Sluggball, a 4-on-4 baseball competition co-founded by former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., is expected to debut in May and tour minor league stadiums this season. Sluggball focuses entirely on situational hitting, with no fielding or running required. Amaro, who was the Phillies general manager for three straight NL East titles, founded Sluggball with his brother, David Amaro. Sluggball advisers include Kenny Lofton, a six-time MLB All-Star, and Evan Kaplan, managing director of MLB Players Inc. Sluggball teams of six to eight players bring their own pitcher and compete in the 4-on-4 situational challenges using wood bats. Events guarantee two four-round games per team, with championship teams competing for cash prizes. Sluggball’s four directional hitting rounds include pull side, up the middle, opposite field and around the horn. “You’re trying to do something with the baseball and you’re trying to compete,” Amaro said. “What is better than making contact on the barrel with a baseball and bringing back those old roots. Those things you did as a kid, but doing it in a competitive environment and a really fun one.” FILE – Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., speaks during a baseball news conference Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) The baseball competition begins May 10 at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark and includes stops at stadiums in Ohio and New York. Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa and Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy were part of a Sluggball pilot program in September in New Jersey. “Guys get a chance to come to a facility like (Trenton Thunder Ballpark), or any facility across the country, and experience the flavor of the ballpark, the smells, the senses,” McCarthy said. “I think that’s kind of cool because many of them probably never reached this level. It’s an opportunity to have that landscape to do these things.” Amaro rose from Phillies batboy in 1980-83 to playing for the franchise for five seasons in the 1990s. He spent 10 seasons as assistant general manager and became GM once Pat Gillick retired after the Phillies won the 2008 World Series. Amaro was in charge when the Phillies won the 2009 NL pennant, three division titles and most wins in franchise history (102) in 2011. “Get your team ready to compete out here on the field,” Amaro offered. The Associated Press contributed to this story