Grassroots to the Pros
With the 2025 baseball season upon us, Grassroots Baseball is embarking on an exciting project called GRASSROOTS TO THE PROS. Throughout the season we'll share early-day stories of Major League players - past and present – and their journeys to the highest level of baseball.
April 14 2025
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees • OF
Long before Aaron Judge was swatting home runs at a Ruthian pace (both Babe Ruth and he had 321 homers through their first 1,000 games in pinstripes), he played Little League in Linden, CA, his hometown in the San Joaquin Valley.
It was there that the Yankee phenom hit his first over-the-fence home run. His dad was there to see it, and the ball can still be found in his childhood bedroom.
Being both the biggest kid on the field and following in his dad’s recreational softball footsteps, the slugger primarily played first base. As an eight-year-old, he was already modeling his crouched batting stance after his childhood hero, Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia.
The affable outfielder’s favorite memories from his grassroots days include playing with his friends and getting a hot dog and a Pepsi after games. As he told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, “Our concession stand was right there, and everyone was running, even if we lost the game. I used to love sliding practice and all the fun things we would do. We had some pretty good teams back then, so it definitely got me ready for the big leagues.”
His advice to kids playing today is to work hard and soak up and to enjoy the experiences. “You might be in the World Series in 20 years, who knows?”
Aaron would know as this photo of him from last year’s World Series will attest, 23 years after putting on his Little League uniform with a smile and a dream.
April 10 2025
Johnny Bench
Hall of Famer
“One day, when I was about 4 years old, my dad and I were watching The Game of the Week on television, and the announcer said, ‘Now batting, the next superstar, the switch-hitting center fielder from Oklahoma, Mickey Mantle.’ I looked at my dad and said, ‘You can be from Oklahoma and play in the major leagues? That’s what I want to do.’ ”
April 6 2025
Jung-Hoo Lee
San Francisco Giants • OF
The Giants are off to a 7-1 record - their best start in 22 years - thanks in part to center-fielder and middle-of-the order hitter Jung-Hoo Lee. The superstar outfielder hit .340 over seven seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) before signing with San Francisco prior to the 2024 season.
Like father like son, Lee was an MVP in the KBO, 28 years after his father Jong-Beom Lee earned the honor after stealing a league record 84 bases. Jong-Beom’s nickname was “Son of Wind,” and when his son arrived in the US he introduced himself to Giants fans as “The Grandson of Wind.”
Though raised in Korea, Lee was born in Nagoya, Japan – not far from where his hero Ichiro Suzuki grew up - when his father was playing for the Chunichi Dragons. Lee followed Ichiro’s career closely, emulating his batting style and wearing #51 out of respect to his Hall of Fame hero. Like Ichiro, in grade school Lee announced his future plans to play professional baseball.