Upton: Number of black MLB players to keep dwindling without more initiative
Justin Upton is the only African-American on the Detroit Tigers' active roster. He's the only one on their 40-man roster, too, and the Tigers aren't an anomaly.
According to Upton, one of just 58 black players to crack an Opening Day roster in 2017, the increasing paucity of African-American players in the big leagues can be attributed, at least in part, to the game not being taught that much within black communities. More initiative is needed, he said.
"I think I've always said the game's not being taught in inner cities as much as it is other places," Upton said Sunday during an appearance on MLB Network Radio. "You can watch TV and figure out how to play basketball - you can figure out how to shoot a jumper - or take your athleticism to a football field - but with baseball being a skilled sport, there needs to be more of an initiative to teach the game in inner cities and some of the places where baseball isn't being taught.
"And until we're more active, as far as the baseball community, in introducing the game and teaching the game in those areas, I think the number (of African-Americans in MLB) will continue to dwindle. And I think that's kind of sad."
Percentage of African-American MLB players, 1994-2016 (SABR)
| Year | % African-American players |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 17.2% |
| 1995 | 16.1% |
| 1996 | 16.0% |
| 1997 | 15.0% |
| 1998 | 14.3% |
| 1999 | 13.6% |
| 2000 | 12.8% |
| 2001 | 12.1% |
| 2002 | 10.8% |
| 2003 | 10.4% |
| 2004 | 10.1% |
| 2005 | 9.1% |
| 2006 | 9.0% |
| 2007 | 8.5% |
| 2008 | 8.2% |
| 2009 | 7.1% |
| 2010 | 7.8% |
| 2011 | 7.9% |
| 2012 | 7.2% |
| 2013 | 6.7% |
| 2014 | 6.7% |
| 2015 | 7.2% |
| 2016 | 6.7% |
Still, even with the percentage of African-American players in the big leagues having lingered below 10 percent for more than a decade now, there are some encouraging signs the trend will soon reverse. From 2012 through 2016, African-Americans comprised more than 20 percent of the first-round selections in the amateur draft, according to the most recent MLB Racial and Gender Report Card, and four black players - including prep phenom Hunter Greene, who went second overall to the Cincinnati Reds - were selected in the first round of this year's Rule 4 draft.
There is more to be done at the grassroots level, however, said Upton, who made his MLB in 2007, when black players comprised 8.5 percent of the big leagues - the highest percentage of his career.
"I have optimism about it," he said. "I think more can be done. I know Edwin Jackson does a baseball camp every year in Georgia, and those little things can help, but more needs to be done to really make a difference because even with those isolated events being done, think about how many people throughout the country actually make it to the big leagues or make it to minor-league ball. For anybody, it's tough to get to that level, so there has to be more people and more African-Americans playing the game in order for us to see a change at this level."