Smith resigns from ball club

Photo

Former Scrappers General Manager Dave Smith

Staff report

Niles

Dave Smith has resigned as general manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers after 11 seasons with the team.

The club announced the move on Monday. He will be replaced by Jordan Taylor, who served as the Scrappers’ assistant general manager since 2006.

Smith joined the Scrappers in 1999 as assistant general manager. He was promoted to general manager in the fall of 2003 and has held the position for the past seven seasons.

Smith will remain with the team during the offseason in a consulting role to assist with the transition.

“With the season just recently concluding, now was the right time for me to step down,” said Smith in a release by the team.

“After eleven great years with the organization, I am ready to pursue and challenge myself with a new opportunity.”

Taylor, a Mount Union College graduate, will assume his new duties on Oct. 1.

Taylor has been with the Scrappers organization for the past 10 seasons, joining the franchise in November 2000 as a corporate sponsorship sales representative.

He was promoted to director of ticket sales in 2003 and to assistant general manager in 2005.

“I am extremely excited for this opportunity to lead the Scrappers organization,” said Taylor in a release.

“This has been a goal of mine and I look forward to working with our great staff to ensure a successful transition.”

Taylor will be just the third general manager in team history, after Smith and Andy Milovich, who led the team from 1999-2003.

“The team is very fortunate to have someone of Jordan’s abilities to step in and assume the lead role,” Smith added. “I have worked side by side with him for more than 10 years, and he will do a great job as general manager.”

Under Smith’s guidance, the Scrappers won the New York-Penn League championship in 2004 and played for the title in 2009.

The Scrappers also won their only division championship in franchise history in 2009.

Bill Shanahan, team president, said, “Dave did an outstanding job leading the Scrappers for more than seven seasons. He committed himself to the community both personally and professionally and maintained the organization as the premium entertainment option within the Valley.

“He continued by saying, “We have the utmost confidence that Jordan, and his decade worth of experience, will successfully lead the Scrappers franchise moving forward.”