Carrying the torch

[gunnarthor]

ESPN has a nice article on Lloyd McClendon, the only black manager in baseball right now.  "The lack of African-American managers parallels a shortage of black players on the field. African-American representation on big league rosters peaked at 19 percent in 1986 and fell to 8.13 percent last season. St. Louis, Arizona and San Francisco did not have an African-American player on the roster when MLB celebrated Jackie Robinson Day last April."

 

 

[ExpectMorePayLess]

I don't think the Twins have any African American pitchers in the system other than Tyler Jones, but they do have several potential position players who are African Americans and on the way up with Aaron Hicks, Byron Buxton, Nick Gordon, Niko Goodrum, Adam Brett Walker, and possibly JD Williams. If not for Hicks 2 month cup of coffee, the Twins would have looked like Arizona, San Francisco, and St. Louis last year and the year before.

 

Dozier and Mauer may be the only causation starters in 2016 other than 90% of the pitching staff. I guess times are changing in MN. People will probably get upset when the question is asked: Is MN ready for a minority dominated team? I only ask because people don't always like change. It shouldn't matter, but if it were that simple, we wouldn't be talking about Seattle's Manager "Carrying the Torch".

[Bark's Lounge]

Certainly it is not good for the game of baseball. But, if African American Athletes choose other sports over baseball, it should come as no surprise to the fan base of baseball.

 

Maybe it is not their best/preferred sport... maybe they want the glitz and glamour of the NFL or even the NBA.

 

Maybe they are playing the sport they love the most?

 

It is MLB's job to make more individuals excited about the game, maybe they are doing a bad job at it, but it is what it is is. I do not think Major League Baseball is boring, but I bet some of the top high school athletes believe it to be boring. They are invested in another sport.

 

How do you recruit that individual?

[GMinTraining]

Hicks

T. Jones

Buxton

Gordon

Walker

Goodrum

 

24% of the 25 man roster in the near future. The most African Americans on any team in baseball if that occurred. Only 3 of 6 truly expected to make it though. That is 12%. Still higher than MLB average of 8%.

[JB_Iowa]

I think a lot of the question of minorities getting into baseball is well-considered in this article by Andrew McCutchen (discussion in another thread):

 

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/left-out/

 

As for how Twins fans will react to a minority dominated roster, winning will allay most of those concerns especially after the last four years. I think many of us have fond memories of the "Soul Patrol". I don't expect this to be much different. And I'm looking for a change of personality from this team although I expect that to come more from the Latin players than from the seemingly somewhat restrained Buxton and Hicks.

[gunnarthor]

As for how Twins fans will react to a minority dominated roster, winning will allay most of those concerns especially after the last four years. I think many of us have fond memories of the "Soul Patrol".

Maybe.  But at the same time there were a bunch of Minnesota sports fans who thought "Tar Baby" was not only an appropriate nickname for Tarvaris Jackson but even thought it was ok to post it.