The fact that there is a member of the Dihigo family in the realms of professional baseball more than 100 years after Martín’s debut is a testament to the quality of baseball players who hail from Cuba and yet another affirmation of the island’s return to prominence after persisting through a nadir during most of the 21st century. Similarly to Martín, Eriel was raised in Matanzas, one of Cuba’s westernmost provinces. Known as Ayá Áta in the Afro-Cuban Lukumí dialect(sometimes spelled as Lucumí)[1], almost 25% of the Matanzas Province’s total population identifies as Black.[2] As one of the epicenters of Afro-Cuban culture and identity across the entire island, the heavy influence and retention of West African languages, music, cultural practices, and social etiquette throughout Matanzas has been well documented by various historians such as Ivor Miller, Lydia Cabrera, and Fernando Ortíz.[3][4][5][6] Matanzas is also famous for being one of the epicenters of Afro-Cuban resistance to slavery/colonialism.[7][8][9]

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Despite their rich and well documented history, Afro-Descendants from Cuba are one of the most flattened demographics in professional baseball. I’ve had people question whether Afro-Cubans in MiLB and MLB would be willing to have conversations with me about Blackness on record even though Cuba has at least three provinces (Guantanamo, Granma, Santiago) where more than half of the population self-identifies as Black and a plethora of municipalities with substantial amounts of self-identifying Black people. I am curious about how Eriel Dihigo will be perceived if he winds up finding any sort of relevance in MiLB/MLB during his playing days considering his ancestor’s prominence in the Negro Leagues and the regularity of Afro-Cubans in the Negro Leagues. Individuals of African descent from Cuba have a long history of claiming their Blackness inside and outside baseball, especially when considering the close ties they had to African-Americans during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.[10][11][12][13] It will be interesting to see whether the continued success of active Afro-Cubans within professional baseball leads to more visibility for Afro-Cubans across the world.

Sources

[1] https://archive.org/details/anago0000unse

[2] https://www.citypopulation.de/en/cuba/admin/25__matanzas/

[3] https://www.jstor.org/stable/343234

[4] https://www.jstor.org/stable/4006814

[5] https://www.jstor.org/stable/41850392

[6] https://www.jstor.org/stable/44797204

[7] https://www.jstor.org/stable/23392570

[8] https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7792406

[9] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271642645_The_Great_African_Slave_Revolt_of_1825_Cuba_and_the_Fight_for_Freedom_in_Matanzas

[10] https://uncpress.org/9780807871034/forging-diaspora/

[11] https://www.jstor.org/stable/2904254

[12] https://www.jstor.org/stable/24713753

[13] https://www.jstor.org/stable/27180576

Samaná-Americans

There are individuals of African-American descent throughout the Samaná Province and in certain major urban areas of the Dominican Republic because of the Haitian Emigration Project that existed from 1824-1826. The Samaná-American enclave speaks a unique creole known as Samaná English (SE) that combines Dominican Spanish and antiquated Black American English. A member of the Atlantic Creole language family, SE is a sister language of the Bahamian dialect and the Gullah language of the Southeast United States (Georgia/Florida/The Carolinas). SE is also a cousin language of the Afro-Colombian Palenquero language, the Jamaican-Nicaraguan-Miskito Miskito Coast Creole, and the Jamaican-Costa Rican creole known as Limónese or Mekatelyu.

The Radney Brothers - Adriel and Chariel

The Dishmey Clan - Samil, Halan, Eliazar, Christopher, & Brandol

The King Twins - Luis Ramón and Luis Stephen

Wenderlyn King

Felix Cotes

Justin Barry

Jose Anderson

Gabriel Jackson

Jeyson Horton

Anglophone Cocolós

Known locally as Cocolós, the Anglophone Afro-Caribbean immigrants who moved to the Dominican Republic from Turks & Caicos, Curaçao, the US & British Virgin Islands, and other smaller Caribbean islands are mostly concentrated within the Puerto Plata and San Pedro de Macorís municipalities, where they use English as a second language to accommodate the large number of American tourists who frequent the two areas.

Wilian Bormie

Jemone Nuel

Edgar Walker

Derek Bernard

Victor Simeon

David Beckles

Gregori Louis

Mervin Fell

Dawel Joseph

Elison Joseph

Bernard Mack

Miguel Welch

Ezequiel Melbourne

Rickey Moneys

Luis Thomas

Haitian-Dominicans

Also referred to as Cocolós, the overwhelming majority of Haitian-Dominicans hail from La Romaná and San Pedro de Macorís. While many of Haitians from the DR, The Bahamas, and Cuba in MiLB hide their heritage and change their names because of rampant anti-Haitianism within baseball, there are more active Haitian-Dominicans in the upper echelons of professional baseball than ever before.

Jhonkensy Noel

Felnin Celesten

Yoniel Curet

Bernardo Doc

Anyelo Jean-Baptiste

Sources/Further Reading

Books

• Caribbean Crossing: African Americans and the Haitian Emigration Movement: https://www.si.edu/object/caribbean-crossing-african-americans-and-haitian-emigration-movement-sara-fanning%3Asiris_sil_1076572

• Samaná English: African-American Language in the Dominican Republic: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Saman%C3%A1_English/APJLEQAAQBAJ?gbpv=0&hl=en

Articles

• Disruptive Silences: The AME Church and Dominican-Haitian Relations: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jafrireli.5.1.0001

• On the Influence of British/American English in the Dominican Society/A Revisited Edition: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-journal/vol9/iss1/19/

• A Merging of Two Cultures: The Afro-Hispanic Immigrants of Samana, Dominican Republic: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23053961

• Preserving Black American History Through Song in the Dominican Republic: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/travel/preserving-black-american-history-through-song-in-the-dominican-republic.html

• “Americans” in Samaná: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25611688

• Copula Absence in Samaná English: Implications for Research on the Linguistic History of African-American Vernacular English: https://www.jstor.org/stable/455493

• Obsolescence in the English Perfect? Evidence from Samaná English: https://www.jstor.org/stable/455607

• Black Protestants in a Catholic Land: The AME Church in the Dominican Republic 1899–1916: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24713938

• Spirituals from the “American” Colony of Samana Bay, Santo Domingo: https://www.jstor.org/stable/535019?seq=1

• America’s Conservatory: Race, Reconstruction, and the Santo Domingo Debate: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41508911

• Haitians, “Cocolos”, and African Americans: Early Authors of Contemporary Afro- Dominican Literature: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40986169

• The Death of the Mother of Victoria Green: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44511932

• How Black English Past Got to the Present: Evidence from Samaná: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4167975

• The Presence of African Languages in Latin America: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep72889.51

• An Epidemic of Negrophobia: Blackness and the Legacy of the US Occupation of the Dominican Republic: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24803023

• Playing Ball in a Black and White “Field of Dreams”: Afro-Caribbean Ballplayers in the Negro Leagues, 1910-1950: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2717497

• Haitian-Dominican History and the 1937 Haitian Massacre: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.12278109.5

• Forgotten Migrations from the United States to Hispaniola: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/trotter_review/vol19/iss1/8?utm_source=scholarworks.umb.edu%2Ftrotter_review%2Fvol19%2Fiss1%2F8&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

• Not a Cockfight: Rethinking Haitian-Dominican Relations: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3185037?seq=1

• Genocide Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy, the Trujillo Regime, and the Haitian Massacre of 1937: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24913419

• The United States and the Trujillo Dictatorship, 1933-1940: The High Price of Caribbean Stability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25611893

• Both Sides of the Massacre: Collective Memory and Narrative on Hispaniola: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44029461

• “How Lucky for You That Your Tongue Can Taste the ‘r’ in ‘Parsley’”: Trauma Theory and the Literature of Hispaniola: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41350920

• Left Out: Afro-Latinos, Black Baseball, and the Revision of Baseball’s Racial History: https://read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article-abstract/27/1%20(98)/37/33580/Left-OutAfro-Latinos-Black-Baseball-and-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext

• Picturing “the Tightest Little Tyranny in the Caribbean”: The March of Time and a 1936 United States–Dominican Diplomatic Crisis: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/filmhistory.29.4.04

• Early Afro-American Presence on the Island of Hispaniola: A Case Study of the “Immigrants” of Samaná: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/JNHv72n1-2p33?journalCode=jnh

• Out at Home: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/18900471/the-complicated-state-haitian-dominicans-mlb

• MLB’s Neocolonial Practices in the Dominican Republic Academy System: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349188304_MLB’s_Neocolonial_Practices_in_the_Dominican_Republic_Academy_System

Martínez Jr. is one of the few active players in MiLB/MLB from Latin America willing to claim his Haitian heritage on record, as the anti-Haitianism embedded in professional baseball forces many active players to flatten their identities and exist under aliases. During an phone interview for a feature I wrote on the Cuban-Haitian polyglot during the 2025 MiLB season he expressed an enthusiastic and explicit willingness to represent Haiti should the opportunity ever arise in the near or far future, and that is a big deal. While many individuals scoff at the idea of Haiti assembling a baseball team that could compete on the international stage, a Haitian baseball federation would be able to assemble a roster that has enough talent to qualify for the World Baseball Classic in 2029 or 2032 if one actually existed. I look forward to seeing how Martínez Jr. fares during the 2026 MiLB/MLB season, because he has the talent to be a productive first baseman who is above-average in all facets of the game.

The Cuban-Haitian first baseman possesses an unique skill set that is eerily reminiscent of Vic Power’s, an Afro-Puerto Rican first baseman who won seven Gold Gloves and displayed above-average base running (49 3Bs/45 SBs) for individuals in his position group during the 1950s and 1960s. Selected as an All-Star in four different seasons and one of the very few players to ever steal home twice during a game, Power was very blunt during his interactions with press in the clubhouse and gained notoriety for consistently using humor to combat racism off the field. He even pioneered the one-handed style of defense used by a majority of first basemen across professional baseball in the present day. The Holguín Globetrotter can operate in a similar role as a glove-first 1B, except with more power and better base stealing technique. Despite being 6’6’’ and weighing nearly 260 pounds, Martínez Jr. is an above-average athlete with loose hips, great hands, and advanced dexterity. His range, internal clock, and creativity at the cold corner are good enough to put him in the running to snag a few Gold Gloves if he plays enough to be considered a full-time player in MLB. He is also an above-average base runner with a history of swiping bags throughout his minor league career.

Despite having an uncommon combination of tools, the 26-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut because of constant injuries and red flags in his offensive profile. He’s only appeared in more than 100 games once out of his five years playing full-season baseball in MiLB. Martínez Jr.’s biggest flaws when standing in the batter’s box are a profound bat wrap in his pre-swing setup and a habit of refusing to swing at hittable offerings. While the he has the bat speed to mitigate the negative effects of the bat wrap to some degree, his ability to make contact (especially on the inside half of the dish and in the upper quadrants of the strike zone) would improve drastically with a swing change that reduces or eliminates the aforementioned bat wrap without diminishing his plus-plus raw power and/or his decent barrel accuracy. His bat wrap also has a negative effect on his ability to anticipate when to swing at pitches, which hinders his ability to utilize his plus-plus raw power to an effective degree consistently. He frequently hesitates to pull the trigger on hittable offerings that he could drive for extra-base hits.

Martínez Jr. has a prime opportunity to address these issues as a member of the Yankees organization, as New York is one of the best in the business getting the most from its hitters. If the Cuban-Haitian slugger cannot establish himself as a productive bench bat in The Bronx, there are other MLB teams that could give him an opportunity to see if he is a worthwhile late bloomer to some degree. The Marlins, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, and Diamondbacks are clubs where he would be a viable candidate to accrue innings at the cold corner. If a lack of success in Triple-A and/or MLB forces him to look for opportunities overseas, he has the high floor of a solid everyday player and the massive ceiling of a superstar in Japan or Korea.

Being a constant fixture in the Venezuelan Winter League shows that he understands the importance and power of representation. Above all else, its another demonstration of his immense love for baseball. Up until the 1970s, it was common for MLB’s superstars to play baseball in the various Latin Winter Leagues during the offseason on a regular basis. Acuña Jr.’s done a great job of possessing worthwhile old school ideals, but has also openly displayed that he is heavily influenced by the modern NBA. He named one of his sons after Jamal Crawford and brings a lot of flair to the diamond. From euro steps when circling the bases after a home run to Ja Morant’s grenade toss, Acuña Jr.’s been MLB’s equivalent of Chad Ochocino with his celebration repertoire since debuting in 2018.

His ability to connect with people through baseball can been seen in the large number of videos strewn across social media of the 5x All-Star playing baseball with enthusiastic children and teenagers in Venezuela during the offseason. I’m always reminded of Willie Mays playing stickball with children in the streets and corridors of New York City whenever I come across one of these videos. Acuña Jr.’s willingness to be the engine of Venezuela’s team for the past two World Baseball Classics was not surprising to me at all. The only thing that could’ve stopped him from wearing La Vinotinto or Venezuela’s tri-colors were the bogus insurance permissions that prevented Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor from representing Puerto Rico. Alongside his cousin Maikel Garcia and Venezuelan captain Salvador Perez, he has led Venezuela to its first appearance in the WBC semi-finals since 2009 during the current tournament. In four games, he has logged a 1.142 OPS across 19 plate appearances with six walks and only two strikeouts.

During the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Acuña Jr. wore the number 42. During the current World Baseball Classic taking place in 2026, he has worn the number 21. 42 was worn by Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson and 21 was worn by Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente during their respective MLB careers. I do not think that is a coincidence based on Acuña Jr.’s prior history with jersey numbers. Throughout his professional career, Acuña Jr. has been very intentional with the number that he wears on the back of his jersey. During his time climbing through the minor leagues, he wore 24 in honor of fellow Venezuelan and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. When he got called up to the majors in 2018, he chose 13, the number his father wore during his professional career in MiLB. Whenever he plays in the Venezuelan Winter League for La Guaira he wears the number that his father wore, which is 27. I would love to see Acuña Jr. continue this tradition during the 2029 World Baseball Classic with 44, in honor of Henry Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and Eric Davis. It will be interesting to see what direction Acuña Jr. decides to go in when it is time for the 2029 WBC rosters to be announced.

