Twelve youth baseball and softball teams representing various youth baseball and softball organizations will participate in the ninth annual 'All-Star Youth Classic,' a friendly, round-robin tournament hosted in the backdrop of MLB All-Star Week. The tournament will feature more than 140 young baseball and softball players, aged 11-12, participating in games and attending several MLB All-Star Week events. This year's All-Star Youth Classic will run from Friday, July 7th through Monday, July 10th at Grapeland Park and Fern Isle Park in Miami, the host city of the 88th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
The 12 teams scheduled to participate in the All-Star Youth Classic include several special groups from across the country and Puerto Rico. For the second consecutive year an all-girls baseball team, the Stamford Sluggers (Stamford, Conn.), will compete. Other notable teams include Mattingly Charities RBI (Evansville, Ind.), which was founded by Miami Marlins Manager and Evansville native Don Mattingly, Jackson Park RBI, a team representing the new RBI program in Flint, Mich., and Puerto Rico RBI, representing the Caribbean. Additionally, there will be one baseball and one softball team from the All-Star Host Miami Marlins RBI program. Following are the cities (and national youth leagues) represented in the 2017 All-Star Youth Classic:
· Lajas, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico RBI) - Softball
· Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia RBI) - Baseball
· El Paso, Texas (Base Play RBI) - Softball
· Evansville, Indiana (Mattingly Charities RBI) - Baseball
· Flint, Michigan (Jackson Park RBI) - Baseball
· Hawthorne, California (Holly Park Little League) - Baseball
· Jersey City, New Jersey (Roberto Clemente RBI) - Softball
· Miami, Florida (Miami Marlins RBI) - Baseball & Softball
· Oxford, Alabama (Oxford Dixie Youth Baseball) - Baseball
· Stamford, Connecticut (Stamford Sluggers) - Girls Baseball
· Tampa, Florida (Wellswood Sports Association PONY) - Baseball
In addition to the games, participants of the All-Star Youth Classic will have the opportunity to attend All-Star Week events. These include MLB All-Star FanFest at the Miami Beach Convention Center, All-Star Sunday including the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Marlins Park, and various PLAY BALL-related events. Additionally, participants will be exposed to a variety of off-field life experiences, including rooming on campus at the University of Miami and a community service activity.
"We are looking forward to hosting these young men and women in Miami for the All-Star Youth Classic and All-Star Week festivities," said Tony Reagins, Senior Vice President of Youth Programs, Major League Baseball. "Providing opportunities for them to highlight their skills on the field is important, but we believe it is just as meaningful to give them a chance to build lifelong friendships and memories through this once-in-a-lifetime experience."
The 88th Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, July 11th will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.
For more MLB All-Star Week information and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com, the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard Twitter account (@AllStarGame) and All-Star Game presented by MasterCard Facebook account (Facebook.com/MLBAllStarGame).