Starting this summer, the MLB All-Star weekend will be a little different going forward, with a brand new event debuting earlier this month. Along with the star-studded weekend, Ken Griffey Jr. and MLB introduced the first-ever HBCU Swingman Classic in Seattle.

Fifty baseball players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities were chosen for the inaugural event’s roster, including Cypress Lake alum and current Florida A&M outfielder Janmikell Bastardo.

“We got the Major League treatment from the moment we got there,” said Bastardo. “We got to play on MLB Network and play in front of thousands of fans, and it was a good experience.”

The classic featured several former HBCU players, like Adrián Beltré, Andre Dawson, and Rickie Weeks.

“He called me saying, ‘Dad, I met Adrián Beltré, dad I met Andre Dawson!’” said Bastardo’s dad, Miguel Bastardo. “He got so excited all the time, and that’s good for him.”

Along with Bastardo, four other Florida A&M Rattlers baseball players joined him in the lineup.

“When you fight through the whole season with your team and people I call brothers, being able to play with them in a game like that, it just shows our hard work and all the battles we’ve done throughout the season just to get to this point,” said Bastardo. “It was an honor to play alongside them.”

“Being invited to the Swingman Classic was a big deal,” said Bastardo’s mom, Betty Bastardo. “We were so excited and proud of him. I feel that, like all his commitment, his hard work for the game paid off. And it was just exciting to see him on the big field.”

Major League Baseball has seen a drastic decline in black and HBCU players. According to a study by USA Today Sports, only 6.1 percent of the league’s active players are black, 58 of 945. It is the lowest percentage since 1955. Griffey Jr. hopes that having the annual HBCU Swingman Classic will change the downward trajectory.

“Being able to play on the biggest stage in front of scouts. It puts you out there, gets you great exposure, and helps get those experiences and those opportunities that people from HBCUs usually don’t get.”

Bastardo is taking advantage of the spotlight he’s under, but if baseball isn’t in the cards, he’s got a pretty cool career path planned out…

“My dream is to play Major League Baseball,” said Bastardo. “If that doesn’t work out, I’d like to be in the FBI in the future!”