The Red Black Green Baseball Blog’s Top Prospects list for 2025 will feature 125 Black active prospects in MiLB/MLB from throughout the African diaspora separated into five different tiers based on a variety of criteria. Unlike a previous “Top Black Prospects” list published by Red Black Green Baseball that solely featured position players, starting pitchers and relievers will be included. The second tier of this list is focused on a group of talented position players in the upper minors who will get cups of coffee to establish themselves as major leagues over the next handful of seasons.

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Many of these individuals are going to make a notable impact during the late 2020s and early 2030s that is going to take a lot of people by surprise, even though the foundation was set for these Black prospects to flourish by active Black players in MLB such as African-American Mookie Betts, Afro-Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor, and Canadian-Jamaican Josh Naylor. The African diaspora’s relationship with baseball is growing stronger despite the entrenched narrative that is focused on hand-wringing over the lack of active African-American players in MLB. From Uganda to the state of Georgia, Black Baseball Culture is quietly moving in a positive direction. I hope this list emphasizes that fact more than anything else. Thank you all for reading and supporting The Red Black Green Baseball Blog.

In case you missed Tier One, here is the link: Top 125 Black MiLB Prospects 2025 - Tier One

14. SS Kaelen Culpepper, MIN

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 45/50 SPEED: 55/55

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 50/50 THROWING ARM: 50/50

Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first-round of the 2024 MLB Draft, African-American Kaelen Culpepper’s athleticism, versatility, and power has carried over seamlessly from his days at Kansas State. He logged an .844 OPS during his second professional season split between Minnesota’s High-A and Double-A affiliates while playing shortstop on a full-time basis with cameos at second and third base. He’s a slightly oversized shortstop who generates above-average bat speed from the right-handed batter’s box with little effort. He sets his feet up in an even position while in a squatted stance and utilizes a slight leg lift. He has a history of low strikeout totals and possesses slightly above-average on-base skills. Despite having above-average raw power, Culpepper only generates average power in games because his flat swing path prevents him from fully utilizing his bat speed unless the ball is being hit to his pull side in left field. His power and sound base stealing instincts should make him a potential threat for multiple 20 SB/20 HR seasons.

Culpepper has a legitimate chance to stabilize the shortstop position for Minnesota, although the biggest question in his profile is whether he can stick at shortstop on a long-term basis. His range is slightly below-average but he makes up for it with solid hands, a good exchange, and a throwing arm with the necessary strength and utility for the shortstop position. The second major question is does he have enough prowess with the bat to justify being a bat-first shortstop if he does wind up being somewhat rough around the edges with the glove. The third major question is whether he can accrue more extra-base hits with simple tweaks to his approach in the batter’s box and/or swing.

15. SP Jurrangelo Cijntje, STL

FOUR-SEAM FASTBALL: 45/55TWO-SEAM FASTBALL: 45/55 SLIDER: 55/60

CHANGEUP: 40/55 CONTROL: 40/45 COMMAND: 45/50

Born in the Netherlands and raised in Curaçao, Curaçaoan switch starting pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (pronounced jurr-AHNgelo SAHNjay) is one of the most unique prospects to ever move through the realms of Minor League Baseball. He moved to Miami, Florida when he was sixteen in pursuit of a professional baseball career and was later drafted by the Seattle Mariners after a successful two-year stint at Mississippi State University, one of the SEC’s premier baseball programs. He was traded from Seattle to the St. Louis Cardinals during the offseason between the 2025 and 2026 seasons in a three-team deal that included the Tampa Bay Rays. He is a undersized starting pitcher with a thick lower half and broad shoulders. His delivery is more consistent from the right-handed side and his stuff is far more viable from the right side than from his left. His command is far better from his right side than his left as well.

He works with a four-seam fastball and a two-seam fastball. The four-seam fastball’s performance is inconsistent, as sometimes it is effective and sometimes it is hittable. When it is at is best, it has noticeable ride and viability in the upper half of the strike zone. He is able to get ground balls and whiffs with his two-seam fastball, as it a combination of run and sink to be an above-average pitch. His slider is the best pitch in his arsenal, it has heavy sweeping shape with above-average depth that compliments the shape of his two-seamer. He also has an above-average changeup to keep left-handed hitters honest. He works with an East-West style in the lower half of the strike zone, relying on the heavy weight and shapes of his pitches to get quick ground outs in an attempt to be efficient. He has the stuff to get an adequate amount of whiffs against opposing hitters as well. His ability to command his arsenal is average, but his ability to control his arsenal within the strike zone is slightly below-average. Because of his short height and history of high walk rates, there is some reliever risk in Cijntje’s profile but because of his unique skill set will allow him to get chances to be a multi-inning relief weapon who can match up against left-handed and right-handed batters.

16. cOF Braden Montgomery, CWS

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 60/60 GAME POWER: 55/55 SPEED: 50/50

BASERUNNING: 50/50 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM: 70/70

Braden Montgomery was a candidate to be the first overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft before a severe lower leg injury cut his collegiate career short. He is a rare African-American switch-hitter with an offensive profile centered around an ability to drive the ball to all fields for extra-base hits. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the twelfth overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M University and was later traded to the Chicago White Sox as one of the centerpieces in a blockbuster deal that sent All-Star left-handed starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox. He is a corner outfielder with the build of an average NFL receiver, standing around 6’2’’ and weighing 220 pounds. He slashed .270/.360/.444 across 121 games with Chicago’s Low-A, High-A, and Double-A affiliates during the 2025 MiLB season. He continued to perform well in the 2025 edition of the Arizona Fall League, going .366/.527/.634 across 55 plate appearances.

He stands in the batter’s box with a slightly squatted and open stance. He generates above-average bat speed consistently and works with an aggressive approach. He offsets his aggressiveness by having an above-average eye for discerning balls and strikes. His left-handed swing is more refined than his right-handed swing, possessing less noise in the pre-swing setup and a smaller, quicker leg kick with more variation. He has a feel for letting the ball travel deep into the strike zone and driving it up the middle or to the opposite field with a lot of success, but struggles to pull the ball in the air with any sort of consistency. Unless he improves at pulling the ball or has James Wood-esque feel for driving the ball the other way, he will hover around 20-25 home runs for most of his career, but he has a chance to be an absolute doubles machine. He is an above-average defender in right field with a plus-plus throwing arm and a high motor that could win him multiple Gold Gloves. He reads fly balls well off the bat for above-average jumps and runs efficient routes for a corner outfielder.

17. CF Enrique Bradfield Jr., BAL

HIT: 60/60 RAW POWER: 35/35 GAME POWER: 35/35 SPEED: 70/70

BASERUNNING: 70/70 FIELDING: 60/60 THROWING ARM: 50/50

Broward County, Florida native Enrique Bradfield Jr. was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round of the 2023 MLB Draft after a decorated career at Vanderbilt University. The Afro-Panamanian-American centerfielder has the talent to join productive group of Black center fielders who wore Baltimore uniforms during the primes of their careers. This fraternity includes Paul Blair, Al Bumbry, Mike Devereaux, Adam Jones, and Cedric Mullins. He stands upright in the batter’s box before getting into a squat as he moves his hands into position during his pre-swing setup from both sides of the plate. Bradfield Jr. uses a unique hand placement and an odd bat path that he has frequently found success with. He possesses an affinity for drawing walks and has a long history of posting impressive on-base percentages. His ability to make contact is well above-average but there is a lot of risk in the switch-hitter’s offensive profile due to his lack of power and the plethora of moving parts on his swing. His approach is centered around his ability to spray line drives to the opposite field. His feel for hitting the ball in the air is more than adequate, but his unorthodox swing and 170-pound frame does not generate much power.

He is an elite base runner and base stealer with the potential to steal more than 75 bags during a single season if he stays healthy and gets on base enough. He looks to create run scoring opportunities on the base paths with plus-plus foot speed and a high baseball IQ. The gap between the pitchers in Triple-A and MLB is wider than ever, which means on-base skills do not translate as smoothly. There is also the fact that MLB infield and outfield defenses are better than they ever have been, which is one of the main reasons why slash-and-dash players have had less viability during the Statcast Era compared to the past eras of MLB. He is a plus-plus runner with a long-term future in center field who makes strong reads and consistently runs efficient routes on fly balls in the outfield. While I think he will be just an above-average to plus defender, there is a chance that Bradfield Jr. winds up being plus-plus to elite with his glove.

18. INF/OF Kristian Campbell, BOS

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 60/60 GAME POWER: 50/50 SPEED: 55/50

BASERUNNING: 45/45 FIELDING: 35/45 THROWING ARM: 35/40

23-year-old Kristian Campbell is at the forefront of an ignored surge of African-American baseball talent being produced in the state of Georgia. While he had a rough first attempt to establish himself as a major leaguer, there is still more than enough time for the Cobb County native to carve out a niche for himself. The super-utility phenom struggled to find a defensive home on a Boston Red Sox 25-man roster crowded with versatile position players who can rake and failed to make a case for himself with his bat. Regardless, he still has one of the most unique ceilings of any active position player in MiLB and will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself over the next handful of seasons. If the Red Sox aren’t going to give him another long look in MLB, it won’t be long before he winds up in another uniform.

His slim 6’3’’ frame still has room for positive projection and he is already hovering around 200 to 210 pounds with plenty of present strength and mobility. Campbell stands in the right-handed batter’s box with a slightly closed, upright stance. He has quick hands and a strong core that he uses to generate above-average bat speed, but does not accrue as many extra-base hits as he could because of his poor anticipation, questionable pitch selection, and suboptimal bat path. He sprays line drives to all fields at an extremely high rate but needs to refine his pitch selection and improve his ability to do damage against fastballs. He is also a candidate for minor and/or major swing adjustments. He has a sound approach at the plate that often leads to double-digit walk rates and elite on-base percentages, but has stretches of being passive when he should be swinging at hittable offerings. He has enough range and versatility to play 1B, 2B, 3B, along with all three outfield positions, but fails to turn chances into outs because of his below-average throwing arm and poor internal clock.

19. CF Justin Crawford, PHI

HIT: 50/50 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 35/40 SPEED: 70/70

BASERUNNING: 60/60 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM:50/50

The son of retired 4x All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford and younger cousin of the current Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, Justin Crawford was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft directly out of high school and forewent his commitment to LSU’s baseball program to begin his professional career. The 21-year-old has the stereotypical slash and dash profile you’d expect of a centerfielder, but has the potential to accrue extra-base hits at a high rate through multiple avenues. He is looking to stabilize center field for Philadelphia and has the talent to be a long-term fixture in burgundy pinstripes. At 6’2’’ and weighing around 220 pounds, he has a similar build and level of athleticism to that of his father.

Crawford stands in the left-handed batter’s box with his hands held high in a compact, squatted stance. He works with an aggressive approach that focuses on spraying line drives to every sector of the diamond. He lets the ball travel deep in the zone often before going up the middle or the the opposite field. He has strong plate coverage, possesses a legitimate feel as a bad-ball hitter, and is a good bunter. Crawford generates premium bat speed with his fluid hands and strong core that rotates well, but fails to generate many extra-base hits because of his current hitting style. He chases a lot of pitches out of the zone but whiffs at a low rate, so it will be important to see whether he can sustain this approach against MLB-caliber pitchers. He may need to reconfigure his hitting style during his first couple cups of coffee at the major league level.

Crawford has dormant power that could be unlocked once he reaches MLB, and if so he has a chance to be a 25 SB/25 HR threat for multiple seasons. He has the requisite straight line speed and a feel for making good reads as a full-time centerfielder, but has a below-average throwing arm that might move him to left field on a part-time basis. His defensive style of play could hold him back from reaching his ceiling as a center fielder, as he plays very shallow most of the time. He has the tools to be an above-average to plus defender in left field like his father if he cannot hold it down in center field. He steals bases at an elite rate but does not take as many attempts as other top notch base stealers such as Kendall George, Enrique Bradfield Jr., or Chandler Simpson.

20. SS Felnin Celesten, SEA

HIT: 40/50 RAW POWER: 45/55 GAME POWER: 40/55 SPEED: 55/50

BASERUNNING: 50/50 FIELDING: 40/55 THROWING ARM: 50/60

Afro-Dominican-Haitian shortstop Felnin Celesten is the rare international prospect who possesses a high floor and high ceiling. The Seattle Mariners front office made him the recipient of one of the highest signing bonuses ever given to an amateur prospect from the Dominican Republic during the 2023 signing period. He grew up in the Dominican city of La Romaná with dreams of being an architect and MLB player. His career got off to a fast start, as he was fast tracked to the Arizona Complex League for his professional debut in 2024, where he posted a .999 OPS across 32 games before a hamstring injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. During the 2025 season he went .273/.345/.375 across 104 games with Seattle’s Low-A and High-A affiliates. Celesten is a switch-hitting shortstop who stands around 6’1’’ and weighs about 175 pounds with a ton of positive projection left in his already athletic and toolsy frame. There is a very good chance that Celesten is going to gain muscle without sacrificing much flexibility or speed based on his current build, but things may turn out to be different.

Celesten stands in the batter’s box with a slight squat and his hands perpendicular to his ear. He utilizes a bat wrap and high leg kick before whipping the bat through the zone, using his quick hands, strong core, and developed lower half to generate above-average bat speed. He has an aggressive approach that focuses on spraying line drives and fly balls all over the field. He has good anticipation and timing for driving the ball to center field and to the opposite field, but needs to improve his ability to do damage on pulled batted balls. He produced a bevy of exit velocities over 100 miles per hour during his age-19 season, which is a green flag for his power projection. His ability to draw walks will be average to slightly above-average, although the jury is still out on his ability to get on base because he has not accrued much time in the minors yet. Because of his long arms and aggressive hitting style, his strikeout rate will hover in the high teens to low-20s barring unforeseen progress with his hit tool. He has more than enough range, good actions, and a reliable internal clock as a defensive shortstop. He possesses the necessary arm strength and arm utility to play the position on a full-time basis. He has good lateral range that could be improved with more reps but so far he has excelled at charging in on ground balls, showing a consistently quick and clean transfer from glove to throwing hand. He is an above-average runner who will hover around above-average or slightly slow down but still will remain mobile. He is an average base runner and base stealer who can take the occasional extra base when available.

