Major League Baseball today announced the full schedule of baseball and softball development events taking place throughout the city of Philadelphia as part of this year’s All-Star Week activities. These events are a continuation of MLB’s year-round effort to foster the next generation of talent, encourage diversity in baseball and softball, and engage local communities. The Jennie Finch Classic and Commissioner’s Cup tournaments will hold games July 10-13, the High School Home Run Derby and HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball will take place at Citizens Bank Park on July 10 along with a special Mayor’s PLAY BALL event at Athletic Recreation Park.
The Jennie Finch Classic presented by Arm & Hammer, named after Olympic gold medalist and USA Softball National Team legend Jennie Finch is an annual softball tournament featuring teams comprised of youth softball players ages 13-17 from MLB Youth Academies around the country. Returning to All-Star Week for the eighth time, the event will be held July 10-13 with games taking place at FDR Park and the July 13th championship contest being held at the University of Pennsylvania. The full schedule is here. The Opening Ceremony will take place on July 9th (6:00-8:00 PM) at Citizens Bank Park (Pass and Stow). Both Finch and former teammate and Olympic medalist Natasha Watley, along with MLB Ambassadors Veronica Alvarez and Lauren (Chamberlain) Gipson will be in attendance throughout the tournament. The field of teams is comprised of athletes from the following MLB Youth Academies:
- Houston Astros Youth Academy, Houston, TX
- Kansas City Urban Youth Academy, Kansas City, MO
- MLB Compton Youth Academy, Compton, CA
- MLB New Orleans Youth Academy, New Orleans, LA
- P&G Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, Cincinnati, OH
- Philadelphia Phillies Urban Youth Academy, Philadelphia, PA
- Texas Rangers Youth Academy, Dallas, TX
- Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, Washington, D.C.
The Commissioner’s Cup is an annual 17U baseball tournament featuring nine teams comprised of athletes from various MLB Youth Academies throughout the country and Puerto Rico. The round-robin style tournament games held July 10-12 will take place at the newly refurbished Richie Ashburn Field, Dick Allen Field, and The Camden Athletic Complex with the July 13th championship contest being held at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania. The full schedule is here. The participating teams in the Commissioner’s Cup include:
- Houston Astros Youth Academy, Houston, TX
- Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy, Kansas City, MO
- MLB Compton Youth Academy, Compton, CA
- MLB New Orleans Youth Academy, New Orleans, LA
- Philadelphia Phillies Urban Youth Academy, Philadelphia, PA
- P&G Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, Cincinnati, OH
- Puerto Rico Team MLB, Caguas, PR
- Texas Rangers Youth Academy, Dallas, TX
- Washington Nationals Youth Baseball, Washington, D.C.
The July 10th Mayor’s PLAY BALL event will bring MLB’s signature youth engagement activity to Philadelphia during All-Star Week and will feature a special appearance from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. The event will host over 150 kids ages 5-12 from the local Philadelphia area at 10:30 AM at Athletic Recreation Park. Led by MLB Ambassador Coach Ballgame, the event is designed to encourage greater accessibility to the sport, while demonstrating the variety of ways in which the game can be played in almost any setting.
The High School Home Run Derby will take place at Citizens Bank Park at 2:00 PM on July 10, featuring standout prep players from across the country. The field is comprised of eight sluggers spanning six states, including two participants from Pennsylvania. Notable players who previously participated in the event include All-Stars Riley Greene, Josh Naylor, Sal Stewart, Jordan Walker, Bobby Witt Jr. and rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin. The top two finishers from the July 10th Derby will advance to compete in the final round at the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park. The Derby will air live on MLB.com with Melanie Newman, Jonathan Mayo and Sande Charles on the call. This year’s participants include:
- Jimmy Amplo – The Shipley School (Norristown, PA)
- Kinon Bastian – The First Academy (Winter Gardens, FL)
- Brady Cunningham – Brother Rice High School (Mokena, IL)
- Tavis Honeycutt – Newberry High School (Trenton, FL)
- Graham Keen – Mt. Lebanon High School (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Sullivan Reed – Lamar School (Meridian, MS)
- Lubin Rincon – The Bennet School (Pearland, TX)
- Grant Westphal – Blue Valley High School (Leawood, KS)
The HBCU Swingman Classic Presented by USA Baseball, now in its fourth year, will take place on Friday, July 10th at Citizens Bank Park. Founded by Ken Griffey Jr., in 2023, the event highlights players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and features athletes from 19 HBCUs around the country. The full rosters are available here. Seventeen-year MLB veteran and 2025 Phillies Wall of Fame inductee Jimmy Rollins and Rickie Weeks, the only HBCU player to ever win the Golden Spikes Award, will serve as managers. The workout day will be held at 5:00 PM ET on July 9 at the University of Pennsylvania. The game will be aired exclusively on MLB Network on Friday, July 10th at 7:00 PM with Dave Sims, Harold Reynolds, and Emily Haydel on the call.