibility, they won’t be back to play the second half because they would have a chance to get drafted next year.
“It’s entirely different in the second half. In the second half, the teams are comprised of players that are paid. These are already either professionals or have exhausted their college eligibility. Each team in the Draft League pays into a league-operated pool fund, which in turn is returned to the individual players in the league.
“With us this year, those circumstances are a little odd. To begin the second half, we had nine players returning from the first half. Usually, that number is between zero and one. There are various circumstances involved. Some of them are here to play baseball and get paid for it, some hope to get signed as an undrafted free agent, and some hope to develop their pro career and sign on with an independent league team in the future,” explained Sinicropi.
From the Cutters’ first-half roster, four players were taken in this year’s MLB Draft, including shortstop Eddie Rynders, picked in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rynders batted .261, with four home runs and 29 RBI, and sported an excellent .996 fielding average.
In total there were ten former members of Crosscutters teams chosen in the draft. The other six players played here in earlier years, including one from the 2021 season. This is very unusual but results from the COVID years, when college players were granted an extra year of eligibility.
“This year, we are seeing more people come back to the ballpark. We’d had some stellar nights of over 2,000 fans, and that is satisfying. We’re never ultimately satisfied, but the first half was definitely lots of fun. Had we not lost three home games canceled by the weather, our attendance totals would have been higher,” Sinicropi explained.
“The July 19 home game featuring the Philly Phanatic was our biggest promotional weekend of the year and produced Bowman Field’s first sellout of the season and was the biggest post-COVID turnout we’ve seen.”
The September 5 championship game will be the team’s seventh playoff appearance since 2001 when the championship series against Brooklyn was canceled due to the 9/11 attacks. Both teams were declared co-champions. In 2003, the Crosscutters defeated Brooklyn 2-0 to win the NYPEN League championship.
Other playoff appearances have resulted in losses: twice to Staten Island in 2002 & 2005, to West Virginia in 2015 as NYPEN league members, and in 2022 to West Virginia in the Draft League championship game.
Tickets for the September 5, 6:35 pm championship game can be purchased via the Crosscutters box office. Those holding Crosscutters season tickets will receive a ticket for the championship game at no extra charge. All other patrons will need to purchase a ticket for the game.