21. CF Kendall George, LAD

HIT: 50/55 RAW POWER: 25/30 GAME POWER: 25/30 SPEED: 80/80

BASERUNNING: 80/80 FIELDING: 50/60 THROWING ARM: 35/45

Kendall George is an undersized center fielder from Houston, Texas who was drafted in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of MiLB’s more underrated center field prospects, the 21-year-old has displayed stellar table-setting skills while climbing through the lower levels of the minor leagues. He is part of a trio of talented Black outfielders in the Dodgers organization that includes Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope. He works from the left-handed batter’s box with a balanced stance paired with a simple and quiet swing. His approach is focused on spraying the ball to all fields with an emphasis on going the opposite way. He has a cautious eye at the plate that allows him to draw walks at a double-digit rate. He has posted plus to plus-plus on-base percentages up to this point of his MiLB career. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain this aspect of his offensive profile as he moves into the upper minors and potentially MLB.

The big question pertaining to George’s future as a hitter is whether he can maintain his above-average to plus ability to make contact in the upper minors and majors. The other major question is can he develop a better feel for pulling batted balls, as his current approach is hamstringing his ability to produce in the batter’s box to some degree. George has a long term future in center field, as he makes good reads and runs solid routes. His 80-grade speed plays well up the middle, as he has no issue chasing down line drives and fly balls. His below average throwing arm might force him to move to left field, but time will tell if that will be necessary. He is an elite base stealer who is both extremely aggressive and effective, leading all of MiLB with 100 stolen bases in 2025. He is a top tier base runner who consistently displays razor sharp instincts when navigating the base paths. Along with Hope and De Paula, George is a candidate to be traded by the Dodgers brain trust for established major league commodities.

22. SP/RP Brandon Clarke, STL

FOUR-SEAM FASTBALL: 60/60 TWO-SEAM FASTBALL: 70/70 CHANGEUP:55/55

SLIDER: 80/80 CONTROL: 30/40 COMMAND: 35/40

Starting pitcher Brandon Clarke is the most talented African-American left-handed pitcher in MiLB since David Price tore through the Tampa Bay Rays farm system during the late 2000s. Currently in St. Louis’s farm system, the Cardinals received Clarke and another prospect from Boston in exchange for starting pitcher Sonny Gray during the current offseason. He is one of the most athletic pitchers in all of professional baseball with the prototypical 6’4’’, 200 pound frame of a full-time starter. He repeats his mechanics well and throws from a low 3/4ths arm slot with an elite amount of extension that creates a unique look for hitters to pick up. Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, he has one of the most vicious arsenals in MiLB. The caveat: there is a very long history of major injuries that could prevent Clarke from recording a single out at the MLB level. On the other hand, there is a tangible possibility of the 22-year-old from Virginia becoming one of the most productive left-handed pitchers of his generation in a variety of different roles. His hellacious combination of pitches give him the potential to be an effective frontline reliever if he can’t stay healthy enough to fulfill the role of a full-time starter.

He sits in 96-99 miles per hour range with his fastballs and can reach as high as 101. Both his four-seam and two-seam fastball have superlative shapes in addition to their velocities. His slider is arguably the most effective breaking ball in professional baseball right now. It is a 88-90 mph slider/cutter hybrid that has very little vertical movement with late horizontal break to Clarke’s glove side. He also throws an above-average curveball with 11-5 shape that compliments the rest of his repertoire. He has dealt with control and command issues since his days as a collegiate swingman, and its the biggest flaw in his profile outside of the injury issues. He has more than enough athleticism to refine his mechanics and/or make huge strides with his ability to command/control his pitches. Clarke has a huge head whack that has yet to be eliminated from his pitching mechanics even though it is one of the primary culprits for his high walk rate.

23. cOF/1B Lazaro Montes, SEA

HIT: 30/40 RAW POWER: 70/80 GAME POWER: 55/65 SPEED: 40/35

BASERUNNING: 45/40 FIELDING: 45/40 THROWING ARM: 50/50

20-year-old Afro-Cuban Lazaro Montes is one of the prospects leading Cuba’s resurgence on the international baseball scene after the largest island in the Caribbean found itself in a nadir for producing talent during the mid-to-late 2010s. Signed by the Mariners during the 2022 signing period for international amateur prospects, the 6’5’’, 210 pound outfielder is built like a NFL tight end. His body lacks negative projection and positive projection unless he seeks ways to trim fat while retaining muscle as he gets into his mid-20s. Having already reached Double-A, he is on a trajectory to make his MLB debut sometime before or near his 22nd birthday. The bilingual Havana, Cuba native projects to be typical middle of the order hitter in a lineup, as power is the most prominent tool in his profile. He has been praised for his makeup, intelligence, and leadership skills during his time in the minors.

Montes stands in the left-handed batter’s box with an open stance and a wide setup. His swing is lengthy and handsy, relying on the sheer amount of bat speed that he can generate with his upper body strength. His lack of lower half involvement and lengthy swing because of his long arms limits his plate coverage, causing him to strikeout at a high rate. He offsets his high strikeout rate by working with an approach that allows him to draw a large amount of walks. He has top-of-the-scale power to all fields, being capable of getting out in front to pull the ball and waiting for offerings to go to the opposite field. He has a pronounced feel for producing batted ball events that are line drives or fly balls when he does successfully make contact. His poor route running and lack of foot speed makes him a defensive liability in the outfield. Montes will most likely transition to first base or DH on a part-time or full-time basis early in his career unless he makes major improvements as a defender. His size and lack of athleticism also makes him a net negative on the base paths. Montes is a “wait and see” prospect, as large-framed sluggers with a lack of adequate bat-to-ball ability usually have brief shelf lives in MLB.

24. OF Kahlil Watson, CLE

HIT: 35/40 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 55/55 SPEED: 55/55

BASERUNNING: 50/50 FIELDING: 40/45 THROWING ARM: 70/70

Kahlil Watson is a converted center fielder from Virginia with a fairly high ceiling and a ton of risk within his profile because of questions about his hit tool, defense, and makeup. He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school and was traded to Cleveland during the 2023 MiLB/MLB season. He started his career as a full-time shortstop but transitioned to the outfield as he climbed through the lower minors. Watson has a compact yet muscular frame that lacks any positive or negative projection. He stands in the left-handed batter’s box with an even stance and his feet close together. He starts his hands low, uses a leg kick, and features a ton of noise in his lengthy swing. He generates above-average bat speed with his athletic frame and has a feel for elevating the ball to accrue extra-base hits. Most of the damage he does comes on offerings in the lower half of the strike zone because his swing is grooved. He has an aggressive, free-swinging approach but his ability to make hard contact mitigates some of the risk. Watson is going to strike out at a high rate, so he will need to make contact and generate extra-base hits at a clip that justifies having him in the lineup. He has the necessary straight line speed for acceptable range, but his lack of experience patrolling the outfield grass shows in his routes towards fly balls. If he cannot succeed in center field, he is a candidate to move to right field. He has a plus-plus throwing arm and is fully capable of using it to gun down opposing base runners. He is a high-variance base stealer and base runner who is going to create runs with his feet and also run into his fair share of TOOTBLANs.

25. cOF George Valera, CLE

HIT: 40/40 RAW POWER: 60/60 GAME POWER: 55/55 SPEED: 45/45

BASERUNNING: 45/45 FIELDING: 50/50 THROWING ARM: 55/55

Afro-Dominican-American outfielder George Valera has persevered through injuries and performed when on the field, but the jury is still out on whether he will be a full-time major leaguer. Born and raised in The Bronx, the left-handed corner outfielder was on a trajectory to be one of the most talented position players to come from the East Coast during the 2010s but was forced to move to the Dominican Republic with his family at thirteen years old. He signed with Cleveland during the 2017 signing period for international amateur prospects and instantly established himself as a top prospect. Unlike most of the prospects in the Guardians farm system, Valera’s offensive profile is centered around the three true outcomes. He stands in the left-handed batter’s box with a very open stance and his hands resting near his shoulder. His swing is geared for launching the ball in the air, as it has a very steep bat path. This leads to a lot of whiffs in the top half of the strike zone, although Valera has the ability to flatten out his bat and drive offerings that are up in the zone to some degree. He has plus raw power and a pronounced feel for driving the ball to all fields for extra-base hits via hard-contact.

He accrues walks at an above-average rate but is going to strikeout anywhere from 20%-30% of the time. He offsets this by being able to rack up extra-base hits very quickly because of an aggressive approach that emphasizes pulling the ball in the air, so it will be interesting to see at what rate George can maintain his identity as a hitter against MLB-caliber pitching. He has struggled against left-handed pitching throughout his minor league career, so barring an unforeseen breakthrough, I believe the majority of his plate appearances in MLB will come against right-handed pitchers. He’s an average defender with smooth actions and an above-average throwing arm as a corner outfielder who could make cameos in center field once a week. His base running skills are average and he will steal around 10-15 bases during his prime years. Valera has a strong baseball IQ, leadership skills, and is bilingual, which makes him a candidate for becoming a scout, coach, or front office member after the conclusion of his playing days.

26. 1B/cOF Tre’ Morgan, TBR

HIT: 50/55 RAW POWER: 35/35 GAME POWER: 40/40 SPEED: 50/50

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 70/70 THROWING ARM: 50/50

First baseman Tre’ Morgan was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023 MLB Draft’s third round after a standout career at Louisiana State University. Morgan stands in the left-handed batter’s box with a slight squat and normal leg kick. He is the most athletic and best defensive first baseman in MiLB, but his inability to generate extra-base hits really hamstrings his overall profile at a position where above-average offensive production is necessary. Despite having such a robust hit tool and a long history of getting on base, 22-year-old Louisiana native’s profile has a ton of risk because his offensive value relies on his ability to table set and create runs with his base running acumen. His swing is simple and quiet, geared for making flat, line drive contact at a high rate. His approach works around pulling the ball and driving it to the opposite field. He consistently displays good coverage of the strike zone and has a pronounced feel for hitting offerings wherever they’re pitched. He shows above-average vision often, as he swings at offerings in the zone at a high rate and swings at very few pitches outside of the strike zone. He spoils pitches that other hitters would whiff at and extends at-bats frequently. Morgan has a long history of posting walk rates well-above average that gives him an ability to get on base that compliments his high activity level on the base paths.

Morgan is an average base stealer and above-average baserunner who can create run scoring opportunities with his feet. He is the rare full-time first baseman who would thrive leading off or batting second, as his lack of raw power prevents him from being a middle of the order bat. He is the rare candidate at first base who is equipped with the tools to accrue 100 stolen career bases. He has a high motor on the base paths and goes after extra bases on balls in play with a high success rate. His high motor carries over on defense, as he has tremendous range and a quick, strong throwing arm that can quickly change the complexion of a game. He has an elite internal clock, makes tough plays with traffic on the bases, and shows a ton of creativity when the opportunity to convert a tough chance into an out presents itself.

27. OF Kristian Robinson, AZ

HIT: 35/35 RAW POWER: 60/60 GAME POWER: 45/50 SPEED: 55/55

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM: 60/60

Bahamian outfielder Kristian Robinson was once on a trajectory to make his MLB debut during the first half of this decade but the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health issues have delayed his rapid ascent. He is still one of the toolsiest position players in all of MiLB, but there are massive questions about the viability of his hit tool against major league pitching. The 25-year-old outfielder is built like former NFL tight end Vernon Davis with a similar level of mobility and athleticism. His ability to make contact inside and out of the strike zone is near the bottom of the scale because of his long levers and lengthy swing. Despite possessing a healthy amount of raw power, he fails to make it translate in games because he does not have a good feel for elevating the ball to his pull side or up the middle.

He has a long history of offsetting his high strikeout rates by drawing walks, so it will be interesting to see to what degree his on-base skills will carry over in MLB. Robinson is an above-average base runner and base stealer with a chance to be plus. He has sharp instincts, high baseball IQ, and an active motor that shows on the base paths and the outfield grass. Even with his size, he is a threat to steal 30 bases in a full MLB season if he finds a way to get on base at a high enough clip. He is in above-average defender in right field who makes good reads, runs efficient routes, and has the defensive chops to man center field on a part time basis. The 6’5’’ outfielder also brings a plus throwing arm to the table in terms of strength and accuracy.

28. 1B Ernesto Martínez Jr., NYY

HIT: 40/45 RAW POWER: 70/70 GAME POWER: 50/55 SPEED: 45/45

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM: 55/55

Haitian-Cuban first baseman Ernesto Martínez Jr. is a cold corner prospect who combines plus-plus raw power with above-average base running acumen and slick fielding skills. The son of a Cuban National Series veteran, Martínez Jr. was born and raised in Holguín, Cuba before moving to France at the age of 16 to train at a French baseball academy. The 6’6’’ first baseman has dealt with a myriad of injuries going back to his days as an amateur, but has a monstrous ceiling because of his combination of tools. He bats and throws left-handed, setting up in the batter’s box with a slightly squatted stance and his hands held perpendicular to his ear. He utilizes a massive bat wrap during his pre-swing setup but generates enough bat speed to get his hands around on-time. He does well against offerings in the lower half of the strike zone but struggles against well-placed four-seam fastballs because of his long limbs and long swing. He has a habit of being passive in the batter’s box by declining to swing at hittable offerings in the strike zone.

He makes a surprising amount of contact for a position player his size, as his 11.6% whiff rate recorded in Triple-A during 2025 was far closer to average than most would guess. Raw power is the most prominent tool in Martínez Jr.’s profile, as he has recorded batted ball events as high as 120 miles per hour. He produces hard hit batted ball events to his pull side often, which is a green flag. He is an above-average defender at first base with good hands and great feet. He displays a ton of creativity around the bag when finishing plays and has enough range to make a second baseman’s job a little bit easier. He is an above-average baserunner with a history of accruing stolen bases despite being 6’6’’ and an slightly below-average runner. Age, injury history, and a few prominent offensive flaws are probably going to be the reasons Martínez Jr. does not succeed in MLB if he gets a few cups of coffee over the next handful of seasons. He is currently with the New York Yankees organization on a minor league deal that includes an invite to MLB Spring Training. If he cannot find breathing room on the Yankees roster, it would not surprise me to see another MLB team give Martínez Jr. the opportunity he is seeking.

