MLB honors Youth Academy standouts in Milwaukee ahead of World Series Game 2

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Major League Baseball held a pregame ceremony honoring youth baseball and softball standouts from its nine Youth Academies before Game 2 of the 2026 World Series at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Saturday. The recognition came as the Tampa Bay Rays faced the Milwaukee Brewers in the Fall Classic, with MLB presenting a series of awards tied to its PLAY BALL youth programs and youth-camp pipeline. MLB said the young people honored represented several different youth initiatives, including athletes associated with Nike RBI World Series champions, recipients of the Jennie Finch Empowerment Award presented by ARM & HAMMER, finalists for the Pitch, Hit & Run Finals presented by Firehouse Subs, American Legion winners, and participants from the MLB Youth Academies that serve as a development springboard for aspiring players and leaders. MLB described its youth initiatives under the PLAY BALL umbrella as aiming to encourage participation in baseball and softball in both casual and competitive settings. The league also outlined that its MLB Develops programming includes a group of cost-free events, listing the Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational, Trailblazer Series and Elite Development Invitational. MLB stated that the programming has helped shape players who later reached professional baseball, and it pointed to 11 alumni on postseason rosters in 2026. Among those actively playing in the World Series were Brewers infielder David Hamilton and Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson. As part of the pregame festivities, MLB named one “Youth of the Year” from each of its nine Youth Academies. The league’s announced honorees were Michael Hayes of the Houston Astros Youth Academy, Brayden Bolden of the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy, Gustavo Ramirez of the MLB Compton Youth Academy, Dylan Robinson of the MLB New Orleans Youth Academy, Kaitlyn Asher of the Philadelphia Phillies Youth Academy, Da’Nyiah Shamel of the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, and Yadiel Rodríguez Carrión of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. The list also included Vincent Hood of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy and Antonio Phelps of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. In addition to the Youth of the Year recognitions, MLB said four athletes received the Jennie Finch Empowerment Award presented by ARM & HAMMER during the same pregame window. MLB stated that those award recipients were selected after demonstrating leadership, integrity, motivation, commitment and humility on and off the field at MLB’s four softball events held across the year, and it added that each award recipient received a $10,000 college scholarship courtesy of ARM & HAMMER. MLB further stated that select members from the Nike RBI World Series champion teams were recognized on field. The league identified the Senior Baseball Division champion as the Atlanta Braves Nike RBI team, the Junior Baseball Division champion as the Chicago White Sox Nike RBI team, and the Softball Division champion as the United States Virgin Islands Nike RBI team. Another group acknowledged before the World Series game included 40 athletes scheduled to participate in the 2026 Pitch, Hit & Run Finals presented by Firehouse Subs. MLB noted that Pitch, Hit & Run is currently celebrating its 50th year and pointed to notable past participants, including Andrew McCutchen, Joey Gallo, Adley Rutschman, J.P. Crawford, Rhys Hoskins and Spencer Torkelson, among others. The recognition tied the event participants to the broader PLAY BALL developmental pathway MLB describes as feeding young athletes into competitive opportunities. The ceremony also recognized members from the American Legion World Series-winning Carpet Land Spartans sponsored by Lincoln Post 500 from Lincoln, Nebraska. MLB said the Carpet Land Spartans won the eight-team American Legion World Series in August in Shelby, N.C., and it placed their sponsorship and championship into the same on-field recognition schedule as the MLB Youth Academy honors. With the World Series game marking the occasion, MLB’s pregame awards provided a single platform for multiple youth-development threads within its organization, linking academy graduates and award winners to major league visibility at American Family Field while highlighting both baseball and softball programming under the PLAY BALL brand.

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