Over the past year, major league baseball teams have cut ties with some of their minor-league affiliates because of money and COVID issues. 

But instead of wiping the single A minor league teams from the history books, Prep Baseball Report, a scouting organization that holds showcases for high school and college baseball players, has partnered with the MLB to bring a newly formed league called the MLB Draft League.

The league will include high school and college players who are eligible to be drafted this summer in the MLB draft. Players in the league will be trying to bring up their draft stock to possibly be drafted higher than they are currently projected to be.

The teams in the league include the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Trenton Thunder, the Frederick Keys, the State College Spikes, the West Virginia Blackbears, and the Williamsport Crosscutters. All of the teams had some affiliation with an MLB team until last summer. 

The league started on May 24 and will run until mid-August, with teams playing a 68-game schedule.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers, who play in Niles, Ohio, have some of the top arms, including Alec Thomas, who throws pretty hard with his fastball topping out at 96 mph. 

The league has started off with a bang in the first couple of weeks. By the looks of it, this summer will be really fun for baseball fans who follow these teams.