When I read the autobiographies of Afro-Latino legends Felipe Alou, Luis Tiant, and Orlando Cepeda, a common phrase with slight differences in wording turned up in the early chapters of all three books that was credited to the late Afro-Puerto Rican Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Clemente’s version of the phrase is vulgar and raw, but in my opinion is the most fitting:

“In America, I am a double nigger over because I am Black and Latino”

I often use the saying as a retort whenever someone replies with “I no Black, I Dominican” after I tell them that I write about Black baseball players in MiLB/MLB from all over the world, and not just African-Americans. The Afro-Latino Counterculture that has been part of the African diaspora’s 150-year-old relationship with baseball is ignored and disrespected, even when the many of the most important Latino players to wear baseball uniforms have claimed their Blackness on record. I’ve written about this subject before, but there is so much more to delve into pertaining to the perception of Black Latinos in professional baseball. The entire African diaspora’s relationship with baseball is evolving and progressing at a rapid pace, especially across Latin America.

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The Anglophone & Francophone Afro-Caribbean Enclaves in Hispanophone Latin America Are Producing More Talent

There is a lengthy history of Anglophone and Francophone Afro-Caribbean immigrants and their descendants picking up the sport of baseball in Hispanophone Latin America. Francophone and Anglophone Afro-Caribbean individuals have been migrating to Spanish speaking areas of Latin America since the 1880s, mostly in search of work and/or education. Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica possess sizable Afro-Caribbean ethnic enclaves where English, Haitian Kreyol, and/or an Anglophone Afro-Caribbean patois is the lingua franca. Some notable Afro-Caribbean baseball players from Latin America who made names for themselves in the various realms of baseball before MLB’s integration include include Eduardo Green, Ray Noble, León Kellman, Pat Scantlebury, Frankie Austin, and Webbo Clarke. Afro-Caribbean players from Hispanophone Latin America have continued to stand out in MLB, with Dominican-Haitian Alfonso Soriano, Trinidadian-Panamanian Rod Carew, and Cuban-Jamaican Aroldis Chapman serving as primary examples. Other Afro-Caribbean baseball players from Latin America who have worn MLB uniforms include Humberto Robinson, David Green, Iván Murrell, Ben Oglivie, Christian Bethancourt, Rennie Stennett, Roberto Kelly, Albert Williams, Miguel Sanó, Mariano Duncan, Chico Salmon, Ronnie & Rafael Belliard, Estevan Florial, and Andres Thomas.

Ernesto Martínez Jr. is one of the more tenured active players with Afro-Caribbean heritage in MiLB at this moment. The Haitian-Cuban first baseman signed with Milwaukee as a top prospect in 2017 after defecting to France from Cuba alongside his father Ernesto Martínez Sr., a veteran catcher from the Cuban National Series who transitioned to France’s top baseball league in exchange for French citizenship. Martínez Jr. is a 6’6’’ slugger with an unique combination of 70-grade raw power, above-average athleticism, and above-average defense. Dominican-Haitian shortstop Felnin Celesten is arguably the most talented active Afro-Latino prospect of Caribbean descent in MiLB. He has an unusually high floor for an international prospect because of his above-average raw power and potential to be an above-average defender up the middle for the next decade. Afro-Panamanian Ryan Burrowes has shown potential during his brief minor league career, but it will remain to seen if he can hold his own in the upper minors. Jamaican-Nicaraguan Kenly Hunter is one of the most talented position players to emerge from Nicaragua’s amateur ranks during the 21st century. Born and raised in Holguín, Cuban National Series veteran Emmanuel Chapman is slated to be in Cuba’s bullpen for the 2026 World Baseball Classic with an effective fastball that sits in the high 90s and a nasty two-plane slider.

Extra Names You Should Know About

Branell Anderson

Yorman Licourt

Jean Walters

The Consistent Flattening of MLB’s Outspoken Afro-Latinos

Roberto Clemente

Since the beginning of the 20th century, there is arguably no singular Black athlete who has had their heritage, actions, viewpoints, and existence flattened more than Afro-Puerto Rican outfielder Roberto Clemente. The erasure of Clemente’s Blackness from mainstream narratives despite the fact that he belongs in the same category as Pelé, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Spencer Haywood, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Jim Brown, George Weah, and other prominent Black athlete-activists from across the African diaspora is one of the biggest travesties in modern-day sports media. He willingly talked to African-American journalists and was featured in African-American publications such as Ebony magazine’s September 1967 issue. He forced MLB to postpone its Opening Day after his friend and confidant Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. David Maraniss’s 400-page biography of Clemente is one of the most detailed sources of information on the Afro-Puerto Rican and how he carried himself on and off the field. Other Afro-Latinos in MLB who played with and against Clemente frequently talked about his actions, viewpoints, etc. on record as well.

Felipe Alou

“We, just the Latinos, talked about it, what had happened and how it looked as though there was a quota system. The conversations didn’t linger, but my feelings did. I was convinced the Giants were going to do one of two things with me—send me to the Minor Leagues permanently or trade me. I knew they wouldn’t release me, but they could bury me. Somehow, some way, I was going to pay the price for having left the ball club and flying home to the Dominican Republic. I was Black and Latino and I had played with fire, and I knew it.” - Felipe Alou

Afro-Dominican Felipe Alou’s autobiography Alou: My Baseball Journey is a great place for any interested party to start at when delving into the history of Afro-Latinos claiming their Blackness within baseball. It was very surprising to see a Dominican individual of Alou’s stature be willing to talk the subject of race on record in such detail and at length. He not only recounts his experiences as an Afro-Dominican, but often mentions other Black players in MLB who were his peers and how their actions impacted him. Similarly to Roberto Clemente, Alou frequently engaged with the African-American press during his playing and managerial career. He has been featured in Ebony magazine multiple times, including the September 1965 edition alongside his two brothers Matty and Jesús.

Luis Tiant II

The late Afro-Cuban starting pitcher Luis Tiant II should be in the Hall of Fame, but that is another conversation for a different day. His colorful MLB career almost never happened, as his father Luis Tiant I forbade him from pitching in the United States because of the de facto and de jure racism he encountered in America while pitching in the Negro Leagues. Tiant I allowed Tiant II to try and make a name for himself in MLB after two weeks of convincing from his wife and a family friend who was a scout for the Cleveland Indians. Tiant II was adamant about having his Blackness acknowledged, even going as far as calling out James “Mudcat” Grant for not including Afro-Latino starting pitchers who have won 20 games during a single MLB season in the first edition of his “Black Aces” book. His autobiography Son of Havana is a very forthcoming and worthwhile read for anyone interested in learning about the perspective of an outspoken Afro-Cuban.

More Notable & Outspoken Afro-Latinos in MLB

Rod Carew

Vic Power

Orlando Cepeda

Carlos Delgado

Francisco Lindor

The Afro-Latino Naming Tradition That Pays Homage to African-Americans

There is an unique history that involves Afro-Latinos in MLB naming their children after prominent African-American individuals. Afro-Puerto Rican Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda named his two oldest sons Malcolm and Ali, after Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Robinson Cano’s name pays homage to fellow second baseman Jackie Robinson and he wore the number 24 for the majority of his career to pay homage to Robinson. Afro-Venezuelan superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. has a long history of using basketball celebrations in between the lines and has gone on record about his avid NBA fandom. He named his two oldest sons after African-American NBA players Jamal Crawford and Russell Westbrook. Afro-Colombian-Nicaraguan NPB infielder Jeter Deion Downs was named in honor of Derek Jeter and Deion Sanders. Born and raised in Panama, Iverson Allen is a prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system who was named after Allen Iverson.

Further Reading

The Show Notes #1: Examining Some of the Factors That Caused Black America’s Detachment With Baseball

Patrick Ellington Jr.

January 16, 2023

The professional athletes that have played in Minor League Baseball are already the best in the world at the game of baseball. The almost twenty thousand individuals who have worn an MLB uniform are outliers in a world of hundreds of thousands who dream of but do not reach baseball’s most competitive stage. Shortstop Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox is one of these individuals, and he is an outlier among the outliers who happen to be his peers because of the extremely unique path he took to becoming a professional baseball player.

Read full story

Notable Black Baseball Families Part 3: OF Edward "Eduardo" Green & OF David Green

Patrick Ellington Jr.

March 23, 2023

Writer’s Note

Read full story

While the amount of active Black players in MiLB/MLB is growing, there are signs of a disconnect with the overall Black community. Mookie Betts’s recent public appearance alongside homophobic/racist/anti-Semitic, etc. internet personalities Mikyle “N3ON” Rafiq and Adin Ross did not really surprise me, but it did disappoint me. Adin Ross, Andrew Tate, and other similar internet personalities seem to be popular amongst Black baseball players, as they follow, repost, and/or like far-right wing content on social media fairly often. The collective interest of Black baseball players in far-right media could explain the overall lack of interest in Black Baseball History beyond a performative aspect that would buy them acceptance and attention from the African-American community.

This is not the first time Betts has made a big media blunder, as he called for teams to sign free agent starting pitcher Trevor Bauer at the conclusion of a 194-game suspension for violating the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.[1][2] Even when looking past the three legitimate sexual assault accusations that led to an independent arbitrator agreeing that Bauer should have been suspended for more than a season’s worth of games, he has a long history of being a negative presence in two different organizations.[3][4][5][6] Betts just didn’t advocate for Bauer after a random game in August against Colorado or Atlanta, he did it while on duty as a Special Correspondent during Game 3 of the 2023 World Series. While there were some negative reactions after the fact, the lesson has not been learned if the 8x MLB All-Star is willing to use his visibility to elevate Ross and Rafiq despite their long history of unsavory and controversial behavior. He is not the only Black player to make a fool of himself publicly to a degree, as Tim Anderson got knocked out by José Ramírez while a scandal was unfolding in his personal life involving his wife and his pregnant mistress. Jackie Robinson himself made plenty of mistakes that had major reverberations, the main one being his endorsement of the Republican Party at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a decision he later regretted.[8] Robinson also publicly feuded with Muhammad Ali over his refusal to report for the draft during the Vietnam War, going as far as disrespecting Ali by refusing to refer to him by his Muslim name, instead using his former name of Cassius Clay.[9]

What Betts did is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but contrasts heavily with his attempts to leverage his superstardom to be a figure of representation for Black Baseball Culture after being traded to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox after the 2019 MLB season. The 2018 AL MVP seems to be inflicted with the hypocrisy that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described in his speeches “The Three Evils of Society”, and “The Other America.”[10][11] How can Betts make sense of cracking anti-Semitic jokes with people who spew bigoted epithets for profit/attention and wearing t-shirts that demand more Black people at the stadium?[12] Especially when Hank Greenberg was one of Jackie Robinson’s most outspoken White allies after breaking MLB’s color line in 1947.[13] The 4x World Series champion could’ve made an appearance on Kai Cenat’s or ISHOWSPEED’s platform if he wanted to see more Black people at the ballpark, but instead he catered to a completely different audience. This incident begs the question of whether modern Black Baseball Culture has lost the plot, especially as the United States enters a Second Nadir of Race Relations under the direction of the Trump Administration.[14][15] Black people across the Western Hemisphere have used baseball as a tool to uplift ourselves as individuals, our families, and our communities since the late 1800s. Is the current generation of active Black players in MiLB and MLB willing and able to extend this legacy appropriately, or do they just want to look cool while performatively looking back on the past?

Everyone Wants to Be Cool, But No One Wants to Be Conscious

Every year, there are a handful of teams in MiLB and MLB that don special throwback jerseys to pay homage to the Negro Leagues and it is easy to see the enthusiasm on the faces of the African-American, Afro-Latino, and Afro-Caribbean players who relish the opportunity to wear these jerseys whenever promotional photos get published. When it is time to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15^th, Black MLB players love to roll out the custom cleats and special reels on Instagram while shying away from building a rapport with the Black media like Robinson did unless you’re going to ask nothing but softball questions. Collective uplift and passing down history through conversation are pillars of Black Baseball Culture, but it seems like those pillars are crumbling. During my interactions with Black players in MiLB & MLB who are in my age range, I have not come across that many individuals who are comfortable talking about Black Baseball History on record.

The Negro Leagues would not have existed without annual fundraisers, cash injections from some of the world’s wealthiest Black people of the period, or the support of the working-class Black population.[16][17] The first two decades of MLB’s Integration Era were heavily influenced by the Civil Rights Movement. While many believe the Civil Rights Movement started anywhere from directly after World War II up to the early-to-mid 1950s, in the late 1930s as organizations such as The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters & Maids (BCSPM) were coordinating organized efforts to dismantle de jure, de facto, and economic racism across the United States. Former St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood was heavily inspired by the Civil Rights Movement’s fight for fair wages when he decided to attack the validity of the reserve clause, sacrificing his All-Star career and potential coaching prospects in the process.[18] There are plenty of communities, upper-class restaurants, and clothing stores active and retired Black players in MLB spend their well-earned money at now that they would’ve been barred from in the past unless they were going shopping in the Northern United States or a foreign country such as Mexico or Cuba. The documentary “A Long Way From Home” does a great job of putting a microscope on the different aspects and the sheer intensity of the racism Black players faced during the first two decades of The Integration Era.

This history seems to be unimportant to Black baseball players in my generation, as if history can’t repeat itself. A lot of individuals also seem to be disconnected to what’s happening in the United States and around the world as the collective progress that was made across the world during the 20^th century could be undone by the ultra-wealthy who control the powers that be. There should be more emphasis for active Black players in MLB and MiLB to learn the history of Black baseball players in the Negro Leagues and MLB, especially if they’re playing for a franchise with a lot of Black history such as the Dodgers, Guardians, Pirates, or Athletics. I’d also like to see more Black players who are willing to establish strong ties with the Black communities in the cities they play in, such as Triston McKenzie’s relationship with Cleveland’s Black community during his time in Northeast Ohio.[19]

Conclusion

Active Black MiLB and MLB players need to decide if they are going to fully commit to following the tradition of collective uplift or if they’re going to abandon it. The silence up to this point as Black people are being deported to countries that they’ve never been to and war criminals wreak havoc in the Caribbean/Latin America speaks volumes on whether individuals are going to be willing to step to the plate as the political and social norms of the United States continue to gradually deteriorate.[20][21][22][23] It is the ultimate irony that MLB hands out awards with the names of Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Jackie Robinson in the title while the culture of defiance and resistance that they developed in response to the racism inside and outside of baseball seems to have been completely erased.[24][25][26][27] While everybody cannot be Jackie Robinson, there’s far too many individuals taking the Willie Mays approach of trying to let their game do all the talking.

