What's sluggball? Former Philadelphia Phillies GM puts Topgolf-like spin on America's Pastime
You could call it the Topgolf of baseball, but they call it — sluggball. It's baseball reimagined.
On a beautiful day in Trenton, CBS News Philadelphia caught up with one of the co-founders of sluggball — former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
What's sluggball? Well, as Amaro explains, sluggball is a 4-on-4 competition that unfolds over a series of fast-paced rounds.
"First round, hit the ball to right field. Hit it in a certain area. Then, you go to center field and then to left. And you accumulate points based on you actually getting it done," Amaro said.
Each player gets eight swings in 35 seconds per round to accumulate those points.
There's also no age limit. If you can swing a bat, you can play. And no glove is needed. It's strictly a hitting challenge.
Amaro says that is appealing to so many.
"Our feeling was there was no real baseball after baseball. Whether it was high school or college or even professional guys, they didn't really have a place to go play baseball. You're not gonna grab 18 guys and go out on a field," Amaro said. "I think when you get out here and competing and do some things with the baseball — control your barrel and hit the ball certain places, I think it creates a competition and a fun that people sorta lost after playing sandlot or high school ball or whatever the case may be."
Former Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown now coaches youth in our area. He says that while sluggball can be fun and games, it's also a way to hone your skills in the batter's box.
"We're going oppo, middle, pull side for base hits, line drives. You know that's something some of the kids in the game lose now," Brown said. "So to have a game that's all about fundamentals, it's something these guys need to do."
CBS Philadelphia's Pat Gallen got to try sluggball for himself and enjoy a gorgeous day in the ballpark.
Add in some friendly competition, and sluggball looks like a home run.