NILES, Ohio - "It's disappointing to not have the Scrappers take the field for the first time in 20 plus years," Mayor of Niles, Steven Mientkiewicz, said. 

After Minor League Baseball announced all team seasons are canceled for 2020, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers General Manager Jordan Taylor and Mientkiewicz weighed in on the economic impact this leaves on the city. 

"You're talking millions of dollars a year in revenue that's generated through games," Taylor said. 

About 200-thousand people attend both games and annual events at Eastwood field every year. The franchise employs roughly 210 workers, with most being seasonal. On average, the organizations that use the games to fundraise are able to generate close to $400-thousand a season. In total, the minor league baseball club brings in about $4-million a year.

Taylor said this money comes from tickets, hotels, merchandise and food among others. The canceled season also leaves a major hit to Eastwood Field employees.

"We've had a number of employees working for a long time on a seasonable basis," he said. "They're a very big part of the fan experience at our games and it's very disappointing that we won't be able to have them back."

Mientkiewicz said not only will this impact Eastwood Field, but also local businesses in the surrounding area. 

"What you see is families coming out to not only the Eastwood Field, but also some of the area restaurants, and bars, and shops in and around the stadium," he said. 

Taylor said they're working on plans to utilize the field in the coming months for other community events. 

"I think in the next couple months, the options and opportunities are going to be there to be creative and come up with some unique fundraising events for different organizations," he said. "We still want to utilize the stadium as much as we can over the coming months."

He added he's hopeful for the future of the Scrappers.

"While this is very tough news, we are planning for 2021," he said. "We're hopeful that a new agreement between Major Leagues and Minor Leagues will be done hopefully by sometime in September. We're optimistic that we're going to be a part of the new structure going forward."