Sources

[1] https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mlbpa-agree-on-domestic-violence-policy/c-144508842
[2] https://www.truebluela.com/2023/10/31/23939874/mookie-betts-trevor-bauer-dodgers
[3] https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/indians-acquire-potential-ace-trevor-bauer-in-three-team-deal/
[4] https://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/12/3981562/trevor-bauer-trade-diamondbacks-indians-attitude-reasons
[5] https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2017/02/cleveland_indians_pitcher_trev_7.html
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1102031/2019/07/28/trevor-bauer-and-the-long-toss-heard-round-the-world/
[7] https://www.jackierobinsonmuseum.org/learn/stories/jackie-and-the-1964-republican-national-convention/
[8] https://www.jackierobinsonmuseum.org/learn/stories/jackie-and-the-1964-republican-national-convention/
[9] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2036488/2020/09/10/the-comeback-no-1-politics-racism-death-threats-nothing-could-stop-ali/
[10] https://www.blackagendareport.com/speech-three-evils-society-martin-luther-king-jr-1967
[11] https://www.rev.com/transcripts/the-other-america-speech-transcript-martin-luther-king-jr
[12] https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/we-need-more-black-people-at-the-stadium-mookie-betts-displays-message-on-shirt-by-la-clothing-company/2947375/
[13] https://www.jta.org/2019/02/20/ny/heres-to-you-mr-robinson
[14] https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/60/1/132/149009
[15] https://archive.org/details/negroinamericanl0000loga
[16] https://sabr.org/journal/article/big-problems-and-simple-answers-an-explanation-of-the-negro-leagues/
[17] https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2010/02/11/Let-s-Learn-About-Gus-Greenlee/stories/201002110381
[18] https://www.mlbplayers.com/mlk-curt-flood
[19] https://www.mlb.com/news/triston-mckenzie-youth-community-work-spreading-guardians
[20]https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-drug-boat-strikes-timeline.html
[21] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/alien-enemies-act-james-boasberg-ruling-00704244
[22] https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/11/12/you-have-arrived-in-hell/torture-and-other-abuses-against-venezuelans-in-el
[23] https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5373845-us-soldiers-son-born-on-army-base-in-germany-is-deported-to-jamaica/
[24] https://sabr.org/journal/article/roberto-clemente-and-martin-luther-king-jr-in-service-of-others/
[25] https://andscape.com/features/jackie-robinson-last-stand-to-see-blacks-break-into-the-mlb-managerial-ranks/
[26] https://www.mlb.com/news/hank-aaron-overcame-racism-hate-throughout-life
[27] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/books/review/07will.html

The Red Black Green Baseball Blog’s Top Prospects list for 2025 will feature 125 Black active prospects in MiLB/MLB from throughout the African diaspora separated into five different tiers based on a variety of criteria. Unlike a previous “Top Black Prospects” list published by Red Black Green Baseball that solely featured position players, starting pitchers and relievers will be included. The prospects in the first tier are teenage phenoms with high ceilings and skilled players in their early or mid-20s with high floors. Many of these individuals are going to make a notable impact during the late 2020s and early 2030s that is going to take a lot of people by surprise, even though the foundation was set for these Black prospects to flourish by active Black players in MLB such as African-American Mookie Betts, Afro-Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor, and Canadian-Jamaican Josh Naylor. The African diaspora’s relationship with baseball is growing stronger despite the entrenched narrative that is focused on hand-wringing over the lack of active African-American players in MLB. From Uganda to the state of Georgia, Black Baseball Culture is quietly growing. I hope this list emphasizes that fact more than anything else. Thank you all for reading and supporting The Red Black Green Baseball Blog.

1. SS Jesús Madé, MIL

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 60/70 GAME POWER: 50/60 SPEED: 70/60

BASERUNNING: 60/60 FIELDING: 45/60 THROWING ARM: 55

Jesús Madé is a 6’2’’, 180 pound Afro-Dominican shortstop from San Cristobal who is built like a SEC slot receiver with elite athleticism that he puts to use in every facet of the game. He was signed by the Milwaukee front office during the 2024 signing period for international amateur prospects and exploded onto the professional scene with one of the best offensive performances by a shortstop in the Dominican Summer League’s entire history. Barring injury or a work-stoppage because of the CBA expiration, the switch-hitter is on a trajectory to make his MLB debut in late 2026 or 2027 after going .285/.379/.413 and finishing 2025 in Double-A after starting with the Brewers Low-A affiliate. Madé has also shown leadership skills, a high baseball IQ, and maturity beyond his years during his brief professional career.

Madé is an aggressive switch-hitter with quick hands who works from a slightly squatted stance with little noise in his setup or swing. He has a feel for hitting line drives and fly balls to all fields to accrue extra-base hits at a high rate from both sides of the plate. He consistently generates above-average bat speed and swings with intention in the batter’s box. He crushes fastballs and knows how to punish opposing pitchers when they leave secondary pitches in the zone that he can handle. His ability to recognize spin and overall plate approach are both above-average and very well could be plus as he accumulates more experience as a professional. He plays with a high motor on the base paths(47 SBs in 2025) and in the field as well. Defensively, he has above-average range to all directions with a quick transfer from glove to throwing hand. He has above-average arm strength and the necessary arm utility to be a full-time shortstop.

2. SP Chase Burns, CIN

FOUR-SEAM FASTBALL: 80/80 SLIDER: 70/70 CHANGEUP: 55/55

CURVEBALL: 50/50 CONTROL: 50/50 COMMAND: 40/45

Drafted by the Reds with the second overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest University, 22-year-old Chase Burns is the most talented African-American rookie starting pitcher to wear a MLB uniform since David Price’s meteoric rise during the late 2000s. He started 2025 with Cincinnati’s High-A affiliate and finished the season on the Reds 25-man roster after posting an absurd 1.91 ERA across 13 minor league starts. Standing 6’3’’ and weighing 210 pounds with broad shoulders and thick thighs, Burns has the prototypical build of a starting pitcher. He is a 90th percentile athlete, which allows him to utilize a somewhat noisy delivery with a high arm slot to generate elite velocity while still being able to throw strikes. The talented right-hander will have the full 2026 season to establish himself in the Reds starting rotation after climbing through the minors less than a calendar year after he was drafted.

Burns’ arsenal features a 80-grade four-seam fastball that sits 97-98 miles per hour and regularly reaches 100. His four-seam fastball’s shape features optimal attributes to induce whiffs and weak pop ups because of its high amount of rise and lack of horizontal movement. His slider is also an 80-grade pitch, as it has a two-plane death ball shape and an average velocity of 90 miles per hour. He also possesses an above-average changeup and an average curveball that he rarely throws to right-handed or left-handed hitters. He throws his fastball and slider more than 85% of the time, so implementing more changeups and/or curveballs will be the key for Burns to take steps forward towards his immense ceiling. Despite having some of the best pitch shapes in professional baseball and an earned reputation of being a strike thrower, he is prone to leaving offerings in locations that opposing hitters in MLB can take advantage of.

3. SS/3B Sebastian Walcott, TEX

HIT: 40/45 RAW POWER: 70/70 GAME POWER: 50/70 SPEED: 60/55

BASERUNNING: 60/60 FIELDING: 45/55 THROWING ARM: 70

Sebastian Walcott has the potential to be the greatest Bahamian baseball player of all time. The right-handed hitting and throwing infielder would be a top-3 pick in most draft classes if he was eligible to be drafted out of high school. He was pushed from the Dominican Summer League to High-A during his first season of professional baseball in 2023. In 2024 he firmly established himself as one of the top prospects in all of baseball by slashing .265/.344/.452 across 121 games with the Rangers High-A and Double-A affiliates. He held his own in the Double-A Texas League in 2025 while being almost five years younger than the average player with a .255/.355./386 slash line across 124 games.

Walcott bats and throws right-handed, standing 6’4’’ and weighing 190 pounds with the frame of a NBA shooting guard. He generates top-tier bat speed, having already logged multiple batted ball events with exit velocities above 110 miles per hour. He works with very noisy swing mechanics because of his long arms and struggles to cover the inside half of the plate effectively. His swing is very handsy and does not implement his lower half well, leading him to get out of sync fairly often. This has led to Walcott having a grooved swing that is only effective in certain parts of the strike zone. His ability to put together good at-bats with sound plate discipline and a strong batter’s eye for his age compensates for his issues making contact, but improving his swing mechanics and bat path will be paramount for Walcott’s future success.

When playing shortstop, he has great range charging in but needs to improve going after balls put in play to his left or right. His plus-plus throwing arm and respectable transfer skills make up for his lack of range. He also needs to shorten his crow hop and improve his inadequate internal clock. All in all, Walcott looks like a toolsy yet relatively unexperienced teenager competing with and against individuals with far more familiarity playing at the pace of the upper minors. He is a much better defender at third base, showing adequate range in all directions along with a throwing arm that has more than enough strength. With Marcus Semien and Corey Seager entrenched as the Rangers’ middle infield duo for the rest of the decade, third base may be where Walcott winds up in a year or so.

4. C Harry Ford, SEA

HIT: 55/60 GAME POWER: 50/50 RAW POWER: 55/55 SPEED: 55/50

BASERUNNING: 60/60 FIELDING: 45/50 THROWING ARM: 60

Drafted by Seattle with the 12th overall pick of the 2021 MiLB Draft directly out of high school in the Greater Atlanta area, Harry Ford has developed into one of MiLB’s more unique catching prospects. His professional career began in the Arizona Complex League during the 2021 MiLB season. The Mariners front office has kept him on a very even and methodical track, as he has never been promoted during a season except for a small cup of coffee in MLB at the end of 2025. He has performed at an above-average level at every level he’s played at, which is a huge green flag for future success. Many scouts and pundits held reservations about Ford’s defensive future as a full-time catcher, but he has dispelled those skepticisms to some degree while retaining the athleticism that made his profile so appealing to the scouts who liked him. He has improved his game calling, pitch blocking, and ability to control the opposition’s running game during his time in the upper minors.

The right-handed hitting catcher stands in the batter’s box with a slightly open stance, employing a swing with a two-hand finish and a toe tap as a timing mechanism. He makes hard contact frequently(70th percentile in AAA per Prospect Savant), but the caveat is he struggles to elevate the ball at a high rate. Despite posting low fly ball percentages throughout his career, Ford racks up extra-base hits when he does elevate the ball successfully. He also produces line drives at a very high rate. He has borderline elite on-base skills and the base-stealing chops to swipe 20-30 bags in an individual season multiple times, so he might be a Jason Kendall-esque catcher who can set the table in the top two spots of a lineup. He does very well at refusing to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone but possesses an overall approach that is very passive. He is a slightly undersized catcher at only 5’10’’ and 200 pounds flat, but is the most athletic individual in his position group, including J.T. Realmuto. If Ford has to move on from donning the Tools of Ignorance for roster construction reasons and/or poor defense, he has the athleticism to flourish as an infielder and/or outfielder. It will be interesting to see how he is deployed defensively and whether Seattle decides to keep him as Cal Raleigh has emerged as the best catcher of his generation.

5. SS Leodalis De Vries, ATH

HIT: 50/50 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 55/60 SPEED: 50/45

BASERUNNING: 50/50 FIELDING: 45/50 THROWING ARM: 55

18-year-old Afro-Dominican Leo De Vries of Azua is another advanced teenage shortstop who has flourished on the fast track during his relatively short professional career. He was signed by the San Diego Padres during the 2024 signing period for amateur international prospects and was immediately assigned to the Padres Low-A affiliate where he was more than four years younger than the average player, an uncommon move. The 17-year-old De Vries flourished, going .237/.361/.441 across 75 games in his first professional season. He went .255/.355/.451 during the 2025 MiLB season as an 18-year-old, starting in High-A before a midseason promotion to Double-A after being traded from San Diego to Oakland in the Mason Miller deal.

De Vries being able to post above-average offensive numbers as an 18-year-old in the upper minors is a huge sign of future productivity. He has one of the highest floors of any active teenager in MiLB because of his sound offensive skills that are hinged on his power, patience, and anticipation. The eighteen-year-old is a stocky, switch-hitting shortstop who stands 6’2’’ and weighs around 195 pounds. He works with a swing that is built for accruing extra-base hits at a high rate. It features a high setup with a slight uppercut that allows him to put fly balls in play at a very high rate to all fields. His left-handed swing is further along in its development than his right-handed swing. His anticipation, timing, and pitch recognition ability frequently puts him in position to take composed and well-timed swings at the right pitches to do damage on. Despite his middling batting averages, he does not strike out at a high rate and has posted above-average walk rates up to this point of his career. His base-stealing abilities are poor, although he has time to improve his technique. He has been a bat-first shortstop up to this point of his professional career. His range at shortstop is below-average although he has a strong throwing arm, great hands, and the instincts to be a productive defender somewhere on the infield dirt. There is also plenty of time for De Vries to improve his range at shortstop to stay at the position on a full-time basis.

6. cOF Josue De Paula, LAD

HIT: 55/55 RAW POWER: 60/70 GAME POWER: 50/60 SPEED: 45/45

BASERUNNING: 60/60 FIELDING: 35/45 THROWING ARM: 45

Born and raised in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, Dominican-African-American Josue De Paula is a corner outfielder with a unique blend of patience, power, and base running prowess. A younger cousin of NBA point guards Stefon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, De Paula moved to the Dominican Republic at 13 years old to begin his professional baseball career, joining El Niche Baseball Academy in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed De Paula during the 2023 signing period for international amateur prospects and assigned him to the Dominican Summer League, where he posted one of the most complete offensive seasons in the DSL’s history. Los Angeles was pleasantly surprised by how skilled the left-handed hitting outfielder was and put him on a fast track, sending him to the full-season California League in 2023. He performed at a high level during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, creating a reputation for having a potent combination of power and speed in his profile despite below-average foot speed.

