Credit: Michael H. Parker/CC-Wikimedia
The Trenton Thunder will return for the 2021 season as part of a new Major League Baseball (MLB) minor system.
The Trenton Thunder, which are popular with residents of Bucks County, confirmed they will be one of the founding teams of the new MLB Draft League in the new year. In early November, the team announced they suddenly learned their affiliate team, the New York Yankees, were dropping them.
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The new league will play a 68-game regular season from late May to mid-August and feature up-and-coming draft-eligible players who will be able to showcase their skills and gain exposure to MLB teams and fans. There will be an All-Star break that will coincide with the major league draft in July.
“Players will receive unprecedented visibility to MLB scouts through in-person observation and state-of-the-art scouting technology, as well as instruction from former MLB players on the Thunder staff. Our professional baseball coaching staff will develop the skills of Thunder players, with the dream of one day adding their names to the nearly 400 Thunder players who have made it to the Big Leagues,” a statement from the team said.
The announcement by the team, MLB, and league partner Prep Baseball Report ended an uncertain few weeks for the Trenton Thunder, which play at Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton across from Morrisville Borough and Falls Township.
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“We are thrilled to share with our fans and sponsor partners the exciting news that your Trenton Thunder will be a founding member of the new MLB Draft League for the 2021 season and continue to bring family fun to Arm & Hammer Park,” said Trenton Thunder General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Hurley. “We are dedicated to delivering our Power of Fun brand to our fans as the Thunder Entertainment Experience they have enjoyed for the last 27 years, featuring the antics of our beloved mascot Boomer having a blast in the crowd. Fans will continue to enjoy our World Famous Bat Dogs retrieving bats, with Dash making his debut this summer. The new MLB Draft League will showcase the best prospects in baseball eligible for the MLB draft. Thunder fans will get to know these players as they begin their path as future stars of Major League Baseball.”
The Yankees’ cutting the popular Trenton Thunder came as a new MLB contract meant the minor leagues had to go from 160 to 120 teams before the start of the 2021 season.
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The MLB Draft League will be made up of the Trenton Thunder, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes, West Virginia Black Bears, and Williamsport Crosscutters. A statement from MLB said more teams are in the works.
Trenton Thunder owner Joseph Plumeri, who was upset when the Yankees pulled out, said at the time that the team had set minor league baseball attendance records.
The Trenton Thunder have been around since 1980 and played in Canada and New York before moving to Trenton in 1994. They previously have been affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Soxs. Their Double-A affiliate with the Yankees started in 2003.
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