When Major League Baseball (MLB) announced its multi-year partnership with Jerry Lorenzo’s fashion brand Fear of God, it opened Pandora’s box. “I get asked every day about Fear of God collaborations,” Anthony Manuel, Director of Youth Activates for Fear of God, told me over the phone. “We say no to most of them. Not only are we protective of the brand, but my brother and I also want to make sure our partnerships truly align with our values and how we see the game. That is one of the reasons why collaborating with The Hill Boys was a no-brainer and a perfect fit,” he said.
While a collaboration between the highly popular fashion brand and The Hill Boys, an Atlanta-based elite baseball development program founded by former MLB players Marquis Grissom and Lou Collier, may make sense on the surface, two ascending brands uniting at an opportune time. I assure you this connection runs much deeper than the optics.
The Grissom-Manuel relationship dates back to the 1990s in Montreal. In 1991, Jerry Manuel joined the coaching staff of the Expos, a team he played for in the 80s. Marquis Grissom, then a budding star in his mid-twenties, instantly connected with Manuel. Their bond expanded beyond the field and extended to their families. “Most people don’t know Marquis calls me Gator,” said Anthony. “Whenever I see him, it’s ‘Hey Gator.’ We were fishing one time in Florida when I was young, and we were so caught up in the activity, we didn’t even notice that an alligator had made it to our feet. “ Ever since then, he’s called me Gator.”
“The relationship goes further back than most people know, Cheats,” Lou Collier, co-founder of The Hill Boys and an eight-year MLB veteran, told me. “Once you start pulling back those layers, it’s a beautiful story.”
The Manuel family, the Colliers, and the Grissoms are all intertwined in the close-knit web of high-level grassroots baseball. Youth baseball is now a multibillion-dollar industry. It grows more expensive and exclusive every year. The high cost and the omnipresence of travel baseball have contributed to fewer African Americans embracing the game. Collier and Grissom have developed a blueprint to ensure the next generation of Black baseball players are included and up for the challenge.
The Hill Boys can mean a few different things. If you Google Hill Boys Baseball, you’ll find the Atlanta-based elite baseball training program founded by Collier and Grissom. You’ll see their philosophy of building complete ballplayers, not just physical athletes. They teach character, confidence, and community, and emphasize discipline, energy, and accountability more than home runs and double plays. But the Hill Boys also serve as the moniker for a tight-knit friend group of professional players, some of the most popular Black baseball players in the game today. 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Michael Harris, Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler, Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson, who recently took the baseball world by storm in the 2026 postseason, 2022 Reds 1st-round draft pick Cam Collier, and 2022 Nationals 13th-round draft pick Marquis Grissom Jr., all have the distinction of being original Hill Boys. Their bond was codified during the COVID shutdown at Grissom’s farm property in Georgia - and yes, it features a pretty grueling hill.
“It was really Marquis Jr. that got it started,” Collier told me. His peer group was at a pivotal time in their baseball development, and COVID shut everything down. “They came to me and Marquis Sr. and wanted to work out,” said Collier. “I don’t think we picked up a ball or a bat for at least three weeks. Those early days were hardcore conditioning. To be honest, I wanted to see if they were going to quit. But once we saw they were serious, Marquis (Sr.) and I took it seriously too,” Collier remembers. “Once they started working out, they started bringing more of their friends, pros like (Michael) Harris and (Lawrence) Butler. You have to understand, Cheats, this was not public; it wasn’t a business at the time; this was real friends putting in the work to develop their skills.”
“We share the same philosophy,” Anthony Manuel said. “Being the underdog — getting it out the mud — putting in the hours and hours of hard work,” Manuel told me with passion. Manuel possesses a coach-first mentality. He has coached in the Reds organization and can often be found training youth players, either individually or through programs sponsored by MLB Develops.
“The Hill Boys represent freedom, opportunity, visibility, creativity — when you look at the way Michael Harris plays the game, Lawrence Butler, Chandler Simpson, these young men are creating their own lane in such an authentic way,” Manuel continued. “And add the fact that we are truly supporting family — it makes the collaboration much more meaningful.”
Marquis Grissom Jr. remembers meeting Jerry Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God and a former FAMU baseball player, at the Dream Series in Atlanta nearly a decade ago. “I knew he was Jerry Manuel’s son, but I didn’t know his connection to Fear of God,” Grissom recalls. “His dad coached my dad, and family was always around. They always said they’d take care of me, but seeing the Fear of God X The Hill Boys — that’s crazy. It really shows me how far we can take this Hill Boys movement.”
The Fear of God brand has three tiers: Fear of God, Fear of God Essentials, and Fear of God Athletics. When asked what the future of Fear of God Athletics, the answer is a bit elusive. “The future is not uncertain, but it is unpredictable,” said Anthony. “We have a lot of ideas, and the brand has the freedom to go in several directions. The key is that the future of Fear of God Athletics will always align with our values. Those values are on full display through the Jerry Manuel Foundation, through the work of MGBA (Marquis Grissom Baseball Association), MLB Develops, and the Hill Boys,” Anthony said with passion.
“Last thing I’ll say, Cheats: This collab is so special for our family, because it is a true full-circle moment. Lou and Marquis are such caring people, loving people, and selfless people. They’ve looked after us with love for as long as I can remember,” Anthony recites. “I remember being in L.A. and getting emotional when Cam (Collier) got drafted by the Reds. The family love runs deep between the Manuels, Grissoms, and Colliers. Lou and Marquis have been so great to us over the years; blessing them with Fear of God Essentials was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.
Great story.
Inspiring.