De Paula is 6’4’’ and stands around 190 pounds with a lanky and long frame that has room for more muscle. He has loose hips and a ton of mobility despite below-average foot speed. The 20-year-old is an extremely advanced left-handed hitter with a pristine approach and sublime strike zone awareness. Sometimes his careful approach can teeter on the edge of being passive by letting opponents off the hook in an attempt to draw walks. He has posted elite walk rates and top-tier on-base percentages for his entire professional career. His ability to put the bat to the ball is also above-average despite his somewhat unorthodox swing and long arms. He makes hard contact at a high rate and projects to have plus-plus raw power in the near future, but produces a lot of ground balls whenever he puts offerings in play. When he does hit the ball in the air, it often results in extra-base hits. De Paula looks to be a disruptive baserunner and has frequently found success in these situations. He consistently picks the right pitches to run on and is extremely observant of the opposing battery’s tendencies. Defensively, he has a low motor and a reputation for lacking focus and effort in low leverage situations. He has the intellect to learn how to be a great route runner and a strong throwing arm that would thrive in left or right field, but frequently misses his cut off man and takes bad routes towards catchable fly balls. He has been openly challenged by the Dodgers front office and has taken this criticism in stride. He is a very self-aware and honest player with a strong drive to be great, so time will tell if he reaches his sky-high potential. If he puts in the time to correct his defensive flaws, De Paula would become a solid threat to develop into a perennial MVP candidate.

7. SS George Lombard Jr., NYY

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 45/50 SPEED: 60/60

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM: 55

George Lombard Jr. is a 20-year-old shortstop who was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2023 MLB Draft’s first round directly out of high school in the Greater Miami area, foregoing a commitment to the University of Miami to start his professional career. He is the son of former outfielder George Lombard Sr., who transitioned to a successful coaching career after bouncing between Triple-A rosters with brief cups of coffee in the majors from 1994 to 2009. Lombard Jr. behaves like the typical individual who grew up around the game as a player’s son, knowing what to do and how to do it with maturity and a sense of normalcy. Standing 6’2’’ and weighing close to 200 pounds, Lombard Jr. falls into the oversized shortstop archetype with a high floor and high ceiling. With Anthony Volpe’s lack of productivity on both sides of the ball, the keys to the shortstop position is still up for grabs in The Bronx. Lombard Jr. is on a trajectory to reach the majors in 2026 or 2027, so there might be a tailor-made opportunity for him to become the Yankees full-time shortstop for the late 2020s and early 2030s.

He crowds the plate with a balanced setup and works with a simple inside-out swing built for driving the ball to the opposite field. He employs great anticipation that he uses to spray line drives all over the place. He has slightly above-average raw power and gets to it in games, although it shows up as doubles most of the time. He is an above-average baserunner with foot speed that teeters on being plus and will probably retain his athleticism for most of his career. Defensively, his internal clock is well tuned and he has all the necessary tools to remain a full-time shortstop for the long-term future. He has adequate range and hands combined with an above-average throwing arm. Having already reached Double-A as a 20-year old, Lombard Jr. is in a position to make his MLB debut before his 22nd birthday.

8. 3B/2B LuJames Groover, AZ

HIT: 60/60 RAW POWER: 45/50 GAME POWER: 40/50 SPEED: 55/55

BASERUNNING: 45/45 FIELDING: 50/50 THROWING ARM: 50

LuJames Groover is another position player who is proving that the Greater Atlanta, Georgia is one of the African diaspora’s current epicenters for baseball, although he is one of the most underrated prospects in the entire sport. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted the infielder in the 2nd round of the 2023 MLB Draft after a standout college career where he went .349/.420/.538 across three seasons with two different universities in North Carolina. Since being drafted, he has established himself as one of the top prospects in a farm system flooded with intriguing position players. The Diamondbacks 25-man roster has very little room for infielders as well, creating a chaotic 40-man roster situation. If Groover is not able to establish himself with Arizona, there could be teams looking for infield upgrades that might be interested in his services. He has a relatively safe floor as a productive bench player due to his strong bat-to-ball skills, athleticism, and defensive versatility. His ceiling is limited by his lack of power unless he turns out to be a hitter who can go out and get 170+ hits with another 50-75 walks year in and year out. Regardless, he has all the necessary tools and skills to be a productive every day player.

Standing 6’2’’ and weighing around 212 pounds, he has a frame that lacks positive or negative projection. Standing almost upright in the batter’s box with a mostly even stance, Groover employs a quiet pre-swing setup with a leg lift that varies and an aggressive approach that is oriented around pulling the ball. He has a borderline plus-plus hit tool, as he has routinely posted averages near or above .300 going back to his days in college. He produces line drive batted ball events at a tremendously high rate with his flat, quick swing and penchant for squaring pitches up. His flat swing path puts a cap on his ability to hit for power, although he is slowly improving at discerning which pitches to try and drive as he gains more experience. He is a respectable defender at second and third base with an average throwing arm and a decent internal clock. He has above-average speed but does not steal many bases and is mostly an average baserunner.

9. 2B Michael Arroyo, SEA

HIT: 60/60 RAW POWER: 55/55 GAME POWER: 55/55 SPEED: 40/40

BASERUNNING: 40/40 FIELDING: 40/40 THROWING ARM: 45

Afro-Colombian prospect Michael Arroyo is the most talented individual to emerge from Colombia’s amateur baseball scene since Edgar Rentería’s emergence during the late 1990s. Arroyo was born and raised in Cartagena, one of the Blackest cities in Latin America with a population over 1 million people. He was signed by the Seattle Mariners during the 2022 signing period for international amateur prospects and received the largest bonus ever given to a Colombian prospect in MLB history. The 20-year-old has lived up to his billing as one of the best hitters in his class, displaying the traits that would do well in the middle of the order throughout his professional career.

Arroyo is 5’10’’ and weighs around 200 pounds. He has a thick, stocky frame and is a below-average athlete, but has quick hands and utilizes his entire body well to generate power with a short and quiet swing. He is a right-handed batter with very easy power to all fields and an extremely strong batter’s eye that has led to sublime on-base percentages throughout his career. He has the bat speed to pull his hands in and turn on offerings placed on the inside of the dish and goes the opposite way with little effort. He has a long history of posting reverse splits against right-handed and left-handed pitchers, which is a good thing for a right-handed hitter. He is a great situational hitter with a habit for performing in the clutch and does not hit into double plays very often. He is a poor defender at second base due to his lack of athleticism and middling throwing arm, leaving him at risk to move to LF or 1B on a part-time or full-time basis. Regardless of how far he falls down the defensive spectrum, he has the hitting talent to compensate for it.

10. cOF Zyhir Hope, LAD

HIT: 45/50 RAW POWER: 60/70 GAME POWER: 50/60 SPEED: 55/50

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 50/50 THROWING ARM: 50

North Carolina native Zyhir Hope was one of the top high school outfielders in his class across the entire Southeastern United States but fell to the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft because of a strong college commitment. The Chicago Cubs were able to pry him away from UNC’s baseball program for a signing bonus that would typically be given to a second or third-round selection because of his athleticism and hitting prowess. He only played in 11 games during the 2023 MiLB season because of a rib fracture but posted a .286/.419/.543 slash line when he was on the field. During the offseason after his professional debut, he was one of two prospects sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with pitcher Jackson Ferris in exchange for first baseman Michael Busch and relief pitcher Yency Almonte. The left-handed outfielder was highly coveted by the Dodgers and has fit in well within the organization. He is one-third of a formidable trio alongside fellow left-handed outfielders Josue De Paula and Kendall George who could be the pieces that completes the super weapon being built in the Chavez Ravine that already features three Hall of Famers and a plethora of other All-Star level talent.

Hope works from the left-handed batter’s box with a slightly closed stance and his hands held low. He has an aggressive approach and some swing-and-miss in his game but offsets these flaws with an average hit tool and above-average on-base skills. He shows great anticipation and has a feel for hitting the ball in the air. He also generates top tier bat speed easily with his athletic frame and efficient swing that is geared for pulling balls put in play. He has some positive projection in his frame to add muscle but may have to sacrifice some speed and mobility. He has the necessary base-stealing acumen and enough raw power to join the 20/20 club multiple times if he is able to play long enough. He is an above-average defender as a corner outfielder and has a strong but inaccurate throwing arm. There are other high school corner outfielders in his age group with similar ceilings, but none have as high of a floor as Hope because of his athleticism, strength, and all-around skillset.

11. INF/OF Brice Matthews, HOU

HIT: 40/40 RAW POWER: 60/70 GAME POWER: 50/60 SPEED: 60/60

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 50/50 THROWING ARM: 60/60

Born and raised in the Greater Houston, Texas area, Brice Matthews has grown into professional baseball’s top superutility prospect. He was a premier two-sport athlete at Atascocita High School before a standout baseball career at the University of Nebraska as a full-time shortstop. He was selected by the Houston Astros with the 28th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and has established himself as the top prospect in the Astros organization with power, speed, and versatility. He made his MLB debut in 2025 but only played in 13 games, retaining his rookie eligibility. He has a close relationship with fellow Atascocita High alumnus Kendall George, who is a top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

Standing 5’10’’ and weighing around 190 pounds, Matthews has the average MLB infielder’s frame with broad shoulders but is an above-average or plus athlete. He stands in the right-handed batter’s box with a slight squat and an even stance, starting his hands low and keeping them low as he swings. The 23-year-old generates above-average bat speed with his athletic frame and a simple swing that features loft, which translates into plus power to all fields in games. As a hitter oriented around the three true outcomes, strikeouts are a frequent result for Matthews. He offsets the holes in his swing with a careful approach that gives him great success at getting on base via walks. Matthews has accrued most of his defensive appearances as a shortstop during his professional career and is an average defender at the position. During the 2025 season, he started making more appearances in the outfield along with third and second base. He seamlessly transitioned to the superutility role because of his athleticism and throwing arm in a similar manner to longtime Oakland A’s superutility player Tony Phillips, who spent most of his minor league career as a full-time shortstop. Matthews is also a borderline plus base stealer and baserunner, just like Phillips.

12. INF Jordan Lawlar, AZ

HIT: 55/55 RAW POWER: 60/60 GAME POWER: 50/55 SPEED: 55/55

BASERUNNING: 55/55 FIELDING: 55/55 THROWING ARM: 55/55

23-year-old Jordan Lawlar was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, which featured a first round crowded with elite high school talent such as Jackson Jobe, Marcelo Mayer, Harry Ford, and Colson Montgomery. The Dallas, Texas native is a 6’4’’ five-tool shortstop with a premier combination of contact ability, raw power, athleticism, strong defense, and a throwing arm that gives him viability all over the diamond. Having dealt with major injuries since his amateur days, there is a huge risk that he never plays a full season in MLB or has the trajectory of his career drastically altered. With the emergence of Geraldo Perdomo as an All-Star shortstop next to 3x All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, Lawlar is running out of room to establish himself with the team that drafted him. 2026 will be his prime chance to show he can stay healthy and perform for an entire season, or else a change of scenery might be necessary. Another team with need for viable talent on the infield could make a move for the young infielder, as his ceiling is worth taking a risk on.

Lawlar stands in the batter’s box with an open stance and high setup that features his hands held perpendicular to his ear. He uses a swing with a lot of depth in the pre-swing setup and an aggressive approach that focuses on getting out in front to drive the ball to his pull side. He balances out his aggressive approach with an ability to recognize spin and draw walks. He barrels the ball at a high rate and projects for more power than most think because of his habit for leveraging his large frame to generate bat speed. Lawlar also has more than enough juice to accrue extra-base hits to all fields because of his habit of producing line drives or fly balls during plate appearances. He has all the tools to be a long-term shortstop but would be an above-average defender at second or third base if needed. He has a strong throwing arm with the necessary arm utility to be an everyday shortstop. Lawlar is a borderline plus-plus runner in a straight line but only has above-average base-running skills. It will be interesting to see if Lawlar can establish himself in the majors, and which uniform he will be wearing when he gets his opportunity.

13. cOF Daylen Lile, WAS

HIT: 55/55 RAW POWER: 50/50 GAME POWER: 50/50 SPEED: 60/60

BASERUNNING: 45/45 FIELDING: 40/40 THROWING ARM: 50/50

22-year-old Daylen Lile is one of the biggest risers on this list, providing a boost to an outfield unit that needs complimentary pieces to put around James Wood. The athletic left-hander was drafted by Washington in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He persevered through long recoveries from major injuries while he was climbing through the minors. He missed the entire 2022 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery on his throwing elbow and missed time in 2024 after a back injury where he wound up on a stretcher. Lile started the 2025 season in Double-A and made his MLB debut in late May. During his rookie season, he hit to the tune of .299/.347/.498 across 91 games on the Washington Nationals 25-man roster, buying himself a bevy of playing time in 2026.

Lile stands upright in the left-handed batter’s box with a slightly open stance and a quiet left-handed swing. He works with a semi-high setup, keeping his hands somewhere between his ear and shoulder. His uses his short and flat swing to make great plate coverage, although it lacks bat speed. He is a bit of a free-swinger who excels against right-handed pitchers and struggles against left-handed pitchers. Lile makes contact at an above-average rate and produces line drives at an elite rate. His speed and feel for hitting line drives into the gaps will allow him to accrue a large amount of doubles and triples sustainably. He is a plus runner but is only viable as a corner outfielder because his poor reaction time and below-average route running drastically reduces his range. The Kentucky native has time to improve, but his poor defense and struggles against left-handed pitching gives him the floor of a platoon bat that sprays line drives all over the place against right-handed pitching. Being such a defensive liability reduces his bat-first ceiling because his power output projects to be average.

The sudden emergence of shortstop Geraldo Perdomo as an All-Star level talent alongside 3x All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has left the Diamondbacks with one of the most productive middle infield duos in MLB, preventing Lawlar from breaking through as a middle infielder unless someone is traded or moved to a different position. Tim Tawa has shown he is capable enough to be the D-Backs superutility player, recording appearances at six different positions on the defensive spectrum for Arizona in 2025. These developments along with the trade of Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners has left third base as the only open spot on the Diamondbacks 25-man roster for the foreseeable future unless Lawlar decides to convert to center field on a full-time basis or another move is made that gives the 23-year-old shortstop more breathing room to try and establish himself as a full-time major leaguer with the club that drafted him.

