Junior Giants return for the summer season

SALINAS, Calif. (KION)- With the Summertime here, it’s time for the Junior Giants to play ball.

Boys and girls are back on the field for this year’s season. Offered by the San Francisco Giants, the league offers more than just pitches and teamwork. If kids want to play, academics come first.

Steve Furtado, the commissioner for the league, says a reading component is vital to play.

"It has a reading component. They have to read seven hundred twenty hours, so there’s an education component," said Furtado. The coed team has a long-running reputation for helping assist goals off the field.

"Keeping kids busy maybe keeping them off the street from going to the wrong direction in life, and we try to keep them on the good side of life," Furtado.

Retired players even return to and thank staff for all they have done.

Jeff Lamb, the Director of Operations for the Salinas Police Activities League, says many kids come back to the field as adults.

"They come back as adults because now they have children, and they tell you stories like you've made a difference in my life.”

Aside from coaches and mentors, parents play a crucial part in the game. Belinda Anguiano is a parent who loves watching the game.

"I find that a lot of the kids are spending a lot of time at home these days and getting used to being with the tablets, and it’s just really nice to see people that are really enthusiastic too."

Over one hundred players are set for this season, but for the coaches, the teaching never stops.

"You hear one of those stories, and it motivates you to do more."