Griffey shares wisdom with young athletes at Hank Aaron Invitational

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- After four days of baseball development and on-field action under the Florida sun, the first week of the 2025 Hank Aaron Invitational came to a close, setting the tone for the next crop of participants.

Over 100 elite high school athletes from the classes of 2028 and ‘29 were invited to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex to take part in the Invitational. Event coordinators view the talent level as equally strong, if not stronger, than in past years.

“The tools, in terms of on the field, these players are talented, that's why they’re here,” said Kindu Jones, manager of baseball development at MLB. “Those evaluators … our staff, we understand that.”

Although this is a relatively young group of players -- most are 14 or 15 years old -- there are still plenty of eyes watching them throughout the week, evaluating their potential for college programs.

“We’ve had a couple of kids that we’ve signed out of here that are playing for us at the University of Missouri,” said Mizzou baseball head coach Kerrick Jackson. “That’s something that keeps me coming back.”

The coaching staff present at the invitational complements the raw talent and determination of the participants, which comes as no surprise considering the pedigree of the names guiding the young athletes. A few of this year's instructors included Hall of Famer Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff and long-time MLB veterans Reggie Smith, Howie Kendrick and Gregor Blanco, among others.

Many of the invitational’s past participants have gone on to play in college and even the Major Leagues. A couple are enjoying breakout seasons, like Christian Moore of the Angels and Cam Smith of the Astros.

Week 1 came to a close with a visit from Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

The 13-time All-Star took questions from the excited young players about achieving success at the highest levels and shared some anecdotes about his career development path.

“I was [19] going into the big leagues,” Griffey recalled. “I only played two years of high school baseball… I even got sent to an instructional league to learn how to slide, after my rookie year.”

Griffey used much of his time to emphasize the importance of loving to train and being a sponge for all aspects of the game.

“I had to learn a lot of things, and if you’re not willing to learn, they’ll find someone else who will,” he said.

As many attendees have the potential to play for a Division I program or eventually be drafted, Griffey also offered wisdom on maintaining priorities in the face of looming pressure or influences.

“The better you are and the bigger you get … you gotta nip certain things in the bud early,” Griffey said. “It’s your dream, and you can't let anybody stop you from living your dream.”

The day concluded with the announcement of the Rob "Peach" Picciolo Award, named after the late baseball coach and presented to the player who best represents the spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship. The winner for Week 1 was Isaiah Cador, an infielder in the class of 2028 who is no stranger to the baseball development programs.

The McDonough, Ga., native attended last year's Hank Aaron Invitational and also participated in the 2024 and ‘25 Breakthrough Series and the '25 Dream Series.

While the underclassmen head home, the class of 2026 and ‘27 athletes will arrive at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex for another week of development and high-level competition.

From Week 2 of the HAI, 44 players will be selected to take part in an exhibition game at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday.