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Jays Care Foundation, in partnership with Toronto Community Housing (TCH) and Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC), offers a safe, fun, active and engaging baseball program for children, ages 6-12, living in under-resourced communities. The Blue Jays Baseball Academy Rookie League uses the game of baseball as a foundation to teach the importance of teamwork, discipline, respect, responsibility and self-confidence. Rookie League is a year-round program that is offered at no cost to participants and their families.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher JP Arencibia, infielder Brett Lawrie, outfielder Rajai Davis, and pitchers Brandon Morrow and Sergio Santos serve as Honourary Captains for each of the Rookie League divisions and Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons serves as Honourary Coach. All Rookie League sites are provided with shirts, hats, equipment and baseball coaching to facilitate programming.
Rookie League is celebrating its 25th season, and will reach 5,000 children in 90 communities in all provinces and one territory with baseball programming!
Jays Care works to ensure all children and youth have the opportunity to play, learn and grow through the sport of baseball. Follow the link below to purchase equipment or subsidize Rookie League registration costs for a child:
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| Toronto Blue Jays President & CEO, Paul Beeston, met with the Jr. RBI Classic team and offered them advice and words of encouragement before their trip to Kansas City. Photo Credit: Michelle Prata. |
Eleven Rookie Leaguers were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of representing the Blue Jays Baseball Academy Rookie League program in the Jr. RBI Classic in Kansas City. They were the first Canadian team in the tournament's history! For six weeks, the Rookie League team honed their baseball skills in preparation for the friendly, round-robin tournament and took what, for many of them, was their first trip outside Toronto. The team had many awesome experiences, including: meeting Paul Beeston and Joe Carter, participating in the Jr. RBI Classic Opening Ceremonies and clinic at Satchel Paige Stadium, watching the MLB All-Star Futures and Celebrity Softball games, touring the Negro League Baseball Museum and watching the MLB Home Run Derby. One of the Rookie League players, Faris, received a batting lesson from Tony Gwynn, and his essay was one of two selected in the Jr. RBI Classic essay-writing competition with a grand prize of catching fly balls in the Home Run Derby!
If you'd like to experience first-hand the journey of these 11 boys, watch Sportsnet's "Diamonds in the Rough" documentary, a moving story of heart, hope and baseball, narrated by Ricky Romero. This 30-minute feature follows the team, capturing the highlights of the experience.
