Spikes Officials, Local Leaders Optimistic About Team’s New Era in MLB Draft League

When State College Spikes Chairman Chuck Greenberg helped bring minor league baseball to Happy Valley in 2006, he and his partners had a vision: to provide affordable family entertainment, give back to the community and feature elite young ballplayers pursuing their dreams of making it to the majors.

After a year of uncertainty about the team’s future, Greenberg expressed excitement that the vision would continue with news on Monday that Spikes will be a founding member of Major League Baseball’s Draft League starting in 2021.

‘With today’s announcement of the new Major League Baseball Draft League, that vision not only continues but we believe will be taken to the next level,’ Greenberg said during a Zoom call with media on Monday afternoon.

The Spikes were one of five teams announced as founding members of the new league on Monday, joined by fellow Class A New York Penn League clubs the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, West Virginia Black Bears and Williamsport Crosscutters, as well as the Trenton Thunder, formerly of the Class AA Eastern League. A sixth team is expected to be named soon.

An MLB proposal last year listed 42 teams — including the Spikes and the rest of the NYPL — that would lose their affiliations with major league teams as part of a consolidation of the minor league system. 

With the MLB Draft League, the Spikes will maintain their affiliation with Major League Baseball but not directly as a farm team for an individual club. The Spikes had been the short-season A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The new league will serve as a showcase for draft-eligible players to gain exposure and up their stock with major league clubs prior to the draft, which has been moved from early June to the All-Star break in July. The Draft League was created by MLB in partnership with Prep Baseball Report, which ‘will provide support for the league’s staffing, player and coach recruitment, on-field operations, and administrative functions,’ according to an MLB release.

‘Times change. Circumstances need to change with them,’ Greenberg said. ‘This new concept, this new idea that Major League Baseball and PBR devised, as a baseball fan I think is truly exceptional. For the first time there will be a forum and a performance opportunity for draft-eligible players to showcase what they can do in the most elite of circumstances competing against each other head-to-head in the months leading up to the draft. As a baseball fan, this is really, really exciting. As the principal owner of the Spikes, it’s also really exciting because it’s everything that’s been great about Spikes baseball and more.’

Greenberg said fans can expect the same types of experiences they’ve become accustomed to at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, but with a greater concentration of talent on the field.

Scheduling will be a bit different, however. While the Spikes previously started their seasons in late June and ended in September, the new league will start in late May and conclude around mid-August. Teams will play 68 games, as opposed to the NYPL’s previous 76 game schedule.

Financially, Greenberg said, the difference between 34 and 38 home games is negligible.

The league will primarily focus on invited draft-eligible college players, but will also on occasion include elite high school prospects.

‘…[F]or the Penn State baseball program [this is] a wonderful opportunity as well because while the league has assured us talent will be distributed among the six members of the league in an equitable fashion so that all the teams are competitive, there certainly is going to be a special priority placed on local affiliations,’ Greenberg said. ‘So if there are outstanding local players who grew up in the area and are now playing elsewhere, there’s a chance we’ll see them with the Spikes. If there are Penn State players who are draft-eligible who are ready to play at that level, I’m confident that they’ll be with the Spikes.’

For top college prospects whose teams’ postseason play continues past the start of the new league’s season, roster spots will be available for when their collegiate season wraps up, said MLB Draft League President Kerrick Jackson.

After the draft in July, the league has a few options for keeping rosters full once drafted players sign with their major league clubs, Jackson said.

Because the draft has been reduced from 40 to 20 rounds, hundreds more prospects will be looking to sign free agent deals and could have the opportunity to showcase their skills in July and August with a Draft League team.

Jackson said he also believes that without the minor league short season that had been the first stop for many newly drafted players, MLB clubs may look to keep their signees in the Draft League to stay active until instructional leagues start up in the fall.

‘Hopefully we’ll be able to create an environment and level of play that some of the organizations will have interest in allowing their kids to stay and play and finish out the summer,’ Jackson said.

All six of the league’s ballparks will be outfitted with state-of-the art scouting and player analysis technology.

‘It’s really going to be an elite opportunity to be seen and evaluated in a forum that has never existed before,’ Greenberg said. 

For a community that rallied behind the Save Our Spikes campaign, news that the team would remain with a major league affiliation was welcome for a variety of reasons.

Fritz Smith, president and CEO of the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, noted the hit the Centre County tourism economy has taken because of COVID-19 pandemic impacts — including the cancelation of minor league baseball this past summer.

‘This is just terrific news,’ Smith said. ‘It has been a tough year. We’ve lost about $132 million in visitor spending so far to date. We’ve still got about 1,600 employees in the leisure and hospitality business still out of a job. But we do feel the turnaround is starting and that we’re going to have a terrific 2021.’

He said interest in the region’s sports facilities and attractions has remained high.

‘Our phones are still lighting up for interest in 2021 and sports is in our DNA here,’ Smith said, ‘It just would have been unthinkable to not have Spikes baseball. We’re looking forward to it. I do think this new league is going to draw interest and attention and I think that’s going to raise the attendance level.’

Vern Squier, president and CEO of the CBICC, said the Spikes are an essential asset to the Centre County community.

