Kids from MLB Youth Academies to take center stage at the All-Star Commissioner's Cup and Jennie Finch Classic

The All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic presented by ARM & HAMMMER will return to the Midsummer Classic, with competition centered at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, CA – Baseball’s first Youth Academy (established in 2006). Below is the full round-up of teams representing their communities in this year’s All-Star tournaments, joining the youth baseball and softball teams from the Compton Academy:

Baseball – Commissioner’s Cup

• MLB Youth Academy, Compton, Calif.
• DREAM, Bronx & Harlem, N.Y.
• P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy, Dallas, Texas
• MLB Development Program – Puerto Rico, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
• Houston Astros MLB Youth Academy, Houston, Texas
• Kansas City Royals MLB Urban Youth Academy, Kansas City, Mo.
• New Orleans MLB Youth Academy, New Orleans, La.
• Philadelphia Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, Washington, D.C.

Softball – Jennie Finch Classic presented by ARM & HAMMER

• MLB Youth Academy, Compton, Calif.
• DREAM Bronx & Harlem, N.Y.
• P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy, Dallas, Texas
• Finch’s Aces, Flemington, N.J.
• Houston Astros MLB Youth Academy, Houston, Texas
• Kansas City Royals MLB Urban Youth Academy, Kansas City, Mo.
• New Orleans MLB Youth Academy, New Orleans, La.
• Philadelphia Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, Washington, D.C.

All games of both tournaments will be played at the Compton Youth Academy and are open for free to the public. Competitive play will begin on Friday, July 15th and continue through the Championships on Monday, July 18th. In addition to the on-field excitement, players will also be treated to unique experiences during MLB All-Star week, including Capital One PLAY BALL PARK, Capital One All-Star Oceanfront, the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game, All-Star Saturday and the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium.

The All-Star Commissioner’s Cup features 10 teams of youth baseball players (ages 17 and under) from MLB Youth Academies and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs from around the country and in Puerto Rico.

The _All-Star Jennie Finch Classic presented by ARM & HAMMER_, named after the legendary Olympic Gold Medal Winning softball player and MLB Youth Softball Ambassador, features 10 teams of youth softball players (ages 17 and under) from MLB Youth Academies, RBI programs, and Jennie Finch softball programming.

The MLB Youth Academy in Compton, on which all subsequent Youth Academies in the U.S. have been modeled, has served more than more 10,000 young men and women in Southern California since opening in 2006. More than 500 Academy student-athletes have gone on to participate in collegiate baseball and softball programs, and more than 160 Academy alumni have been drafted by MLB Clubs. The MLB Youth Academy in Compton encompasses more than 20 acres on the campus of El Camino College, Compton Center. The Academy is a state-of-the-art facility featuring four fields, including a show field complete with scoreboard, grandstand seating, dugouts and lights; an auxiliary field; softball field; youth field; and a 12,000 square-foot clubhouse consisting of a weight room, locker room, and other training facilities, as well as batting cages and pitching mounds. Many graduates have gone on to establish fulfilling professional careers both in and out of the game. Since its opening, the Compton Academy has produced an impressive list of alumni, including New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks (1st Round, 2008), Cleveland Guardians pitcher Anthony Gose (2nd Round, 2008), New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (7th Round, 2008), Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson (2nd round, 2009), Chicago White Sox pitcher Vince Velasquez (2nd Round, 2010), Seattle Mariners infielder J.P. Crawford (1st Round, 2013), New York Mets first baseman and outfielder Dominic Smith (1st Round, 2013), Seattle Mariners outfielder Marcus Wilson (2nd round, 2014), Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dillon Tate (1st Round, 2015), Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (1st Round, 2017), and more. Additionally, several other Compton Academy alumni are making an impact in other areas of the game, including Malachi Moore (MLB Umpire), Johnny Washington (Asst. Hitting Coach, Chicago Cubs), Andrew Toussaint (Asst. Director, Amateur and International Scouting, New York Mets) and Glenn Walker (Area Scout, New York Mets).

All MLB Youth Academies provide educational programming, such as SAT/ACT preparation and tutoring. Each Academy’s goal is for 100 percent of the youth it serves to graduate high school. MLB Youth Academies also operate baseball vocational programming, offering its participants and members of the local community the opportunity to attend free seminars on umpiring, athletic field management, scouting and player development, sports and broadcast journalism, public relations and statistics, as well as athletic sports training. Major League Baseball is committed to providing opportunities through baseball and softball to young people from all backgrounds, particularly those from underserved communities, through the MLB Youth Academies. There are now 11 operational Academies in Bronx (New York), Chicago (Illinois), Cincinnati (Ohio), Compton (California), Dallas (Texas), Gurabo (Puerto Rico), Houston (Texas), Kansas City (Missouri), New Orleans (Louisiana), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Washington D.C.; with more in consideration. For additional information regarding the MLB Youth Academy, visit the website at: MLB.com/YouthAcademy