Draft: The 2018 Major League Baseball Draft runs from Monday, June 4 through Wednesday, June 6. Day one of the draft will be covered on the
MLB Network and all three days will be streamed at
MLB.com. Rosters for all New York-Penn League (NYPL) teams will start to take shape after draftees start signing contracts.
Opening Day: June 15 is opening day in the NYPL. Scheduled games include: Batavia at Auburn; Brooklyn at Staten Island; Vermont at Tri-City; State College at Williamsport; Lowell at Connecticut; West Virginia at Mahoning Valley, Hudson Valley at Aberdeen. Ticket information is available at this
link.
Anniversary Seasons: Several NYPL teams will be celebrating anniversaries during the 2018.
Hudson Valley Renegades (25 years),
Vermont Lake Monsters (25 years),
Mahoning Valley Scrappers (20 years),
Williamsport Crosscutters (20 years as the Crosscutters).
Batavia update: According to all reports out of Batavia, New York, the Muckdogs will be ready for the upcoming season under the leadership of new general manager
Dave Chase. Their ticket office is up and running,
field and stadium improvements are in process, their
promotion schedule has been announced, and a
broadcasting agreement is in place with local radio station WBTA, 1490 AM. Batavia is the last of the original teams in the NYPL (originally known as Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (PONY) League. The
NYPL is responsible for operating the Muckdogs this season and the franchise is for sale. Hopefully, it stays in Batavia. I am using the hashtag
#SupporttheMuckdogs on Twitter. Please plan a roadtrip to Batavia this summer.
2018 All-Star Game: The
2018 NYPL All-Star game will be played at Medlar Field
at Lubrano Park on Tuesday, August 14. Medlar Field is the home of the
State College Spikes and is located on the campus of Penn State
University next to Beaver Stadium. All-Star
game tickets are priced from $10 for outfield bleacher seats to $16 for
"Diamond Club" seat. Field box seats are $14. You can purchase tickets
on line, by telephone, or in person at the ballpark ticket office from
9am to 5pm during the week.
Link
A few words about NY-Penn League News: I opened a Twitter account (
@NYPennNews) back in June, 2016, and started this blog in August, 2016. Since that time, the Twitter feed has grown to over 790 followers. This blog has 300-400 page views per month. Not large numbers, but not intended to be. This is a not-for-profit blog about a very narrow topic - short season minor league baseball. There is no advertising and access to all content is free. The intent of NY-Penn League News is to provide news and information about the teams and players in the NYPL for the enjoyment of its readers. The numbers will never be large and that's ok. Hopefully, this blog and my Twitter feed helps to support minor league baseball, especially the NYPL.
Thanks to the 12 teams in the NYPL who follow NY-Penn League News on Twitter. Only the Connecticut Tigers and the Staten Island Yankees have declined my invitations to follow NY-Penn League News.
Brief Hiatus: I will be taking a brief hiatus later this month. Despite my objections, my wife is making me fly to Paris to catch a river boat to Zurich. We are leaving on June 11, so unfortunately, I will miss Opening Day. I should be back to posting regular reports on NYPL action around June 28.
See you at the ballpark.
Draft Logo Credit: MLB.com
NY-Penn League News is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or any of its teams