‘As our community continues to rebuild and restart its economic engine, the announcement of the State College Spikes’ new deal with Major League Baseball is terrific news,’ he said. ‘This announcement will play an exemplary role in encouraging a look forward in decisions about the future.’

Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins said that in addition to the fun the Spikes provide, the organization is also an important small business and driver of charitable giving in the community.

‘Many minor league organizations work with local charities, but the Spikes organization has worked especially hard with local charitable groups and their support has enabled local charities to raise over $5 million since 2006,’ Higgins said. ‘I believe you’re up to the point where you’re raising over a half a million a year for the local benefit.’

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, whose 12th District includes State College and who has been among the advocates in Congress for saving minor league baseball teams, called the new league affiliation ‘a positive turning point’ for the Spikes and central Pennsylvania. 

‘The Spikes mean more than just baseball. Our community losing the Spikes was not an option,’ Keller said. ‘It has been outstanding to see the central PA community rally behind the Spikes, who have been an important community partner for so many years. The news that the Spikes will maintain Major League Baseball affiliation means that there is light at the end of this tunnel and minor league baseball will come back stronger than before.’

Keller said he also recently signed a bipartisan letter to House leadership calling for support for minor league baseball organizations in additional COVID-19 relief legislation.

‘While we still have more work to do I am optimistic for the future,’ Keller said. ‘I look forward to continuing the work with the Spikes and our community to ensure the longevity of minor league baseball in central Pennsylvania.’

Greenberg, who applauded General Manager Scott Walker for leading the club through the Save Our Spikes effort and a tumultuous time amid the pandemic, said the organization is not looking at the new league as a stepping stone to return to direct affiliation with a single major league club.

‘In our minds, it’s every bit as affiliated as the original supply system was,’ Greenberg said. ‘It’s just that instead of having players right after they were drafted, we are going to have them right before they’re drafted. We were all comfortable with the status quo. I would have been perfectly happy if that continued forever and ever. But I’m really excited about this. We’re one of six teams in the country that are going to be part of this format. That makes it really special. The composition of this league is really good… This is a really elite league.’

In fact, Greenberg views the move as an evolution that builds on the past.

‘In every way, we think this represents all that has been great about Spikes baseball since 2006 and more,’ he said.

‘I truly believe that this is a step forward for the Spikes. I couldn’t be more excited about it. We’re all dealing with very challenging times with the pandemic. We have enormous empathy in our hearts and in our minds for what everyone is going through, but to know that about six or seven months from now there is going to be a ray of light in the Spikes coming is something that we can look forward to, we hope everyone in the community can look forward to, that it can provide hope at a time when we all need things to look forward to.’

Added Jackson, ‘Not only is there a bright future, I think the possibilities are limitless for where the league can go and what that can mean for each of these communities.’

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Several other local leaders also offered comments about the new future for Spikes baseball.

• Scott Walker, State College Spikes general manager: “Thanks to the Major League Baseball Draft League, State College Spikes fans can see high-quality baseball while still experiencing the fun, affordable family entertainment they have come to know and love at a Spikes game. Our community’s enthusiastic support during the #SaveOurSpikes campaign has given us this opportunity to once again show the entire baseball world that Happy Valley provides the ideal location for developing future major league stars. We are excited to step up to the plate for our 15th Season of Making Deer Friends in 2021, and we urge our friends and neighbors across Happy Valley to come together once again at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Together, we can make the Spikes and the MLB Draft League viable for many years to come.”

• U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township: “The Spikes are a staple of the Centre Region, fueling the economy, supporting local causes, and providing affordable family entertainment. I am happy to learn about the agreement with MLB and will be grateful for baseball continuing in State College.” 

• State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner Township: “The State College Spikes have been a pillar of the community as a place to enjoy affordable, family-friendly entertainment and recreation since day one. The Spikes have created a positive impact on our local economy while also forging deep connections in our community as a gathering place for fans across the region. The formation of the Major League Baseball Draft League will enable the Spikes to continue serving as a great community partner on and off the field while providing the best environment for baseball’s future stars to grow and develop as they start their journey to the big leagues. My family and I look forward to enjoying many more Spikes games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.”

• State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte: ‘The State College Spikes are an integral part of the Centre County community and have served as a premier proving ground for many Major League Baseball players. I applaud Major League Baseball for adapting to these unprecedented times and utilizing outside-the-box thinking to ensure young baseball players can receive the development they need to become tomorrow’s stars while keeping baseball in State College. I look forward to seeing baseball played at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College this year and for years to come.’

• Centre County Commissioners Michael Pipe, Mark Higgins and Steve Dershem (joint statement): “The Centre County Commissioners are pleased to hear the State College Spikes will be retaining Major League Baseball affiliation. Many thanks to all of the individuals and groups who supported the #SaveOurSpikes campaign. State College Spikes baseball is a Centre County gem. Not only is their family-friendly entertainment enjoyed and appreciated by tens of thousands of Central Pennsylvania residents, the Spikes organization contributes to our community as a longtime supporter of numerous local charities and fundraiser for many deserving causes. Terrific news!”