Scrappers pursue 3rd straight division title
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NILES -- The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are back!
The Scrappers begin their 21st season at 7:05 tonight on the road against the West Virginia Black Bears. The Scrappers are coming off a remarkable 2018 season, in which they posted a record of 42-33 to win the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League for the second straight season.
Five out of the Cleveland Indians' top 30 prospects are on Mahoning Valley's opening day roster, with names such as Carlos Vargas, Ethan Hankins, Bryan Rocchio, Raynel Delgado, and George Valera.
First-year manager and former Scrappers player Dennis Malave has a good first impression of the players he'll be working with this season.
"We got these players from Arizona, we've been working together as a group." he said. "They've been very respectful, very open-minded, ready to come to the field and learn and get better and accept that they're human beings.
"They're going to continue to get better as they make some mistakes and they're going to have fun making their effort to come to the field every single day."
Pitching coach Jason Blanton said he believes that getting the basics down early will help his pitchers develop over the course of the season.
"You try to keep it as basic and simple for them as possible until they start to show you that they're ready for that next piece," he said "The player will show you when they're ready for something new or not."
The Scrappers have a roster full of players that come from different playing levels and Blanton said he understands that.
"Typically, your college kid is going to be a little more mature when it comes to life outside of the field," he said. "The younger kids that are coming out of high school, sometimes there's a little less responsibility there, and they have to learn to be men basically."
Malave said he believes that winning will come naturally if his players put in the work.
"The way we see it, winning is a consequence of doing things right, it's a consequence of learning, it's a consequence of having an open mind," he said "That's what we focus on, we focus on the process and we focus on the learning part of it and by doing so, winning is going to come automatically as a consequence of focusing on the process.
"We have a group that's going to going to go and compete, and if you compete with the right mindset, and believe and trust in your abilities, believing in the coaching staff whose working for you and with you, I think you have a better chance to go out onto the field and defeat the other teams."
He said he also wants to have a big impact on his players as a manager.
"I know that we're only going to have them for a season, and for sure only have them today. What can we do for them today, and those are the steps that we take. How can we become better teammates, better people, better baseball players today?
"By focusing on taking small little steps, that will give us an opportunity over the long run in the season to have them go home being a better player, a better person, a better professional on and off the field," Malave said.
Eastwood Field has undergone a few renovations during the offseason. The field itself was completely resodded, and a new drainage system was added so the field could dry out faster. The team's clubhouse was expanded to add a new workout room and relaxation area for players.
Malave welcomes these changes.
"The front office has put some effort together to make it better so we're grateful for that," he said. "The field is in great condition, the grounds crew has done a tremendous job."
After a brief two-game series in West Virginia, the Scrappers will head home for their home opener Sunday, Father's Day, against the Batavia Muckdogs, with a first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.