![]() Several Black former MLB players were in Phoenix to help with the combine, including Chris Young, who played in the big leagues for 13 seasons and was an All-Star with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010. “We’ve been really blessed with travel ball, lots of support from friends and family.” “We understood the sacrifice, but it was Zion’s will to be a great player that put us in this position,” Karin Rose said. He’s ranked by MLB.com as the 144th best prospect in this year’s draft, projecting for roughly the fifth round, where the recommended signing bonus is around $400,000. Zion took the additional step of transferring from Brother Rice High School in Chicago to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season, so he could take advantage of the facilities and year-round baseball weather. Money wasn’t a huge problem, because both had good jobs and some family members chipped in. Karin Rose, Zion’s mom, said she was fortunate that she has a job as a school nurse, which allowed her to travel with Zion during much of the summer baseball season while Shaun worked at his barber shop. He cited Reds pitcher Hunter Greene as a big influence. The catcher said that Black former MLB players and coaches were also in attendance at many of the tournaments, providing role models. He said the diversity initiatives didn’t just provide exposure to scouts, but also opened a vital pipeline for minority players to connect, share experiences and see faces similar to their own. Many of those programs started several years ago, and the younger participants are starting to hit draft-eligible age. ![]() The nonprofit organization of current and former players works to increase Black involvement at all levels. MLB has also pledged $150 million in a 10-year partnership with the Players Alliance. Those four were among the hundreds who had participated in diversity initiatives such as the MLB Youth Academy, DREAM Series and the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. There are tangible reasons to believe the percentage of Black players might be on the upswing soon.įour of the first five players picked in last summer’s amateur draft were Black for the first time ever. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |