The Williamsport Crosscutters will be one of five founding members of the Major League Baseball Draft League when it begins play in May 2021, the team announced Monday morning.

In a reorganization of Minor League Baseball by MLB, the Crosscutters lost their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies, but will now participate in a league providing exposure to MLB Draft-eligible college players. The Cutters will be joined in the league by the State College Spikes, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and the West Virginia Black Bears, all of which were members of the former New York-Penn League. The former Class AA affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Trenton Thunder, are also one of the league’s founding members, and Major League Baseball is currently in negotiations with a sixth team to join the league.

“Our goal was to remain viable in the Major League Baseball pipeline,” Crosscutters principal owner Peter Freund said during a virtual press conference Monday morning. “I don’t believe that what you will see on the field is going to be that different. There’s an argument to be made that the caliber of prospects showcased in this league might be of a higher caliber than what you’ve seen in the past. The way I look at this, our pipeline is going to be driven by Major League Baseball and all 30 clubs as opposed to just the Phillies.”

While the Crosscutters will no longer be affiliated with one particular Major League Baseball franchise as it was in the past with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, the organization maintains a relationship with Major League Baseball through this new league. College and some elite high school prospects who are eligible to be selected by Major League clubs in the July draft, will be dispersed among the six founding members of the league by MLB and its partner, Prep Baseball Report. PBR is one of the country’s largest independent scouting services.

Through its reorganization, the Crosscutters’ on-field product won’t change, according to vice president of marketing and public relations Gabe Sinicropi. Only how the team is assigned players will change. Sinicropi also said ticket prices will not change.

“We’re going to run our business the same way that we always have and provide fun, affordable family entertainment and memories for folks up and down the Susquehanna Valley,” Sinicropi said. “The slight difference, the way I see it, instead of getting players right after they’re drafted, we’re getting them right before they’re drafted. It’s a few weeks difference and it’s the same type of player. In fact, there’s more potential higher round players on our team than in the past. It’s something that we’re obviously excited about.”