Young baseball players in Salinas had a big day Saturday.
The Junior Giants held their big opener and Hartnell College hosted a baseball workshop with former pro baseball players.
The Junior Giants are part of the Salinas Police Activities League, with officers serving as coaches. More than 1,000 young players signed up to play in the free league.
Salinas Junior Giants Director Angel Gonzalez said this is a way to get kids involved in sports instead of criminal activity later down the line.
“It means that all these kids out here have chosen to be a part of a program that is all about being positive and it’s fun because they get the exercise and the camaraderie of being with their team. It’s just about community,” Gonzalez said.
Saturday’s kickoff is the Junior Giants program’s 23rd year.
Thanks to Mann Packing of Salinas, the Junior Giants received new baseball gloves for its participants.
On top of the Junior Giants opener, other young baseball players got the chance to learn from some former major league baseball players over at Hartnell College.
The players received instruction from nine major leaguers, like former Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Steve Sax. This is the clinic’s first year.
Former Cleveland Indians player Ernie Camacho helped organize the event and said he hopes to have more kids next year.
“People are always talking about a lot of negative things in Salinas and try to do something original and they’ve never brought Major League Baseball to Salinas,” Camacho said. “There’s a lot of clinics in the city and some kids can’t afford it, so we do this free.”
“It’s a good way to just have the camaraderie with them and we have fun out here. We ham it up a bit, at least I do,” Sax said. “Sports is such a great thing. The competitive nature, the sportsmanship, the team work comes into effect when you get later on in the business room or wherever you are.”
The group plans to hold a similar clinic next year sometime in June.
