See the superstar-studded rosters for inaugural HOF East-West Classic
The inaugural Hall of Fame East-West Classic, a tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Games held from 1933-1962, will be held on May 25 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. (Click here to learn more about the original East-West All-Star Game.)
It’s coming up fast, so team captains CC Sabathia (West) and Chris Young (East) appeared on MLB Tonight: Clubhouse Edition on Monday to hold their Draft for a national audience. A lot of pressure, but certainly nothing new for a pair of former All-Stars.
“I picked a lot of people who greatly impacted the game,” Young said of his selection process. “From Adam Jones to David Price, Tony Gwynn Jr., Josh Barfield, Ryan Howard -- we have guys who were game-changers out there. Mo’ne Davis [is] making an appearance for the squad. Really looking forward to having this team come together and having a lot of fun out in Cooperstown.”
“I went with the notion of trying to win this game,” Sabathia followed, with a laugh. “I drafted Dee Strange-Gordon, Dexter Fowler, Tim Beckham, José Contreras -- I know he can throw a lot of innings -- Matt Kemp, I got the Upton brothers, Tony Sipp, Tyson Ross. So I feel good about my squad and coming out with this 'W.'”
The retired players up for selection combined for 53 All-Star selections during their respective careers. And despite a few former first-rounders being available, Edwin Jackson (East) and Fowler (West) -- sixth- and 14th-round picks in their respective MLB Drafts -- were first off the board.
MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds, serving as the event emcee, will be an honorary member of Team West; for Team East, that honor will go to Mookie Wilson. Each team will also include a Negro Leagues legend: Pedro Sierra (1954-58), now 85 years old, will join Team East, while 87-year-old Sam Allen (1957-59) will be on hand with Team West.
MLB Hall of Famers Harold Baines, Rollie Fingers, Ken Griffey Jr., Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Fred McGriff, Eddie Murray, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, Ozzie Smith, Joe Torre and Dave Winfield are expected to serve as coaches.
Here's a look at the full rosters:
TEAM EAST
Captain: Chris Young
Negro Leagues legend: Pedro Sierra
Honorary team member: Mookie Wilson
- Josh Barfield
- Mo’ne Davis
- Doug Glanville
- Tony Gwynn Jr.
- Jerry Hairston
- Scott Hairston
- LaTroy Hawkins
- Ryan Howard
- Edwin Jackson
- Jeremy Jeffress
- Adam Jones
- Russell Martin
- Melvin Mora
- David Price
TEAM WEST
Captain: CC Sabathia
Negro Leagues legend: Sam Allen
Honorary team member: Harold Reynolds
- Tim Beckham
- José Contreras
- Ian Desmond
- Prince Fielder
- Dexter Fowler
- Curtis Granderson
- Matt Kemp
- Darrell Miller
- Tyson Ross
- Tony Sipp
- Dee Strange-Gordon
- B.J. Upton
- Justin Upton