An interesting rumor about second baseman Ketel Marté frequently rubbing teammates and coaches the wrong way with his countenance on and off the field made its way down the grapevine during the 2025 season before being enthusiastically shut down by Geraldo Perdomo. Maybe Perdomo was just being a leader and making sure the situation didn’t deteriorate further by lying through his teeth. Maybe there never really was any issue in the D-Backs club house to begin with. It is something to take note of, especially considering Arizona’s need for pitching, Marté’s age/contract, and the fact that something must been done with Jordan Lawlar. His main competition for Arizona’s third base job is 26-year-old Blaze Alexander, who has shown to be a slightly above-average bat with a solid glove at the hot corner across 63 games during the current season. It will be interesting to see if Lawlar gets an opportunity to compete against Alexander during Spring Training in 2026, as it will tell us a lot about his future in Arizona.

Teams That Could Pry Lawlar Away From Arizona

Yes, Lawlar is Arizona’s least expensive and most talented option to plug in at any spot on the middle or left side of the infield for the rest of the decade, but what if Arizona gets a trade offer for the right-handed infielder that they can’t refuse? They have other viable options to man third base and have bigger needs elsewhere, specifically the starting rotation and bullpen. Arizona’s farm system is flush with position player talent but possesses few viable starting pitching prospects. The Gallen-Chisholm Jr. trade was a swish from downtown for the Diamondbacks front office, so why not try to pull off something similar if another team wants to tango? Selling high on Lawlar is an option the Diamondbacks brain trust sooner or later has to be considering if they’re worth their salt, so let’s look at some of the clubs who are in position to make such a move if Lawlar recoups his value by staying healthy.

Rays

The Trade: T.J. Nichols, Yoniel Curet and Gary Gill Hill for Jordan Lawlar

The Tampa Bay Rays front office is always on the prowl looking to acquire undervalued players with traits that they can maximize and improve. They’re also adept at patiently waiting for talented players to slip through the cracks because of another ball club’s specific need(s) and/or lack of room on its 25-man or 40-man roster. I can see the Rays digging into its deep bag of pitching depth in an attempt to put together a package to pry away Jordan Lawlar. The shortstop position has been a net negative for Tampa Bay in the wake of Wander Franco catching a weird case.

The Ha-Seong Kim signing was an ambitious, yet abject failure. Taylor Walls has struggled to the abysmal tune of a 70 wRC+ for his career. There will also be a need for warm bodies to put at other infield spots, as Brandon Lowe is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season. 22-year-old Carson Williams has a lot of potential and has already flashed his ability to slug, but there is still a lot for him to prove to gain Kevin Cash’s trust as Tampa Bay’s full-time shortstop. It seems like there’s going to be a lot of opportunity to get playing time on the infield dirt for the Rays next year, so why not Jordan Lawlar? The Rays have a literal plethora of starting pitching depth in the lower and upper minors to choose from and a clear need for infield talent at the major league level.

Tigers

The Trade: Jackson Jobe for Jordan Lawlar

The lack of talent on the left side of the Tigers infield has held the club back from finding even more success during its sudden ascension to the top of the AL Central. Flipping one postseason of Jack Flaherty for full control of SS Trey Sweeney was smart, but Sweeney has floundered up to this point of his brief MLB career. Drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, 3B/2B Jace Jung has scuffled during his couple cups of coffee in the majors. The acquisition of Justyn-Henry Malloy has not gone to plan either, leaving Detroit no option but to compete with two wily veterans over the age of 30 on the left side of the dirt in Zack McKinstry and Javy Báez.

This scenario is perfect for the D-Backs front office to swoop in and offer the services of Jordan Lawlar in exchange for Jackson Jobe in a one-for-one deal similar to the one made between Miami and Arizona that saw Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Zac Gallen switch teams. The two twenty-three year olds have a similarly lengthy history of injuries to go with their long track records of top-tier performance. Detroit and Arizona have the farm system depth to make such a trade, especially since the amount of risk is equal for both clubs with it being a one-for-one deal. Both prospects involved in this trade have similar floors and ceilings: They could be perennial All-Stars during the 2030s or both could never accrue five years of service time as every day players because of injuries.

Yankees

The Trade: Will Warren and Chase Hampton for Jordan Lawlar

The New York Yankees organization is laden with starting pitching talent in the upper minors and the majors. The Bronx Bombers have kept their rotation performing like a well-oiled machine despite long-term injuries to Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt because of top-tier player development staff that has produced effective rookies like Cam Schlittler and Will Warren. Anthony Volpe’s difficult 2025 season might just be an hiccup, but what if the Yankees front office thinks differently and decide to go in a different direction? While George Lombard Jr. took a huge leap forward during the 2025 season, he still needs more time in the minors to develop. Jordan Lawlar is the perfect candidate for the Yankees to take a gamble on because of his versatility and extremely high ceiling. A Lawlar-Chisholm Jr. middle infield has the chance to be one of the most dynamic position player pairings in the sport. It could be the move that puts the Yankees in position to finally secure a championship during the Aaron Judge Era.

Braves

The Trade: Didier Fuentes and Rayven Antonio for Jordan Lawlar

Atlanta has quietly found themselves in a position where they desperately need infield talent. Luckily, they have a surplus of youthful starting pitchers in the upper minors to cash in on and a lot of options to choose from, including Jordan Lawlar. While Lawlar’s trade value has declined some over the last two seasons because of issues staying healthy, he is still one of the most talented infielders under 25 in professional baseball. Alex Anthopoulos is one of baseball’s most shrewd shotcallers, and flipping one or two of the many intriguing active starting pitchers in the Braves farm system for a middle infielder of Lawlar’s caliber is something he could pull off.

Pirates

The Trade: Braxton Ashcraft and Jared Jones for Jordan Lawlar

A one-for-one or two-for-one deal between Pittsburgh and Arizona with Jordan Lawlar going to the Steel City makes too much sense for both sides. The Pittsburgh Pirates arguably have the most starting pitching talent out of all 30 farm systems and a clear lack of adequate infielders at the major league level. While it is more than likely that they pass on moving any of their starting pitching prospects during the offseason, they’re well-positioned to add position player talent to the organization by making trades. Arizona needs starting pitching talent that is or near major league ready, and has a farm system that is inundated with viable position players who are worthy to be on a 40-man roster. With Lawlar being under team control until 2031, he is a relatively cheap long-term solution for the Pirates at the shortstop position for the rest of the decade. With Konnor Griffin on the fast track while bouncing between center field and shortstop, adding a talented and versatile infielder such as Jordan Lawlar at a discounted price could accelerate the Pirates rebuild.

Drafted in the 2nd round of the shortened 2020 MLB Draft, 23-year-old Tink Hence could carry this barren legacy towards relevancy for the Redbirds. He was one of the youngest eligible players in his respective draft class and forewent his commitment to the University of Arkansas to begin his professional baseball career after graduating high school. His arsenal is headlined by a lively four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s and reaches 97 mph. His slider is a dynamic two-plane breaker that sits in the mid-80s and his changeup is an offering with heavy armside fade that plays well off the flat shape of his four-seam fastball. He also has an effective curveball that can garner swings and misses as well.

The right-handed starter from Pine Bluff, Arkansas has performed well from a statistical standpoint but has struggled with injuries throughout his professional career. From the outside looking in, the obvious answer for Hence’s lack of availability up to this point of his professional career is his undersized frame. The list of slim, hard-throwing starting pitchers who have had their careers derailed by issues with health is long, and it seems like the 23-year-old is on a trajectory to it. Think of Tim Lincecum, and how his body just fell apart after years of pitching with noisy mechanics that were only feasible because of his absurd athleticism. Triston McKenzie’s fall from grace despite having one of the cleanest and repeatable deliveries in his age group is a more recent example.

I think St. Louis’s caution with Hence’s pitch count early in his career has played a part in why he has not developed the necessary arm/shoulder strength to stay healthy. It has also prevented him from learning how to navigate deep into games and face a lineup more than two times, which could stunt his growth even further. He’s never thrown more than 100 innings in a season and has only recorded four starts with more than 90 pitches, which is asinine for developing a starting pitcher. The reliever risk was obvious from the day he was drafted, but Hence has an arsenal that would probably play up in a bullpen role. It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals are committed to Hence remaining a starter when the 2026 season rolls around. It also remains to be seen if he tries to prevent injury by bulking up and adding more muscle to his frame. Other options on the table include making tweaks to his mechanics or changing his arm slot to put less stress on certain parts of the body.

Conclusion

Time is running out for Tink Hence to prove himself as a starter unless there is another organization who sees something that the Cardinals don’t. His value as a trade chip is at a nadir, but if he shows any sign of bouncing back during the 2026 season he would be an intriguing prospect to sell high on if something worthwhile in the correct scenario is coming back to St. Louis in return. Hence has the talent to be the PTBNL who turns into a valuable player on a team’s 25-man roster, and that makes the risk of trading him so high even with his injury history. One general manager’s injury-riddled top prospect is another general manager’s shrewd acquisition for pennies on the dollar. No one wants to be the former, and everyone wants to be the latter.

Born and raised in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, the 27-year-old inherited his passion for baseball from his maternal grandmother Patricia Coakley. Coakley was a shortstop for The Bahamas national team during the 1980s and played competitive softball until she was in her late 60s.[1] The eighth Bahamian to wear a MLB uniform, Chisholm Jr. is already the greatest Bahamian baseball player ever. Personally, I think he has a legitimate chance to be the second Anglophone Afro-Caribbean individual to reach Cooperstown after African-American-Bajan-Canadian starting pitcher Fergie Jenkins. The international aspects of Black Baseball Culture have been ignored and flattened, and the perception of Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the latest example of this troubling dynamic within Black Baseball Culture.

While he is one of MLB’s most visible Black players, the cultural congruency Chisholm Jr. brings to The Bronx as the most talented Anglophone Afro-Caribbean position player since Chili Davis’s retirement in 1999 has been overlooked. New York City has been the epicenter of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora since the mid-1920s, and I’ve yet to see anyone with access to Jazz talk to him about this fact. On the other hand, I’ve seen a lot of coverage and discussion about how his public appearances, charismatic personality, and sense of style fits in with New York City perfectly. If Black Baseball Culture is going to take steps forward, it has to make room for foreign-born players in MiLB and MLB who are willing to acknowledge their Blackness on record. Far too many African-Americans operate with the desire to be MLB’s token minority demographic, and this has directly affected how foreign-born Black players like Jazz Chisholm Jr. have been covered.[2]

In order to understand Chisholm Jr., you need to know where he is from and the unique Afro-Caribbean demographic that he belongs to. Less than 150 nautical miles Southeast of the state of Florida, The Bahamas archipelago was the congregation point for fleeing British Loyalists and their slaves after the American Revolutionary War’s conclusion. When the African slave trade was banned across the entire United Kingdom in 1807, the British Royal Navy aggressively confiscated African slaves from American and Spanish slave ships before granting them freedom in The Bahamas under an unilateral “search and seize” edict. It was also law for any African slave from the United States who step foot in The Bahamas to be manumitted.

These maritime policies set by the British out of spite and hypocritical moral superiority angered American enslavers as thousands of African-American slaves escaped and sought refuge in The Bahamas via the “Saltwater Railroad” during the early to mid 1800s. The Saltwater Railroad proved to be viable even with how little notoriety it received in comparison to the Underground Railroad, as groups of 30-100 slaves escaped to Bahamian archipelago regularly.[3] Afro-Bahamians began moving back to Florida in search of economic opportunities during the late 1800s, forming shared communities with African-Americans, Afro-Panamanians, and Haitians in the Sunshine State’s urban areas that mirrored the influx of Francophone, Hispanophone, and Anglophone Afro-Caribbean individuals to New York City’s African-American ethnic enclaves from the 1910s to the 1930s.[4][5][6][7][8]

The Bahamas has a rich yet young relationship with American batted ball sports that began in the early 20th century when baseball and softball were introduced to the island by sailors in the US Navy. There were also Bahamians and first generation Bahamian-Americans who had spent time playing baseball in Florida. Baseball gained traction slowly in the country as Bahamian Negro Leaguers like Ormond Simpson made a name for themselves during 1930s, but took off in popularity after an African-American multi-sport phenom named Jackie Robinson re-integrated MLB in 1947 and Bahamian cricket star turned shortstop Andre Rogers made his MLB debut in 1957.[9] From the 1960s to the 1980s, The Bahamas produced over 30 players who reached MiLB and a handful of MLB bench players such as Ed Armbrister of the Cincinnati Reds. The Bahamas currently has around over 25 active players in MiLB/MLB and Bahamian baseball players represent Great Britain in international competitions.[10] The World Baseball Classic’s success and baseball being brought back into the fold for the Summer Olympics has given international baseball renewed relevance. Chisholm Jr. is the type of player who has the talent and personality to singlehandedly expand baseball’s reach with success on its reemerging international stage.

The misuse of Chisholm Jr. as a center fielder has played into the polarizing perception of his career up to this point. His return to the infield dirt on a full-time basis after being traded to the Yankees was a development I was hoping for, because he simply never got enough time to prove himself during his time in Miami. When he volunteered to move to the outfield after Miami traded for Luis Arráez, I was puzzled by the decision but then I remembered what Cameron Maybin said to Howard Bryant for a feature story by ESPN, and it clicked why the decision was made. He was not an incompetent infield defender by any means, but its clear Miami felt Chisholm Jr. was bad enough to move off the dirt entirely.

I believe Chisholm Jr. was trying to avoid the “talented troublemaker” label that is quickly applied to productive Black players who stand up for themselves or make demands of any kind during their careers. Vic Power, J.R. Richard, Frank Robinson, and Roberto Clemente are four historical examples of prominent Black players who wore the “talented troublemaker” label during their careers. A relevant example of this phenomenon is the saga which unfolded between Afro-Dominican Rafael Devers and the Red Sox front office that led to the first/third baseman’s departure to San Francisco. Chisholm Jr.’s dispute with former teammate Miguel Rojas Jr. over destroyed custom cleats led to his introduction into this archetype, and it a black cloud that will hover over his career until he retires to some degree, sadly.[12]

While there probably will not be a Black starting pitcher inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for the next 25 years, talented individuals like Jazz Chisholm Jr. could be part of a substantial group of Black position players with a solid case for a bronze plaque in Cooperstown. I could see Jazz being viewed as one of the greatest offensive second basemen of all time if he stays healthy, and I feel like he will earn Eric Davis comparisons if he continues to struggle with nagging injuries for the rest of his career. Second basemen with his combination of power and speed from the left-handed batter’s box do not grow on trees, so it will be interesting to see if the Yankees successfully extend him or allow him to explore free agency. If the latter happens, I will be watching closely to see how his market unfolds. Chisholm Jr. is a free agent in 2027, so the CBA expiration could have a huge impact on his willingness to sign an extension or the types of offers he receives from front offices.

