AJ Curry looks to carry on San Diego’s baseball legacy at All-Star Classic

AJ Curry has been all over the country the last few years.

He moved from San Diego to Kentucky, then back.

“This,” he said, “is home.”

So perhaps it’s fitting that Curry, a baseball star at University City High School, will play the biggest game of his budding baseball career in his hometown.

Curry will suit up for the West team in Sunday’s Dick’s Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park. The 23rd annual game pits the nation’s 60 best high school upperclassmen against each other. Padres legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman will coach the West team, while ex-Brave and Padre Ryan Klesko will coach the East.

The No. 1 baseball showcase in the nation, the Classic has produced 850 MLB draft picks, 293 first-round choices, five MLB MVPs, 22 Rookies of the Year and 22 Gold Glove winners.

Big names to play in the game include Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr., Gerrit Cole, Freddie Freeman, Francisco Lindor and Zack Wheeler. And more recently, CJ Abrams, Jo Adell, Roman Anthony, Jackson Holliday and 2025 Padres first-round pick Kruz Schoolcraft wore the PG uniform.

Now the honor falls to Curry, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound, left-handed-hitting first baseman, outfielder and pitcher.

“I’m very excited to have this opportunity,” Curry said. “The Perfect Game is so prestigious. It’s such an honor to be selected. And since I was named, I’ve been bombarded by scouts and agents. I actually got to shag fly balls in the outfield during batting practice of the 2017 game, so I get how special this is.”

Curry is the 35th San Diegan to play in the game, joining the likes of big-leaguers Matt Bush (Mission Bay), Sean O’Sullivan (Valhalla), Tony Wolters (Rancho Buena Vista), Daniel Camarena (Cathedral Catholic), Phillip Evans (La Costa Canyon), Corey Oswalt (Madison), Cody Poteet (Christian), Stephen Gonsalves (Cathedral Catholic), Gosuke Katoh (Rancho Bernardo), Sean Bouchard (Cathedral Catholic), Alex Jackson (Rancho Bernardo), Mickey Moniak (La Costa Canyon), Nick Allen (Francis Parker), Calvin Mitchell (Rancho Bernardo), Kyle Hurt (Torrey Pines) and Marcelo Mayer (Eastlake).

The last San Diegan to play in the game was Jack Haferkamp (Santa Fe Christian) in 2023.

“Where those guys have been is where I want to go,” Curry said. “Playing in the big leagues is every kid’s dream. And it’s most certainly mine. I’m looking forward to next season and the draft.”

A good player as a freshman two years ago at Francis Parker, Curry moved with his family to Kentucky in 2024 and put up monster numbers, hitting .552 in 17 games for Ryle High School in Lexington.

He returned to San Diego for his junior season and enrolled at University City High School, where he hit .417 with a home run, 11 doubles, three triples, 26 steals and 14 RBIs. On the mound, Curry was 8-4 with two saves, a 1.14 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Opponents hit .155 against him.

Curry has committed to play college ball at Tennessee, a Southeastern Conference team that went 46-19 last season. College ball remains an option if he is not drafted high enough.

University City coach Chris Greer says Curry “has the ability to play at the next level and beyond. He can run, he can throw, he can hit, he can pitch. He lifted our program, that’s for sure.”

The Centurions finished last season 23-12, beating Calexico 12-1 for the San Diego Section Division 3 championship — a game in which Curry threw five innings, allowing one run and had a triple, single and walked twice.

They then beat Mt. Carmel 3-1 to win the Southern California Regional title. Curry was the starting pitcher, struck out the first six hitters he faced and fanned nine over four innings.

“I love it at Uni City,” Curry said. “Coach Chris (Greer) and Coach Mike (Pieratt). Love those guys,” he said. “One of the reasons I chose Tennessee was because of the coaching staff. Plus, I loved the city of Knoxville — the trees, the river. And I loved the players and the fans.”

Curry chose Tennessee over offers from Texas Tech and Arizona. He will be among the top players to watch in the San Diego Section next spring.

Curry has run the 60-yard dash, baseball’s test of speed, in 6.61 seconds. Anything under 7.0 is considered fast. On the mound, his fastball sits at 91-93 mph.

“There is an argument among scouts: is AJ a bat or an arm?” said Jered Goodwin, vice president of scouting operations for Perfect Game. “For me, he’s a bat because the power will come. And he’s a better athlete than people think. He runs really well. He’s a good worker, a team guy. He checks all the boxes. He’s one of the bigger risers on the national scene. He’s awesome to watch. He’ll have some decisions to make down the road.”

Curry — AJ is short for Antonio Jivan — comes from a family of athletes. His father, Richard, played college basketball at Cal Baptist and Point Loma Nazarene before embarking on a pro career in Mexico. His mother, April, played volleyball, basketball and softball and was on the cheer squad at Scripps Ranch High School. She graduated from Alliant University.

Curry’s sister, Aiyanna, played softball at Mira Mesa High School and is now an infielder at Chico State. She hit .338 with seven homers and 48 RBIs last season.

“Obviously, I don’t remember watching my dad play, but I got to see my sister play when Chico State was at Cal State San Marcos, and I loved it,” Curry said. “Hopefully, someday, she’ll get to watch me play a big-league game in Petco Park.”

Dick’s Perfect Game All-American Classic

What: 60 of the nation’s best high school upperclassmen playing an East-vs.-West All-Star Game. The teams will be coached by Trevor Hoffman (West) and Ryan Klesko (East).

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Petco Park

Admission: Free