"44 Game" to be Held at Historic Rickwood Field for Second Consecutive Year
Contest to be Streamed LIVE on MLB.TV, MLB.com and MLB App; Game Will Re-Air Nationally on MLB Network on August 1st
Major League Baseball today announced the 44 players who have been selected to participate in the 2026 Hank Aaron Invitational Showcase Game, also known as the “44 Game.” The 44 players were chosen after participating in Week 2 of the Hank Aaron Invitational at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida. First pitch of the 44 Game is scheduled for 4:08 p.m. CT/5:08 p.m. ET at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. (Rosters available here.)
The 44 Game, which will be streamed live on MLB.TV, MLB.com and the MLB App before being nationally broadcast on MLB Network at 1:00 p.m. ET on August 1st, features players from the 2027 and 2028 Draft classes. Nine 44 Game alumni have been selected in the MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express over the last three years, including Myles Bailey and Aiden Ruiz, who were both selected in the second round of this year’s Draft.
The players in the 2026 showcase game will be broken up into “Team Hank Aaron” and “Team Jackie Robinson,” led by managers Antonio Grissom and Tye Waller in addition to the assistants listed below:
The 2026 rosters feature 37 players who have previously participated in MLB Develops programming. Twenty-seven athletes have experience at MLB’s Breakthrough Series, 20 players have participated in the DREAM Series and 20 members of the roster have been part of The Program. Additionally, 20 athletes on the 44 Game roster were identified from MLB’s ID Tour, a grassroots initiative aimed at identifying talent to participate in future MLB Develops programming.
Founded in 2015, the Hank Aaron Invitational is the premier diversity-focused baseball development experience for high school-age baseball players in the United States. The four-day event features on-field development and games in addition to educational programming and guest speakers, giving players a first-hand look at the various facets of baseball at the next level. Many current MLB players have participated in the Hank Aaron Invitational, including Taj Bradley, Lawrence Butler, Justin Crawford, Hunter Greene, Michael Harris II, Braden Montgomery, Nasim Nuñez and Cam Smith. Additionally, over 30 current Minor Leaguers and more than 150 college players have participated in the event. Twenty athletes selected in the 2026 MLB Draft were alumni of the Hank Aaron Invitational, including first round picks AJ Gracia, Jacob Lombard and Zion Rose.
The 44 Game marks MLB’s second event at the historic Rickwood Field this summer. The third annual East-West Classic was held on Juneteenth in Birmingham, headlined by Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and featuring former MLB All-Stars including Dellin Betances, Prince Fielder, Gary Sheffield, Justin Upton and more. This marks the second consecutive year that the 44 Game will be held at Rickwood Field.
Admission for the 44 Game is free and open to the public.