PHILADELPHIA -- More than 200 17U MLB Youth Academy athletes gathered on the main concourse at Citizens Bank Park for the 2026 Jennie Finch Classic and All-Star Commissioner’s Cup opening ceremonies on Thursday.
By night’s end, they had turned the concourse into a dance floor, singing and dancing to The Jackson 5 hit "ABC" while carrying gifted Nike backpacks full of equipment and wearing jerseys representing their homes.
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The ceremony welcomed 14-15 athletes each from nine MLB Youth Academies across the nation and Puerto Rico. The teams will compete in a round-robin tournament Friday through Sunday, with the championship game on Monday.
“Since taking over his role in 2015, Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized engaging young people in both baseball and softball in order to grow the sport at the grassroots level,” said David James, MLB’s vice president of baseball & softball development. “That’s why [they] are here.
“And over the last several years, the legendary Jennie Finch has been extraordinary as our youth softball ambassador all around the country. These events are named after two people who have extraordinary roles in growing the game.”
James then performed the traditional roll call, shouting out the names of the academies in attendance to recognize their achievements.
“It is such an honor for these young girls and me to be included and have this opportunity to experience All-Star Week, play the game that they love and be seen,” said Finch, who will be in the dugout during the Classic, giving pointers to the girls. “Seeing these young girls and the gratefulness that they have and share.
“Honestly, I came to inspire and to teach, but I always leave more inspired, and they teach me.”
The event also brought together familiar faces from around the organization.
Among the crowd was 1995 All-Star and 11-year Major League veteran Mickey Morandini, who is a Phillies ambassador after a 9-year tenure with the club. He spends much of his time with RBI clinics and camps with kids and believes these opportunities allow players to continue learning from the game.
“There are so many life lessons you can learn from it. Just about respect, being on time, doing things the right way. Having the right attitude, respecting your coaches, your fellow players, your teammates and the umpires,” Morandini said. “Believe me, I learned a lot from baseball.”
For 16-year-old Lauryn Foy of the Phillies Urban Youth Academy, the event is even more personal. She got to experience it in the ballpark she grew up going to while wearing a Phillies jersey.
“Coming to this organization and having this event means a lot because of all the hard work others have put in,” Foy said. “It’s just amazing how we can all come together and meet each other. I’m most excited about playing [against] a bunch of new people.”
For fellow Phillies Academy member, Aiden Katz, 16, seeing All-Star signage take over his hometown has also been an amazing experience after attending the 2025 All-Star festivities in Atlanta.
“It’s a blessing. I love it,” Katz said. “[Last year] it was so fun to play on the nice fields down in Atlanta and experience the Swingman Classic and all of that. We got to meet people from all around the world.”
Lamarques Bussey, 17, and Chris Anderson, 17, of the Astros MLB Youth Academy hope to learn from history after spending time in Atlanta last year.
“We got to visit Morehouse [College] and the MLK Museum,” Bussey said. “It was really good to learn about the history of Atlanta as well as the history of the country and world.”
This year, they also have a goal in mind, with their participation serving as a testament to the hard work that earned them the opportunity.
“We’re on a business trip,” Anderson said. “We’re going to come out here, develop, work hard as a team, hit the ball, throw strikes and do whatever we can to win and get the [championship] trophy as a team.”
For Tony Rodríguez, coach for the MLB Development Program Puerto Rico and former Major Leaguer, this week will also serve as inspiration for players.
“They all have the dream to be professional ballplayers,” Rodríguez said in Spanish. “But a lot of them think it's impossible, and this shows them a glimpse and inspiration of what their life [could be like].”