All photos courtesy of Sluggball
A new take on baseball is set to “hit” minor league stadiums this year, thanks to the formation of Sluggball. This reimagined version of the sport is “designed to reignite the former player’s passion for hitting” (in the words of league officials) by offering a 4-v-4 situational hitting format with a proprietary, patent-pending scoring system.
The best analogy, officials added, is “Topgolf for baseball.”
“Sluggball is more than a game, it’s an experience that brings friends, family and former teammates together,” said Ruben Amaro Jr., Sluggball’s co-founder, a retired Major League Baseball player and former Philadelphia Phillies general manager. “We’re excited to offer a fun, competitive game that celebrates baseball and the bonds it creates.”
The game focuses entirely on hitting, with no fielding or running required. Teams of six to eight players bring their own pitcher and compete in 4-v-4 situational challenges using wood bats, creating a nostalgic yet competitive atmosphere. At-bats are limited to eight swings or 35 seconds, and points are scored by hitting the ball in accordance with each round’s situation. A ball put in play does not count as a point if it is ruled a foul ball, does not finish beyond the infield or is hit between infield feather flags.
Events guarantee two four-round games per team, with championship teams competing for cash prizes. Participants and guests also enjoy club-level food and bar service, exclusive on-field player gear and the chance to meet MLB alumni.
Amaro Jr. co-founded the game with his brother, David, and brand collaborators include the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA), custom wood baseball bat maker Victus Sports and motion analysis tech company Blast Motion. Sluggball advisors include six-time MLB All-Star Kenny Lofton and Evan Kaplan, managing director of MLB Players Inc.
According to Sluggball HQ: “Sluggball hosted an invite-only pilot event at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark in September 2024. Six teams featuring players with a wide range of baseball experiences and ages competed in Sluggball’s four directional hitting rounds: (1) Pull Side, (2) Up the Middle, (3) Opposite Field and (4) Around the Horn. The onsite MLB ambassador was Phillies legend Larry Bowa, who spent time with the teams on the field, took pictures and signed autographs. To view a recap of Sluggball’s pilot event in Trenton, watch it on YouTube here.”
Sluggball will officially debut in multiple states beginning in May. Here is the schedule as of late January:
- May 10: Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, N.J. (home of the Trenton Thunder)
- June14: MLB Playball Weekend at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio (home of the Columbus Clippers)
- July 13: Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio (home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers)
- Aug. 24: Trenton Thunder Ballpark
- Sept. 13: SIUH Community Park in Staten Island, N.Y. (home of the Staten Island FerryHawks)
- Oct. 11: Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio (home of the Lake Erie Crushers)
Additional events are expected to be added to the schedule, and interested players can register their team at playsluggball.com. Participants must be 21 years of age or older.
The game’s main goal is to attract former high school and college players who want to keep competing by only swinging the bat.
“In this day and age, there are so many alternative sports like pickleball, 3-on-3 basketball, Topgolf and things like that,” Amaro told USAToday.com. “There’s no such thing in baseball. There’s really no other thing for former high school players and college players who truly love the most fun thing in baseball, and that’s hitting. We just felt like there was a demographic that was being ignored. We think there’s three million-plus people in this sort of 24-to-35-year age 
demographic who played high school baseball. So many people don’t have anything else to do, so they’re going to play softball, which is not the same thing.’’
“I’m hoping this will get people excited about situational hitting and talked about more in today’s game,” Lofton, a lifetime .299 hitter with 2,428 hits, added. “It’s not all about home runs. It’s about knowing how to hit.”
As Sluggball co-founder Greg Olenski Sr., who has coached elite travel baseball teams for more than 25 years, says in a promotional video: “Nobody has to run, nobody has to field. … The great thing about this game is that it’s just not a regular batting practice.”
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