{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-new-appalachian-league-format-will-bring-future-stars-to-west-virginias-baseball-fields", "Manchin: New Appalachian League Format Will Bring Future Stars To West Virginia's Baseball Fields", "2020-09-29", "2020", "2020-09", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "September 29, 2020\n\t\t\t Manchin: New Appalachian League Format Will Bring Future Stars To West Virginia's Baseball Fields \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington,\r\nDC  Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) applauded the Major League Baseball\r\n(MLB), USA Baseball, and Appalachian League decision to reformat the\r\nAppalachian League to become part of the Prospect Development Pipeline. In\r\nNovember 2019, Senator\r\nManchin vowed to find a solution to save West Virginia's minor league teams\r\nafter Major League Baseball considered eliminating teams in West Virginia. After\r\nmonths of conversations with Major League Baseball, USA Baseball, and the\r\nAppalachian League, I am pleased by this agreement to bring the Appalachian\r\nLeague into the Prospect Development Pipeline. This collaboration will directly\r\nbenefit our two Appalachian League teams in Bluefield and Princeton, which\r\nprovide many West Virginians with entertainment and family time and foster a\r\nlove of the American pastime, said Senator Manchin. Through this new\r\narrangement, our communities will host the premier baseball players in the\r\ncountry, giving West Virginians a chance to see baseball's future stars before\r\nthey reach the big leagues. I am committed to ensuring the future of all of\r\nWest Virginia's minor league teams, and I will work with everyone involved to\r\nensure these teams receive the support they need to succeed during this\r\ntransition and look forward to seeing top talent play in the Mountain State for\r\nmany years to come. The\r\nProspect Development Pipeline (PDP), the collaborative effort between MLB and\r\nUSA Baseball that establishes a player development pathway for amateur baseball\r\nplayers in the United States, will be an integral part of the identification\r\nand development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other\r\nfuture national teams. Appalachian League participants will receive extensive\r\nvisibility to MLB Club scouts through both in-person observation and\r\nstate-of-the-art scouting technology. Players will receive instruction from\r\nformer MLB players and educational programming designed to prepare them for\r\ncareers as professional athletes.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-new-appalachian-league-format-will-bring-future-stars-to-west-virginias-baseball-fields"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.243461087346077, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}