By virtue of being invited to play in Friday’s HBCU Swingman Classic, Coppin State senior pitcher Reagan Rivera will get a chance to meet Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. for whom the game is colloquially named after. As eager as he is to meet one of his heroes, Rivera wished he could have faced Griffey on the diamond instead.
“I want the best talent up in the box,” he said. “So when you think of a name like that, it’s, like, ‘Oh yeah, I want that matchup.’ I think it’d be a good one for sure.”
Asked if he would be worried about Griffey — whose 630 home runs rank seventh in Major League Baseball history — might go yard on him, Rivera replied, “He wouldn’t. I don’t think he would hit a home run off of me.”
While we might never know the outcome of such a scenario, what is certain is that Rivera, Eagles teammate and senior second baseman Daniel Moore and UMES junior catcher Jonathan Gonzalez Perez will participate in the third annual invitational that will kick off All-Star weekend at Truist Park in Atlanta on the MLB Network at 7 p.m. The trio will join 47 other players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to learn from baseball legends such as two-time World Series champion Dusty Baker and Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson and get coached by Atlanta Braves greats Brian Jordan and David Justice.
“I really think this is an amazing opportunity from God,” Gonzalez Perez said. “To be able to represent my Maryland Eastern Shore community as well as my own Hispanic community in this event is a big deal. At the national stage where HBCU athletes are given the opportunity to be showcased in front of a lot of people, a lot of MLB scouts as well, above all, to celebrate these cultures, it’s a huge deal, and I’m very proud to be able to represent the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the community at this event.”
Speaking at a news conference earlier in the month, Reggie Waller, a consultant for the Major League Baseball Players Association and former assistant general manager for the San Diego Padres, said players from HBCU programs deserve as much attention as their peers at power conferences.
“We are a byproduct of all of the exposures and the opportunities that we were given,” he said. “As these young men come here, they need to know that they’re worthy not just because the outside world deems them to be worthy, but they need to know that they are worthy because of their unique talents that they bring to the table.”
Coppin State coach Sherman Reed noted that 17 HBCU schools sponsor varsity baseball programs, but not all have the deep pockets to equip their players with technology like Trackman, which is customary at the professional level.
“Particularly, the analytics are so important now, and Trackman is so important in gauging spin rates and all the things that’s now being closely monitored in terms of trying to project a pro,” he said. “We don’t have all of that technology, but they do have it at the Swingman Classic. So a lot of the numbers that the Major League scouts are going to be looking for from the analytic standpoint, they will have that from the Trackman technology that certainly will be available to all the scouts here in this classic.”
All three area players enjoyed standout seasons this past spring. Rivera was named to the All-Northeast Conference second team after compiling a 5-4 record with a 4.91 earned run average while striking out a Coppin State-record 97 batters in 80 2/3 innings. He struck out at least seven batters in 10 of his 14 starts.
Rivera had a pre-MLB draft workout with the Detroit Tigers, and Reed said Rivera is projected as a late-round pick in the draft, which takes place Sunday and Monday.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” he said. “But this kind of gives him more stock, particularly if he goes out there and performs the way we know Reagan Rivera is capable.”
Moore led the Eagles (15-34, 13-17) in doubles (12) and runs batted in (36) and ranked second in batting average (.330). Despite being the team’s top second baseman, he switched to shortstop after the team’s projected starter at that position battled an arm injury.
Gonzalez Perez paced UMES (7-41, 6-24 Northeast Conference) in batting average (.331) and ranked second on the team in hits (47), third in doubles (11) and fourth in runs batted in (26). He also threw out nine runners attempting to steal bases.
Rivera and Moore are the third group of Coppin State players to be invited to the HBCU Swingman Classic. Catcher Mike Dorcean, outfielder Jordan Hamberg and pitcher Rashad Ruff played in the inaugural game in 2023, and catcher Samuel Nieves was there last summer.
Moore said he tried to glean as much as he could from Nieves about his presence there.
“He said it was just a good experience to be around the guys and the people there, the knowledge that you can just soak up,” he said. “In baseball, you just can’t beat those moments of just being out there, having fun, and playing the game.”
Outfielder Brantley Cutler represented UMES at the event in 2023, and coach Danny Acosta and Reed said they can cite their programs’ presence at the games in recruiting pitches to prospective players.
“It puts us back on the map,” Acosta said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the program. I’m here in my third year. So having a guy just shows that the work we’re doing is going in the right direction.”
For the first time, the coaches of the HBCU programs were invited to the HBCU Swingman Classic, and Griffey will be a popular choice for both Acosta and Reed. Acosta wears the No. 24 retired by the Seattle Mariners when Griffey played for them.
Ken Griffey Jr. had young baseballers around the globe wearing backwards caps. It wasn’t a fashion statement. Junior says he had a “peanut head”, and he just wanted to wear his dad’s hat!@thepivot https://t.co/6DOkE3qwl3@FredTaylorMade @OfficialCrowder @alicialauren pic.twitter.com/RkOdBsT3An
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 4, 2022
Reed, on the other hand, joked that he plans to mention how he has banned his players from wearing their baseball caps backwards — a move birthed by Griffey as a way to emulate his father Ken Griffey Sr. when he played for the Cincinnati Reds.
“I’ve got to talk to Ken about that a little, like, ‘Hey, man, you’re still getting kids in trouble,’” Reed said. “But Ken Griffey would be a big one for me. I can’t wait.”
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