Rollins, Weeks honored to be named managers for 2026 Swingman Classic

“Privilege” is the word that best describes what it means for the just-announced 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic managers, Jimmy Rollins and Rickie Weeks, to take the field at Citizens Bank Park on July 10.

Founded by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in 2023, the HBCU Swingman Classic will open MLB All-Star Week in Philadelphia. The showcase highlights players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities while celebrating HBCU culture through pregame festivities and events.

“Being able to go back and talk to the guys, and let them pick my brain, and just to be made aware of who's coming up,” Rollins told MLB Network. “Giving them an opportunity to shine on a big stage, and maybe being able to be a part of that. I was not going to say no.”

The ballpark is familiar to Rollins. He spent 15 of his 17 Major League seasons in Philadelphia, where he became the franchise’s all-time hits leader with 2,306. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2007 National League MVP and a key part of the club’s 2008 World Series championship team. He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2025.

Weeks’ connection to the Swingman Classic is just as personal.

Before a 14-year Major League career with the Brewers, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Rays, Weeks starred at Southern University, an HBCU in Baton Rouge, La. He hit a career-high 29 home runs in 2010 and earned an All-Star selection with Milwaukee in 2011, when he batted .269 with 20 homers. Weeks serves as a special assistant in baseball operations and domestic/international scouting for the Brewers.

The opportunity to manage in the HBCU Swingman Classic brought him back to where his dreams started to take shape.

“Just coming back and getting a chance to manage a team that gave me the chance to play college baseball,” Weeks said. “What more can you ask than that?”

For Rollins, the event represents something baseball has needed for a long time, because, for him, representation is only an idea until action follows it. He believes that it was important for Griffey, given his stature and influence in the sport, to be the person who gave 50 Division-I HBCU baseball players the trust to showcase their talents.

“For [Griffey] to come back and say, 'You're not forgotten about,'” Rollins said. “'And we're going to put you on the biggest stage there is, and that's an MLB stadium at the All-Star [Game], which is our primetime event.' It doesn't get bigger than that.”

Years ago, Weeks would have dreamed of an opportunity like this while attending Southern University. He also thought about what it could mean for teammates who deserved more opportunities.

“I would’ve welcomed that with open arms,” Weeks said. “I've always said when you go off the Minor League baseball and start playing and seeing the guys around you and knowing that guys who you [used to] play with should have been there.”

Both skippers hope their players understand the impact they can have once they step onto the field in Philadelphia.

“You're going to get some hits, you're going to strike out, you're going to make some pitches. Things are going to happen,” Rollins said. “But in the meantime, when the fans and children are looking up to you, is there something about you that they, for some reason, can't take their eyes off of? Go and be that.”

That is the mindset Rollins hopes his players carry once they step across the white chalk lines.

“Bring your talents to the ballpark. This is the All-Star Game. This is your all-star game,” Rollins said. “People are in the stands to be entertained, and that's something that, as a baseball player, you can never lose sight of.”

“So let's go out there, be who you are,” Rollins continued. “I will never get in your way of [you] being who you are.”