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The Perfect Game All-American Classic will have some star power leading the way in the dugouts.
The world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform announced Wednesday that World Series champion Joe Girardi and former All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino will serve as managers. The game will take place Sunday, Aug. 16, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The All-American Classic will feature many of the nation’s top high school baseball players. Girardi, who won three World Series as a player during his 15-year career, and one as a manager of the New York Yankees, said it is a “thrill” to be part of the game.
“It’s a thrill for me to be around so much young talent. I think the big leagues has a ton of young talent and this is going to give me an opportunity to see more and probably in like three or four years I’m going to say that young man in the big leagues I got a chance to manage him and I saw him when he was 17 years old, and you could just tell that he was going to be a big leaguer,” Girardi told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
“I’m really excited about that and just to be around so many great players and the biggest thing for me is that they go have fun and enjoy this and realize what they’ve accomplished so far, but this they’re just scratching the surface.”
The former Philadelphia Phillies manager said that he will tell the players they have a “gift.”
“I would tell them they have a gift and that gift is baseball. And don’t waste it. Put everything you have into getting better every day. Taking care of your body, taking care of your mind, making sure that you don’t overwork, but you have to work. I mean, this is a game of repetition, and you have an opportunity to do something really, really special that so few people get a chance to do. And don’t waste the effort,” Girardi said.
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“Don’t waste your opportunity here. Really, really go after this and you will be rewarded.”
Not only will the players have Girardi and Victorino to look to, but they will also be guided by a host of assistant coaches who starred in the major leagues. The coaching staff includes 1995 American League MVP Mo Vaughn, Hall of Fame pitcher Trevor Hoffman, All-Star outfielder Ryan Klesko, along with MLB veterans Todd Coffey, Denard Span and Jason Phillips.
Rounding out the coaching staff will be members of the 1993 Phillies National League championship team Milt Thompson and Ben Rivera, 2008 World Series champions Kyle Kendrick and Tom “Flash” Gordon, and 2010 and 2011 National League East champion Jose Contreras.
Also among the coaching staff is Girardi’s son, Dante.
“I also get to coach alongside my son, Dante, and that’s really special for me because Dante has always loved the game since he was 5 years old. And we went through these Perfect Game events and I actually coached for his team FTB one year when I wasn’t managing and went to the great Perfect Game events,” Girardi said.
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“We went to Atlanta and I remember building a bed in the back of the truck as we were driving around playing in different places. It’s just really fond memories for me and it’s going to create another great memory between my son and I. And I’m sure he’ll have a lot of advice for me. And I probably should listen because he understands what it’s like to be youthful.”
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Girardi guaranteed that one of the players in this game will be in an All-Star Game in the future.
The All-American Classic debuted in 2003, and since its inception, the game has featured some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball play in the event. Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt. Jr, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Lindor are among the star players who have played in the game over the years.
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