Braves host young talent, honor Hank Aaron at Invitational Showcase
ATLANTA – Truist Park and the Braves hosted a select group of high school baseball players with diverse backgrounds in Saturday’s Hank Aaron Invitational Showcase Game.
The showcase game marked the conclusion of the Hank Aaron Invitational – which was held last week at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla., with 200 invitees from across the United States – and featured the top 44 class of 2025-2026 players from the week-and-a-half-long invitational.
Held annually, the event is supported by USA Baseball and the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Fund, and the 44 players selected are a tribute to Aaron’s jersey No. 44.
The invitational is part of the Braves’ annual Hank Aaron Week, which is a celebration of the life and legacy of Aaron.
“We’ve had a lot of great opportunities to host young kids here that don’t normally get to come to Atlanta and play at Truist Park,” said Braves senior director of alumni relations & growing the game Greg McMichael. “We’re proud that this is one event that has Hank’s name on it, and we’re able to get to see some of the great talent across the country.”
The wooden bat game pitted Team Jackie Robinson (away) against Team Hank Aaron (home) in a seven-inning contest, and the teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Prior to the game, players took on-field batting practice, shagged fly balls and took infield.
Team Aaron middle infielder Rookie Shepard, a class of 2026 University of Miami commit from Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, Nev., had perhaps the hardest hit of the game. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Shepard hit a 382-foot triple off the base of the right-field wall in front of the home bullpen.
Shepard represented the game-winning run at third base, but a Georgia kid – Team Robinson left-handed pitcher RJ Cope out of Georgia Premier Academy in Lawrenceville, Ga. – slammed the door and preserved the tie.
Shepard took in the sights and sounds prior to his first Hank Aaron Invitational Showcase Game.
“Being at the Hank Aaron Invitational has been unforgettable,” Shepard said during batting practice. “It’s incredible being out here [and] being able to play on the Braves’ field. I’m sharing the field with guys like Ronald Acuña Jr., Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies; guys like that who I really look up to. Being able to get this great coaching and learning a lot every day, it’s an unforgettable experience.”
Both coaching staffs featured former MLB players such as Team Hank Aaron manager Lou Collier, who was a utility player for the Pirates, Brewers, Expos, Red Sox and Phillies in his MLB career (1997-2004).
Team Robinson was managed by Jemile Weeks, who played for the Athletics, Orioles, Red Sox and Padres in his six MLB seasons.
Team Robinson Class of 2025 outfielder Anthony Pack, out of Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif., is committed to the University of Texas.
“I feel like a big leaguer right now,” Pack said during pregame infield drills. “I feel like a big leaguer before the game on the big field. I’m gonna be facing a lot of great pitchers.”
Longtime MLB player and manager Dusty Baker watched batting practice and was in both dugouts on Saturday. It was Baker’s first time at the Hank Aaron Invitational as he retired from his post as Astros manager after last season.
Baker played for the Braves from 1968-75 and was teammates with Aaron. Baker was on deck when Aaron hit his record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974. The two maintained a good relationship until Aaron’s death in 2021.
“I’ve heard about it a lot,” Baker said of the invitational. “My godson [MLB vice president of baseball development Del Matthews] is one of the leaders of this. This is the first time I’ve been able to attend it because I’ve been off. I had to come for two reasons. One, it’s Hank Aaron Week. And second, to see these kids and let some of them see me. They probably heard about me from their dads or grandfathers.”
The amateur development event serves as a youth-oriented, on-field diversity initiative that aims to get high school-age players, with diverse backgrounds, to the next level.
On Collier’s Team Aaron coaching staff were Marquis Grissom, Antonio Grissom, Marvin Freeman and Stan Kyles.
Coaching alongside Weeks for Team Robinson were Tye Waller, Mike Jackson, Brian Hunter and Kyles.
“This is the greatest collection of young instructors that I’ve seen in a long time,” Baker said. “You hear the negative things in baseball [about] not signing minorities. Well, here is an opportunity to have some talent in one area where you can look at them.”
Braves center fielder Michael Harris II made an appearance pregame. Harris took photos with players and shook hands. Harris’ Catch 23 Foundation was giving out free school supplies to students and teachers inside the third-base gate.
A replay of the game can be viewed at MLB.com, and it will re-air on MLB Network on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
