Week 1 - July 19-22: Jackie Robinson Training Complex; Vero Beach, Florida
Week 2 - July 24-27: Jackie Robinson Training Complex; Vero Beach, Florida
44 Hank Aaron Invitational Game - July 29-30: Truist Park; Atlanta, Georgia
Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), USA Baseball and the Atlanta Braves have announced the re-branded Hank Aaron Invitational, which will add new elements to the effective approach of the former "Elite Development Invitational." The unique amateur development event will serve as a youth-oriented, on-field diversity initiative that aims to get high school-age players, with diverse backgrounds, to the next levels of the game.
The Hank Aaron Invitational will be held in July at Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, and will be operated by MLB, the MLBPA and USA Baseball. Approximately 250 players (ages 13-18) from across the United States will receive elite-level training from former Major League players and coaches. Previous event instructors included former Major League manager Jerry Manuel and former All-Stars such as Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, Tom "Flash" Gordon, Eric Davis, Marquis Grissom, Reggie Smith, Delino DeShields, among others.
The players also will receive presentations on college eligibility and other information necessary for advancement in the collegiate and professional levels of the sport. Funding of the Hank Aaron Invitational comes from the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort established in July 2015 and focused on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and Canada.
The top 44 players from "Week 2" of the Hank Aaron Invitational will be invited to play in a special showcase game at Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves, as part of an extensive "Hank Aaron Week" hosted by the Braves. Hank Aaron Week will include a variety of diversity- and culture-focused initiatives focusing on business networking, nostalgic history connected to Aaron's legacy, philanthropy, education and social justice. Additional details for Hank Aaron Week, including dates for all events, will be announced at a later date.
The players for the Hank Aaron Invitational will be selected via a combination of the following programs and groups: MLB Youth Academy network, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, USA Baseball, the Buck O'Neil Scouts Association, MLB Clubs & Scouts and individual active and former players. Many players also will be participants of Breakthrough Series Development Camps hosted by MLB and USA Baseball.
Have questions about the Hank Aaron Invitational? Please email [email protected].
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Yogi Berra once coined one of the most famous quotes related to baseball. "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical,” he said. When Berra first said that, it was about the mental capacity it takes to play the game. But now, a player's...
Players from the Hank Aaron Invitational Showcase Game have a unique experience at the MLK Center for Cultural Day
ATLANTA -- Keenan Jabeth didn’t know where Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King were laid to rest. The senior outfielder quickly found out when he walked onto the King Center on Saturday and saw the Kings’ white marble tombstone sitting atop the reflecting pool with their names, lifespans...
Players at the Hank Aaron Invitational find out they will go to Atlanta for the HAI Showcase Game at Truist Park
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- When Donte Lewis saw his name on the list of players playing in the Hank Aaron Invitational showcase game, all he could think about was calling his parents and following in the path of his friends. Days filled with conversations with his parents about that moment...
The pipeline of diverse baseball talent is on display in Vero Beach at the Hank Aaron Invitational
MLB, MLBPA, and the Youth Development Foundation remain committed to growing baseball in diverse communities at the Hank Aaron Invitational
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- While every baseball player dreams of one day playing in the big leagues, there’s more than one path to reach that goal. Kids participating in the Hank Aaron Invitational at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex this past week were exposed to additional coaching through a speaker...
Players selected from MLB ID Tour experience their first Hank Aaron Invitational along with some new coaches
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- As the Hank Aaron Invitational game was being played last year at Truist Park in Atlanta, Enoch Carlisle watched from home in Nashville, Tenn. “I have to be there,” he thought to himself. Carlisle’s relentless pursuit to get invited to the Hank Aaron Invitational ultimately led...
Week 1 of the Hank Aaron Invitational gets underway with some familiar names and faces from MLB's The Program returning to Vero Beach
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- For Rookie Shepard, an opportunity to participate in the Hank Aaron Invitational is nothing short of a dream. Even with it being his second straight year participating in the event, an opportunity to wear Hank Aaron’s name across his chest and play at the Jackie Robinson...
One year after six of the first 18 players selected in the MLB Draft were participants in the program, another five MLB Develops alumni were taken in the first round on Sunday. In total, 10 picks from Day 1 of the Draft are alumni of MLB Develops. “It's important, number...
Billye Aaron joins the booth at the Hank Aaron Invitational to discusses what the invitational means to her, the players and more
Ken Griffey Jr. attending the Hank Aaron Invitational with a focus on Rashaad Glenn who is attending Griffey's alma matter in Cincinnati
