Following a summer of COVID-caused cancellation and the uncertainty of professional baseball’s future in Williamsport, the November 30th announcement of the formation of the new MLB Draft League was welcomed news for area baseball fans.

Although it was not included on the weather bureau’s forecast of that day, some of the windy conditions may have been caused by the giant exhale emanating from the Williamsport Crosscutters offices.

“First of all, it is great to know what our path is. As far as we knew, our potential involvement in the MLB Draft League came about in the last couple of months. How long MLB knew about it, we are not aware. Throughout the summer, we had no clue as to what our future held. Now, knowing our path, it’s like OK, we can exhale. It is great to know what that is, and on top of that, we like it,” said a relieved Gabe Sinicropi, the Crosscutters vice president of marketing and public relations.

Major League Baseball, in conjunction with Prep Baseball Report (PRB), announced the formation of the all-new MLB Draft League set to launch in 2021. Prep Baseball Reports is an organization that runs tournaments and showcase baseball events for high school players across the country. The new league, which will include the Williamsport Crosscutters, becomes the first in the country focused on top prospects eligible to be drafted by MLB teams that summer. With the MLB draft now taking place in mid-July, draft-eligible players will have a unique opportunity to showcase their abilities and gain exposure to MLB Clubs and fans each year.

The Crosscutters will be joined by the Trenton Thunder (formerly of the Double-A Eastern League), Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes, and the West Virginia Black Bears (all formerly of the New York- Penn League) as founding members of the MLB Draft League. Negotiations are underway for a sixth team to be added in the coming weeks.

“To us, this is not a consolation prize,” Sinicropi stressed. “It is a way for baseball to move forward in Williamsport. With the changes MLB made in the overall Minor League structure, we wouldn’t have been able to do it. As much as we love it, this stadium just isn’t built for what MLB wants now. The change in some ways is large, but in a lot of ways, it is really small. Instead of getting players two weeks after they have been drafted; we are getting them a few weeks before they are drafted. We will be getting players that could be drafted by every Major League team, instead of just the players that one organization had drafted. Overall, the talent level that will be wearing Crosscutters uniforms should be better. We’ll see. The proof will be in the pudding.

“We will be going through growing pains this first year, if for no other reason than we are all getting a late start. We’ve never experienced anything with such a short offseason before. This is a start-up, but the fact that MLB is behind it and they have a vested interest in it succeeding because, for them, this is part of their plan. Moving forward, this is how they want to see the pipeline of player development work. They’ve created a ladder where leagues like the Appalachian League and the Cape Cod League will still operate as places where college players can go and play during the summer and develop. Now we are part of the new MLB Draft League, which will consist of the top prospects of the MLB draft-eligible players.”

This league is an important venture for MLB and will operate with the marketing strength of MLB supporting it. That is good news for all the league’s new members. The league schedule will consist of 68 games, beginning in late May and concluding by mid-August. It will include an all-star break that will center on the MLB player draft.

“We are ecstatic about the makeup of the schedule,” Sinicropi explained. “Games that we had scheduled during the Little League World Series dates and into early September were low revenue games. It didn’t matter what the weather was like or what promotions we may have had; with the kids going back to school and high school football starting, people’s interest turned toward other activities. Now, having the season start and end a few weeks earlier is something we see as a positive.

“One of the biggest things for fans to understand is that there will be virtually no changes in our Crosscutters everyday operation. Nothing changes with our business. We’re still the Crosscutters. We’re still the same staff. We still will be playing at the same place. Everything really, from the fans’ standpoint, remains the same.”

It is important for area fans to understand that while the MLB Draft League is new to everyone, its existence will keep baseball in Williamsport.

Sinicropi went on to explain, “If our lot in life was going to be as an affiliated organization with a direct affiliation with one Major League club as in the past, we would be facing millions and millions and millions of dollars’ worth of required facility upgrades. I’ve seen the new MLB facility standards, and we don’t even come close. No pun intended, but we aren’t even in the ballpark. We would not have that money, and the City of Williamsport would not have that money. In this new baseball world, this is the best spot for the longevity and success of high-level baseball in Williamsport.”

Indeed, the tradition of baseball at Bowman Field in the summertime will be continuing for fans to enjoy.

“The beer will still be cold. The misty mountain burgers will still be juicy and delicious, and there will be baseball on the field. So, those are the important things,” Sinicropi added.