He’s getting a taste of what life could be like a few months from now or this time next year.

James Madison’s Nick Stewart is pitching for the Frederick Keys in the newly formed MLB Draft League – a summer league for draft-eligible prospects created by Major League Baseball and Prep Baseball Report.

“You can really see the model of Minor League Baseball in it,” Stewart said. “The season is treated the exact same way.”

The MLB Draft League is made up of six clubs and all six are former big-league affiliates that didn’t have contracts extended when MLB took over MiLB operations this year and reduced the number of MiLB teams to 120 as part of restructuring the lower levels of pro ball. The Keys were previously a Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles from 1989 through last year.

Stewart grew up in Northern Virginia and said he remembers, as a kid, the regular trips his family would take to Harry Grove Stadium to see the Birds’ former farm team.

He said he and his little league teammates were able to run on the field before a game with the Keys once.

“I used to sit in those stands and think, ‘I want to be on this stage one day,’” Stewart said of the ballpark he now calls home.

Of course, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander probably envisioned then it being a future stop on the way to the Majors with an affiliate club. And even though that’s not the scenario in which Stewart finds himself in with the Keys now, his stay with Frederick is an important opportunity for scouts to possibly determine if he has what it takes to be drafted this coming July.

MLB Draft League squads are playing 68 games with a mid-season break centered around the MLB Draft. This year, the event is 20 rounds and will take place from July 11 through July 13. Those prospects selected will go into Minor League Baseball while others will stay in the MLB Draft League for the rest of the summer.

“That’s been my goal since I stepped foot on campus my freshman year,” Stewart said about potentially being chosen during the MLB Draft. “But with the spring I had, I’ve obviously made it a little tougher on myself.”

Stewart is the first to admit the last few months with the Dukes didn’t go well.

He entered this year as the No. 1 MLB Draft prospect in the Colonial Athletic Association, according to Perfect Game, and sporting a career ERA of 3.19 over 155 innings. But this spring, his season ERA uncharacteristically ballooned to 12.91 as Stewart surrendered 22 runs in 15 1/3 innings.

“There was a lot of stuff going on this spring that was tough for me,” he said, “and then you mix that in with [coronavirus], and I’m not making excuses at all, but it was just a little bit tough. I think I just need to go back to basics, have fun with the game again and not put too much pressure on myself.”

His first outing with the Keys was a solid first step, tossing 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen while striking out six against the Trenton Thunder on Monday. The opening series between the Keys and the Thunder was played at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Stewart said he had never pitched off of a big-league mound before.

“I think Monday led me in the direction of where I used to be and I’m looking to build off that soon in the next couple of days when I throw again,” he said. “… But I’m looking to turn it around this summer, open some eyes and really show that nothing went away, so I can hear my name called in July.”

Until then, he said he plans on learning as much as he can in the MLB Draft League and enjoying his time in Frederick. He said his parents live about 40 minutes away, so they’re able to come see him pitch, which is unique. He’s the only member of the Keys to grow up nearby as they have players from across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

“I think that brings a little of the Minor League perspective into play, too,” Stewart said, “because that’s where you’re mixing in the first time in your career with guys from outside the country, so it was eye-opening to me because they’re talking and I have no idea what they’re saying.

“But some of us are doing a little ‘Spanish for Dummies,’” Stewart said with a chuckle, “and then even the past couple of days, you can make out what they say and have a brief conversation with them as far as the basics. So, it’s really awesome to be with them and see the way their culture is and how it mixes with our culture.”

His manager is Derrick May, the former outfielder who played in the big leagues for a decade with the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos and Orioles. And Stewart’s pitching coach is Glenn Dishman, an ex-Major League pitcher with the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers and Phillies.

“I’m talking to my pitching coach a little bit more than anything else,” Stewart said. “And it’s really kind of cool to ask how he did things and it’s a really fun learning experience to hear about how they went through the process when they were coming up and playing at some of these stadiums we’ll play in.”

Frederick, Trenton, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes, West Virginia Black Bears and Williamsport Crosscutters make up the MLB Draft League. Series are structured like MLB and MiLB series are, with two- or three-game sets.

“So, it really does have that feel,” Stewart said. “It’s a good experience and I think it really does prepare you for what’s to come.”