Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Sluggball, a 4-on-4 baseball competition co-founded by former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., is expected to debut in May and tour minor league stadiums this season.
Sluggball focuses entirely on situational hitting, with no fielding or running required.
Amaro, who was the Phillies’ general manager for three straight NL East titles, founded Sluggball with his brother, David Amaro. Sluggball advisers include Kenny Lofton, a six-time MLB All-Star, and Evan Kaplan, managing director of MLB Players, Inc.
Sluggball teams of six to eight players bring their own pitcher and compete in the 4-on-4 situational challenges using wood bats. Events guarantee two four-round games per team, with championship teams competing for cash prizes.
Sluggball’s four directional hitting rounds include pull side, up the middle, opposite field and around the horn.
The baseball competition begins May 10 at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey, and includes stops at stadiums in Ohio and New York.
“Sluggball gives players a unique opportunity to return to the field and embrace the best parts of the game,” Lofton said.
Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa and Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy were part of a Sluggball pilot program in September in New Jersey.
Amaro rose from Phillies batboy in 1980 to ’83 to playing for the franchise for five seasons in the 1990s. He spent 10 seasons as assistant general manager and became GM once Pat Gillick retired after the Phillies won the 2008 World Series. Amaro was in charge when the Phillies won the 2009 NL pennant, three division titles and had the most wins in franchise history (102) in 2011.
