Scrappers staying in Niles for 15 more years
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers, A short-season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, announced they have extended the lease with the Cafaro Company with 15 years, keeping them at Eastwood Field through the 2033 season.
After signing a two-year extension with the Indians, this is even more good news for the fans of the New York-Penn League franchise. The team is calling Eastwood Field home since 1999, their inaugural season. The ballpark will get a facelift so it can compete with other minor league ballparks. The video board, for example, will be four times the size of what the Scrappers have right now. The new board will utilize the latest LED illumination to provide brightness that is not impacted by the sun. The new video board will allow for new non-baseball events to take place at Eastwood Field, including movie nights on the field. Next to the Scrappers, Eastwood Field will be used by the Youngstown State University and Eastern Gateway Community College to use the facility as much as possible.
The announcement of the extension of the lease was announced during a press conference: “It’s gratifying to announce the Scrappers’ commitment to the Mahoning Valley for the next 15 years through 2033,” Anthony Cafaro Jr. said. “In addition to our partners, HWS Baseball included, Jordan Taylor, and their owner, Michael Savic, I would be remiss if I also didn’t mention our express thanks to the city of Niles, both the current and former administrations. For the past 20 years, the city of Niles has been a staunch supporter of the Eastwood Mall complex and Eastwood Field. Certainly, without their continued advocacy, we would not be here today.”
Scrappers GM Jordan Taylor announced several upgrades to the ballpark of which the new video board is the most prominent.
Since their inaugural season in 1999, the Scrappers have been the A short-season farm team of the Indians. In that time span, the club reached the NYPL championship series four times but was beaten as many times. The last time the club reached the championship series was in 2009 when they fell to the Staten Island Yankees in three games.