WWBA event showcases nation's best teens

From the DREAM Series in Tempe, Ariz., over the winter to the Hank Aaron Invitational at the historic Jackie Robinson Training Complex and SunTrust Park during the summer, it's been a special year for hundreds of the most talented and diverse young baseball players in the nation. While many of the high school-aged stars possess next-level talent, their circumstances typically prevented them from having the opportunity to showcase their skills on the national stage. But thanks to the Breakthrough Series, an MLB initiative, talent met talent evaluator, and fun was had. Time and time again.

And now, as a crescendo following months of loud home runs and even louder, unbridled joy, the best of the best have come together to compete at the 2019 WWBA Underclass World Championship, a 17 and under wooden bat tournament operated by Perfect Game, in Fort Myers, Fla. Facing 210 of the best travel teams in the country, the kids are tasked with developing a cohesiveness in quick order. But despite having never played together as one, they are more than ready for the challenge.

"We typically have two to three Breakthrough Series each summer, when we will invite roughly 60 to 70 kids out for a three-day camp. And that's really the beginning of the process, where we identify the kids that we think can have an opportunity to play with us in the fall," said Del Matthews, MLB's VP of baseball development.

"After the Hank Aaron Invitational, we select the top 25 guys or so to have an opportunity to come down and showcase themselves in the Perfect Game tournament. We have a great collection of kids here. They're excited."

While playing collectively to go deep in a tournament stuffed with skill, the stars of the Breakthrough Series also have eyes on an individual prize.

"Maybe seven or eight kids are committed [to college programs]. The rest of the kids are uncommitted, and there are a lot of college coaches here," Matthews said. "This is the environment that's ripe for them to play, and hopefully get interest from some of the schools that are here."

There are also young men on the team with very real professional dreams, and history suggests a handful will get paid to play. Case in point: 32 alumni of previous Breakthrough Series, and other MLB and USA Baseball-led events, were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. But for now, the main mission is winning together, according to one of the team's coaches, former big league skipper Jerry Manuel.

Part coach, part mentor, and wholly inspirational to those on whom he imparts a lifetime of knowledge, Manuel has toiled feverishly to instill the importance of teamwork, a skill that may not always play well for the highlight reel, but nonetheless, garners respect from college and professional talent evaluators.

"We teach game strategy, how to give yourself up, which might not look good in a showcase, but could look good to a guy who thinks 'Hmm, he knows how to play the game. His instincts are better than someone with just showcase ability, who just tries to hit the ball out of the park opposed to hitting a ground ball to drive someone in from third,'" Manuel said.

"If you can showcase instincts, then you got a chance to play at the next level."

Braden Montgomery, an outfielder/pitcher from Madison, Miss., represents one of the young stars who excelled enough to earn a tournament invite. After impressing at the Hank Aaron Invitational over the summer, Montgomery gained a deep appreciation for the opportunity received.

"It's really good that MLB has been able to go around the country and get inner-city kids to play baseball," Montgomery said. "When they first started these events, they had us playing against each other at Spring Training facilities. It's really exciting to get out here and know we have been selected from all the other players from all the other [Breakthrough Series] events."

Learning from former Major League coaches and players, Montgomery added, has been an eye-opening experience.

"I have really learned how to hone my skills. They really honed my mechanics and helped me to locate better. The thing they preach the most is 'play hard.' They preach the fundamentals, but not as much as they preach, 'Play hard and have fun.'"

So far, the latter edict has stood at the forefront of the kids' collective conscious. Regardless how long they last in the tournament, one thing is clear: The lessons learned throughout the summer's Breakthrough Series will last a lifetime.