{"id":70,"date":"2026-05-27T16:13:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=70"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:13:59","slug":"jimmy-rollins-to-manage-in-the-hbcu-swingman-classic-it-was-a-no-brainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=70","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Rollins to manage in the HBCU Swingman Classic: \u2018It was a no-brainer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div><audio><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p>Six seasons into his major league career, Jimmy Rollins had not yet realized the impact he could have on young Black athletes.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=68\">Sixers fans claimed over a million Chick-fil-A nuggets in the team\u2019s best Bricken for Chicken season yet<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><p>Then, he saw someone look at him the way he looked at Rickey Henderson.<\/p><div><\/div><div><div><div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Dee Strange-Gordon was more interested in basketball when his dad, former reliever Tom Gordon, signed with the Phillies. Strange-Gordon came to spring training in 2006 and watched Rollins hit in the batting cage and field grounders at shortstop.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Rollins made baseball look, well, cool.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Twenty years later, a decade after he retired, Rollins will be around impressionable young players again. The iconic Phillies shortstop will manage a team in the HBCU Swingman Classic, which features players from historically Black colleges and universities, on July 10 at Citizens Bank Park as part of MLB\u2019s All-Star festivities.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>\u201cIt was easy to be able to be there in a dugout with these young brothers that may not have had an opportunity to go to big D-I schools or maybe had an opportunity and decided to go to an HBCU,\u201d Rollins said this week. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest stage that they\u2019re going to be on until they get to the big leagues. It\u2019s an MLB stadium, at the MLB All-Stars, with a lot of history around them.<\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cTo pass on my number, let them know for anything, I\u2019m here. I\u2019m not a stranger at this point anymore going forward. So it was a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>In 1991, when Rollins was growing up in Oakland, Calif., 18% of players on opening day rosters were Black, according to records kept by Major League Baseball. By 2000, when the Phillies called up Rollins, the number dropped to 12.8%. It reached a historical low of 6% in 2024 before ticking up to 6.2% and 6.8% the last two years.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Rollins, 47, is aware of the trend. It\u2019s multifactorial, he said, pointing to sneaker deals that entice athletes to turn to basketball, the allure of football in the country\u2019s sporting culture, and the lack of instant gratification within baseball\u2019s amateur and minor league systems.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>But Rollins believes the path to getting young athletes to choose baseball again is rooted in current and former players spreading the gospel of the game. <\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Even though Strange-Gordon\u2019s dad was an All-Star pitcher, he preferred slam dunks to grand slams and thought he would play college basketball until he met Rollins.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Instead, he played baseball at Seminole (Fla.) State College, got drafted by the Dodgers in 2008, and had an 11-year major league career in which he played in two All-Star games and won a Gold Glove.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>\u201cWith Dee, I knew,\u201d Rollins said. \u201cLike, Dee was around. He watched everything I did. He made it very clear, just like Rickey was my favorite player. I was glad that he was able to be that close to it and I was able to have that influence on him, because you never know who\u2019s watching you go out there.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=66\">See a marathoner running races in a suit? That\u2019s North Philly\u2019s Halim Wallace<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Few teenagers are privileged to have such access. But Rollins cited a recent conversation with Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, an alumnus and leader of The Hill Boys, an Atlanta-area youth baseball program that links kids with current and former major leaguers.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Rollins was struck by the commitment of Harris and others to teaching young players about the work that goes into succeeding in the sport.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost like a recruiting center,\u201d Rollins said. \u201cThese young players are going back home to where they came from and continuing to work with the youth. They\u2019re not just in the big leagues, and they\u2019re not separating themselves when they are with the kids.<\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cWe\u2019re all in this together, and you get to see what it takes to be a big leaguer. And you only get that by sticking with it. I think that\u2019s why the numbers are maybe starting to tick back up.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>The Swingman Classic plays a role, too. Ken Griffey Jr. founded the event in 2023. He partners with USA Baseball and a committee of MLB scouts to select the players who will participate.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Rollins, who retired in 2016, remains visible within baseball as an analyst for TNT, a podcast host with fellow Phillies icon Ryan Howard, and an MLB ambassador for commissioner Rob Manfred. He will manage against longtime former Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks, who starred at Southern, an HBCU in Baton Rouge, La.<\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cHBCU baseball is very competitive,\u201d Rollins said. \u201cThere\u2019s good, quality baseball. It\u2019s just bringing eyes to it. I think this brings a spotlight to that, and you know, this is your chance to go show off.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" alt=\"The Inquirer logo\" class=\"wp-image-47\" src=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/faba80d67140212ba32240655442c529.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n        Watch the latest episode\n      <\/div>\n<div>\n<p>As the Phillies continue to seek more production out of the cleanup spot, <strong>Rhys Hoskins<\/strong> was back in town with the Cleveland Guardians. Hoskins sat down with &#8220;Phillies Extra,&#8221; The Inquirer&#8217;s baseball podcast, to discuss his role with the first-place Guardians, his legacy with the Phillies, and more. Watch here.<\/p>\n<p>You can also subscribe to the podcast version of <em>Phillies Extra<\/em> on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Previous episodes<\/strong>: Terry Francona |\u00a0Aaron Rowand |\u00a0Hunter Pence |\u00a0Paco Figueroa |\u00a0Gage Wood |\u00a0Scott Boras |\u00a0Brian Barber |\u00a0Aaron Nola |\u00a0Justin Crawford |\u00a0Garrett Stubbs<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=64\">The battle over Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown comes to a New Jersey parking lot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The former Phillies shortstop will lead a team in the July 10 game featuring players from historically Black colleges at Citizens Bank Park as part of MLB&#8217;s All-Star festivities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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