Former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro starts Sluggball

Ruben Amaro Jr. has seen almost every angle of baseball as a big league player, general manager and coach. Now you can add Co-founder of Sluggball to the former Phillies general manager’s resume.

Amaro has baseball in his blood. His father Ruben Amaro Sr. played in the majors. His brother Dave Amaro played in the minors. Ruben Amaro Jr. created Sluggball with the help of his brother. 

Sluggball will officially debut on May 10 at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark in New Jersey. It will be a cool full-circle moment for Ruben Amaro Jr. to launch the first Sluggball game in his home state. 

Games will also be played in minor league stadiums in Ohio and New York. There are currently six games scheduled, but additional games are expected. All participants must be at least 21 years old. Teams can register at playsluggball.com.

Sluggball is a  4-vs-4 situational hitting challenge that doesn’t involve running or fielding. Teams will consist of 6-8 players. Each team is required to bring its own pitcher. This will be a tournament-style play with the last team standing winning cash prizes.

Situational hitting challenge

“We ask these players to hit the ball in certain areas of the field. … We have four or five different rounds. The first round for instance could be to hit the ball to the opposite field on a line in an area courted off,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “At one point it might be around the horn, when you have to pull the ball, go up the middle, then hit it to the opposite field.”

A “hit” has to be a line drive that would clear the infield and hit the grass or turf unless a batter hits the ball up the middle off the screen.

Excitement is building for this event. Several players have already shown interest and are forming teams. Former All-Star outfielder Kenny Lofton is among the advisors of Sluggball. Lofton has floated the idea of breaking out the bat to compete. Evan Kaplan, the Managing Director of the MLB Players Association, is another advisor.

Michael Gossner, Michael Gossner Jr. and Gregory Olenski also played a key role in the creation of Sluggball.

“We all love baseball very, very much, and there was this consensus that there wasn’t anything to find to play once baseball games were over. It was hard to put together a pickup game. Let’s try to find something that would be enjoyable,” Amaro Jr. said. 

He wanted to emphasize hitting since that’s the most fun part of the game. A lot of people don’t want to worry about running or playing defense.

This is great for players who are looking for something to do but can no longer play professionally. The competition and the camaraderie of team building are some of Amaro Jr’s favorite aspects of Sluggball. 

Love of baseball key

Amaro Jr. played eight MLB seasons. He still has strong ties to the Philadelphia Phillies. He played for them for five seasons from 1992-1993 and 1996-1998.

He was also in the Phillies’ front office from 1998-2015. In 2008, he was the assistant general manager when the Phillies beat the Rays in the World Series. He was promoted to general manager in 2009. This was a rare opportunity to become a GM of a team that was ready to win right away. 

“We were trying to prolong our success,” he said. “We got back to the World Series in 2009 and even though we lost to the Yankees it was still a really special moment. I still pinch myself that we made the World Series in my first year as general manager.”

He was voted the Executive of the Year by the fans and Philadelphia Sports Writers Association in his first season as the Phillies‘ GM. 

After the 2015 season, Ruben Amaro Jr. made a rare transition from GM to coach. His mindset was that he always wanted to be a manager. Even as a player, managing was something he always thought about. He was a base running and outfield coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2016-2017. 

Amaro Jr. spoke fondly of coaching Red Sox stars such as Mookie Betts, David Ortiz and Xander Bogaerts. 

Ruben Amaro Jr. credits dad

In 2018 he became the first base coach of the New York Mets. After that season he was promoted to an advisory role under Mets GM Brodie Van Wagen.  

“I learned a lot there as well and worked with some really good players,” Amaro Jr. said. “I was trying to help Mickey Callaway out since he was a first-time manager, and I had a few different roles.”

Amaro Jr. enjoyed being close to home in Queens to the dismay of the Phillie faithful. In 2020 he went back to Philadelphia as an analyst for NBC Sports. He was also hired by MLB Network for the same role in 2021.

He credits his father  with nurturing his passion for baseball.

“My father’s influence was significant as it was all I knew growing up,” he said.

Amaro considered the Phillies’ major league clubhouse as his second home. The elder Amaro hoped that Ruben would become a doctor or soccer player because he knew how tough it was to get to the big leagues.

“My batboy experience while he was coaching for the Phillies during the 1980 world championship season was the impetus behind my desire to become a big leaguer,” Ruben Amaro Jr. says.

In 1980 Ruben Sr. won a World Series ring with the Phillies as their first base coach. He played in MLB for 11 seasons and won a Gold Glove with the Phillies in 1964.  He also remained in the Phillies organization as a scout and minor league coach. 

The baseball bloodline runs deep in the Amaro family. It can be traced back to four generations. Amaro Jr. is now carving out a unique path for baseball as sluggers will step up to the plate to try and hold on to their baseball dreams.