Sluggball is like pickleball, but for baseball.
What pickleball did for tennis and ping pong is what 60-year-old former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. hopes slugball will do for baseball.
Amaro Jr., along with his brother David, will begin the new 4-on-4 team sport on May 10 at Trenton Thunderball Park in New Jersey.
“We felt there was no opportunity for guys who played competitive baseball in high school or college to continue after some type of residual activity that involved baseball,” Amaro Jr. told The Epoch Times. Ta.
Pickleball is a cross between tennis and ping pong, while Sluggball combines situational batting with the objective of hitting a baseball to a specific area of the field, such as pull side, center, opposite field, or around the horn. .
But without catching, fielding or running.
“It’s not a Home Run Derby type of situation,” Amaro Jr. said. “What we’re trying to emphasize is bat control, and it’s really about the art and talent of being able to drive the ball to certain areas of the field.”
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The other game day is scheduled for June 14th at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. July 13 at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio. September 13th at Siuh Community Park in Staten Island, New York. Oct. 11 at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio.
Tickets for the game are free, but game participants must play and purchase cash prizes in a tournament-type format.
“We’ll see how these events go. If they go forward, we’ll try to expand and work across the country. “Right now, the tournaments are all at minor league venues. ”
Sluggball includes some elements of baseball, but differs in scoring accomplishments and records.
For example, in the first round, the baseball must hit the correct field with authority and accountability for where and how it lands.
“When you’re not successful in getting the ball to go, it’s out, and you have a certain number of pitches and a limited amount of time to be successful in making contact with the baseball in the right area.” ” Amaro Jr. said. “The premise of using a bat to control it is an art form.”
Former Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles scout Michael Gosner, former D1 college baseball player Greg Olensky, and Ken Buck, co-owner of Experiential Sports Properties, are managing directors of Major League Baseball (MLB) Players Evan Kaplan and retired six-time MLB All-Star Kenny Lofton are advisors.
“Sluggball gives players a unique opportunity to get back on the field and embrace the best parts of the game,” Lofton told Epoch Times. “Sluggball is unlike anything else in baseball because it focuses on hitting in a fun and competitive atmosphere.”
Brand collaborators include MLB Players Alumni Association, Victus Sports, and Blast Motion.
Retired professional players may miss the camaraderie of the dugout, but Amaro Jr. believes his new sport will fill the gap.
“Sluggball is more than a game; it’s an experience that brings together friends, family, and former teammates to rekindle the love of hitting,” he added. “We look forward to delivering a fun and competitive game that celebrates baseball and the bonds it creates.”
Amaro Jr. knows baseball like the back of his hand, having played professionally for three major league teams, including the California Angels, Cleveland Indians, and Philadelphia Phillies. In 1998, he traded in his baseball uniform for a business suit.
“I moved into the front office as assistant general manager,” he said. “My boss talked me out of playing cold turkey. Baseball was in my blood, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me anymore.”
In 2016, he returned to the field as a coach for the Boston Red Sox, then as a coach for the New York Mets, before leaving to work in sports broadcasting.
Currently, Amaro Jr. is a broadcaster with MLB Network and the Philadelphia Phillies.
“It’s great to have guys back playing and competing together,” he said. “That part is what struck me as far as the overall Sluggball experience.”