References

[1] https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/07/jazz-chisholm-jr-grandmother-it-factor
[2] https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/torii-hunter-black-dominican-players-are-imposters
[3] https://www.jstor.org/stable/23795403?workspaceFolderId=c331bc83-e248-40ab-a12e-8d3ef52ad866&orderBy=custom_order&orderType=asc&index=5&seq=2
[4] https://www.jstor.org/stable/41849253?workspaceFolderId=c331bc83-e248-40ab-a12e-8d3ef52ad866&orderBy=custom_order&orderType=asc&index=6
[5] https://archive.org/details/blackmiamiintwen00dunn/page/392/mode/2up
[6] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Other_Immigrants/F-NNO9jGfIQC?hl=en
[7] https://www.jstor.org/stable/41849253
[8] https://www.jstor.org/stable/30147810
[9] https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/The_Bahamas
[10] https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/city_region/BM/
[11] https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6236768/2025/03/27/miguel-rojas-jazz-chisholm-marlins-feud/#:~:text=exclusive%20feature%20with%C2%A0The%20Athletic
[12] https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29414410/the-exile-oakland-bruce-maxwell-birth-mlb-black-player-movement

The backstop from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada has posted a .199/.285/.379 (79 wRC+) slashline in his second full season as Cleveland’s primary catcher, but there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel. After logging a .171/.272/.351(75 wRC+) slash line during the first half of the current season, he has gone .230/.324/.426(110 wRC+) since the All-Star Break’s conclusion in mid-July. It is not hyperbole to say that he has been a completely different hitter during the second half of the 2025 season. In fact, there’s a bevy of statistical and visual evidence to support the idea that Naylor is finally establishing himself as an above-average hitter.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

The first major change Naylor has implemented is centered around his swing decisions. For most of his career, he has only swung at pitches in the bottom third of the strike zone because of his aforementioned grooved swing. This preference has led to a habit of not swinging at hittable offerings over the heart of the plate. He has directly solved this problem by altering his approach to swing at more middle-middle pitches. The two heat maps below illustrate the shift Naylor has made.

The differences between the two graphs are clear, and Naylor was able to make such a change only because he “ungrooved” his swing. He has moved the starting position of his hands further back and shortened the depth of his bat load. The hand placement and deep bat wrap he utilized in the first half often prevented him from putting a good swing on hittable offerings in the heart of the strike zone. These changes have allowed him to be more fluid and more athletic in the batter’s box. The one-minute video below shows the swing and setup Naylor was using in the first half.

This ungrooved swing has enabled Naylor to shrink his strikeout rate (K%) from 27% in the first half of the season to 15.2% in the second half. His 18.6% whiff rate for July 2025 was his first full month with a whiff rate below 20% since July 2023, during his rookie season. If he maintains his 12.7% whiff rate for the rest of August, he will have set a new career low. It would also be his first time logging a whiff rate below 20% in consecutive months.

Naylor has been able to make all of these adjustments without sacrificing his ability to draw walks. His 11.5% walk rate and 0.73 BB/K ratio that he has recorded during the second half are both sustainable if he is able to maintain his refined contact ability. His new swing and approach pass the eye test with flying colors as well. He looks far more comfortable swinging at pitches in the upper two-thirds of the strike zone. Some of the swings he has taken have an uncanny resemblance to his older brother Josh’s actions in the batter’s box. The video below shows some of the picturesque hacks taken by Bo during the second half.

In addition to enhancing his batted ball skills, the modifications made by Naylor have allowed him to make hard contact more frequently. The graph below shows he has gradually improved his hard hit rate (Hard%) and overall contact percentage (Contact%) while chipping away at his swing strike rate (SwStr%). While it is a small sample size, this newly found ability to make hard contact at a high rate is another green flag for his offensive development.

The Bigger Picture

Naylor’s prior history and makeup play a huge part in why I think this is more than just a hot one-month stretch. He learned how to speak fluent Spanish while being fast-tracked through the minors as a cold-weather catcher drafted out of high school. After an abysmal showing during the 2021 season with Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate, his standing as a prospect was at its nadir. A swing overhaul led to his breakout 2022 season with Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, where he went .263/.392/.496 with 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

If this one-month span of above-average productivity turns out to be a legit offensive emergence for Naylor, there will be ripple effects felt throughout the realms of baseball. His bat could be the difference maker as Cleveland attempts to chase down the New York Yankees for the American League’s third Wild Card Slot. For the first time in more than ten years, MLB would have two active above-average Black catchers: Bo Naylor and Drake Baldwin, with Mariners prospect Harry Ford close behind.

Further Reading

I am very excited to present Show Notes #23, which focuses on Dominican-Haitian shortstop Felnin Celesten, a top prospect in the Seattle Mariners farm system. First and foremost, thank you to Modesto Nuts Marketing Manager Mary Cortez for arranging the interview with Felnin Celesten and Luis Caballero. Thank you to Felnin Celesten for letting me interview him, and thank you to Modesto Nuts Manager Luis Caballero for translating and answering questions. Thank you all for reading and supporting The Red Black Green Baseball Blog! - Pat Ellinton Jr.

Born and raised in the small Dominican town of Guaymate with two older sisters, Felnin Celesten sacrificed the life of a typical teenager when he spent five years under the tutelage of renowned trainer Jose Daniel Ozuna (cousin of Marcell Ozuna) at Ozuna Baseball Factory. Celesten’s father was in the Orioles organization during the late 1990s before finding work with a hotel, and his mother is a teacher. He played the drums at Gethsemane Baptist Christian Church in Guaymate every Sunday. His favorite subject to study is mathematics and he has had a fascination with numbers since a young age. He also aspires to be an architect once his playing career is finished. He received his high school diploma from the Mariners organization, which offers programs that teach foreign-born prospects about various subjects like banking/money management, as well as English language skills and adjusting to life in the United States. He even answered some of my questions in English with a clear understanding of what was being asked.

There was a substantial amount of hype surrounding Celesten when he received the fourth-highest signing bonus for an amateur prospect from the Dominican Republic in MLB history. Rumor has it he declined an even larger offer from an NPB ball club after agreeing to terms with the Mariners organization for over $4 million dollars during the 2023 international signing period. The active MLB player he likes to emulate and study is 5x All-Star Francisco Lindor. Celesten admires the joy that the Afro-Puerto Rican superstar exudes whenever he’s on the field.

The Dominican-Haitian shortstop earned the moniker “El Fenix” because of his ability to persevere. “Everyone knows the story of the phoenix and how it rises from the ashes. [My trainer] told me that I always shine bright during tough situations,” he said over the phone with Modesto Nuts manager, Luis Caballero, translating. This ability has been tested frequently during his brief professional career. He was set to make his professional debut during the 2023 MiLB season in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). Unfortunately, he was forced to sit out for the season’s entirety because of a Grade 2 strained hamstring injury. His trademark persistence kicked in shortly after he regrouped, and he plotted his comeback.

“It was difficult at first, but then I saw it as a positive thing. It was a year of learning. I felt I could improve my body and my mind at that moment. I wanted to make sure I was ready for whenever I returned.”

Celesten finally made his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League during the 2024 MiLB season. He went .352/.431/.568(156 wRC+) before reaggravating a left wrist injury that forced him to sit out for the rest of the year after appearing in 32 games. Even though his playing time was cut short, he was grateful to get a taste of competing on the diamond as a professional baseball player.

His appearance in 81 games during 2025 marks the longest stretch of baseball he’s ever played in his life. He started the 2025 season strong by hitting .307/.376/413 over 85 plate appearances in April. However, he declined significantly in May with a .257/.284/.343 slash line. His walk-to-strikeout ratio dropped from 9:12 in April to 3:22 in May. He fought through June to the tune of .290/.347/.366 with nine stolen bases while only getting caught twice. He performed similarly in July, going .245/.330/.372 across 23 games. He has gotten on base twice in both games he has played in August so far. When I asked him about the large number of games he’s played in 2025, he explained, “I feel happy to have played as many games as I’ve been able to this year. I’ve had a lot of conversations with the [coaching] staff about how to maintain my body.”

El Fenix’s Embers Are Beginning to Glow

Celesten’s .274/.337/.378(102 wRC+) slashline with Seattle’s affiliate in the California League for 2025 isn’t anything to write home about at a glance, but scouting the statline being a cardinal sin gave me an excuse to explain what makes this individual so special. After sifting through the game tape, I feel that his tools, intangibles, and makeup are what scouts want in shortstops, plain and simple.

The first way that Seattle’s Dominican-Haitian wunderkid stands out is physically. He is taller than his listed height of 6’1’’. He is far closer to 6’2’’ or maybe even 6’3’’ and weighs around 180-185 pounds. He has the frame of an oversized shortstop with a lean, tapered midsection, chiseled legs, and well-defined shoulders. He still has plenty of room in his frame to add muscle without sacrificing foot speed or flexibility. He is a 60-grade runner who navigates the basepaths well but has slightly below-average basestealing skills. His lack of success at swiping bags may be due to a lack of reps over the last calendar year, so the jury is still out on how efficient a basestealer he can be.

Celesten is a switch-hitter who stands in the batter’s box with an open crouch and high leg kick that both vary from plate appearance to plate appearance. He has similar setups and actions from both sides of the plate. He keeps his hands perpendicular to his chin as he wraps the bat before swinging. It is a relatively simple cut that does not feature a ton of moving parts. He whips the bat through the strike zone and generates above-average bat speed with little effort. He separates his hips and hands well, allowing his core to rotate before bringing the bat around. His ability to anticipate when to swing is above-average, but the caveat is that his swing can get lengthy at times.

“I started switch-hitting at twelve years old and I take pride in it. It is something that I want to master. I enjoy being challenged, so [switch-hitting] attracted me because it is hard to do.”

He has an aggressive approach in early counts when he gets fastballs over the plate that he can hit. He makes adjustments mid-at-bat, but his aggressive hitting style will probably keep his walk rate hovering around the 7-9% plateau. His swing is somewhat grooved, as he has some struggles making effective contact in the upper third of the strike zone. He is very susceptible to fastballs up and/or on the outer half of the plate, as well as sliders down and in. Celesten’s 13% swinging strike rate is on the higher side and correlates with his hitting style/approach.

As seen in the video above, he often finds success by turning pitches on the inside half of the plate. He also makes effective contact by getting out in front of offerings in the lower two-thirds of the strike zone. Even though he possesses above-average power and regularly records batted ball events over 90 miles per hour, he has a habit of being a worm killer because of his somewhat handsy swing and lack of experience. His power is viable to all fields and he has a feel for hitting offerings where they are pitched.

His 60-grade speed gives him a lot of range in both directions. He does very well at charging grounders directly in front of him. He possesses a consistently quick transfer, a reliable internal clock, and the necessary arm strength/utility to stick at shortstop. He has even shown creativity and savvy by making well-placed glove flips with the traffic on the bases. His potential to be an above-average to plus defender at shortstop or third base is one of the main reasons why I think his floor is relatively high for an international prospect.

While Celesten has committed over 20 errors during the 2025 season, it's worth noting that this is a teenager who has had only 30 games of professional experience prior to this year. After making only eight errors in April and May, he accrued at least seven errors in both June and July. I interpret this development as a lack of experience rather than defensive inadequacies, for now. Time will tell whether he has the chops to stick at shortstop.

Conclusion

I look forward to watching Celesten with Seattle’s High-A in 2026 now that he has his sea legs under him. Even with the relative lack of playing time, it is very easy to see why he is thought of so highly in certain realms of baseball. There are a lot of prospects in his age group with similar ceilings to his, but there are very few with a floor as high as his. Not to mention, tall and athletic shortstops with above-average power do not grow on trees. He also possesses intelligence and a makeup that is not typically seen amongst teenagers in professional baseball.

Haiti itself has produced very few professional baseball players, as soccer is far more popular. Other Latin countries with substantial Haitian populations, such as the Dominican Republic and Cuba, have had more success producing Haitian ballplayers who often hide their heritage because of the anti-Haitianism in Latin American baseball. With Haitian players such as Estevan Florial, Touki Toussaint, Miguel Sanó, and Ernesto Martínez Jr. being more outspoken than ever, Celesten has the talent and the opportunity to be the face of a wave of Haitian talent quietly making inroads across professional baseball.

Minor League Baseball has over 125 active Black prospects from more than 10 different countries, including the Anglophone/Francophone Caribbean, as well as Continental Africa. As one of the very few people who writes about the entire African diaspora’s relationship with baseball, it would be remiss of me not to write about the burgeoning collective of Black talent currently emerging from countries/regions not known for producing baseball players. This list features nine active minor leagues in the lower minors, meaning none of these prospects are playing in AA, AAA, or the MLB.

C/OF Khadim Diaw, Minnesota Twins

2025 Stats:
38 Games Played
.302/.455/.431
4 2Bs/1 3B/3 HRs
19:26 BB:K ratio

21-year-old Khadim Diaw is a Senegalese catcher/outfielder in the Minnesota Twins farm system from New Jersey. He was selected by Minnesota in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. He posted a .348/.426/.559 slashline during his three years in the West Coast Conference, and has carried over his offensive success to the minor leagues. He went on the Injured List at the end of May with a fractured right thumb and will probably not return to game action until August. Diaw has played both behind the plate and in center field, giving him unique defensive versatility that complements his intriguing offensive tools.

3B Eriel Dihigo, Colorado Rockies

2025 Stats:
33 Games Played
.255/.441/.406
5 2Bs/1 3B/3 HRs
9 SB/2 CS
30:21 BB:K ratio

Eriel Dihigo is a switch-hitting infielder in the Colorado Rockies system. In case you saw his last name and were wondering, the Afro-Cuban teenager is the great-great-nephew of the two-way, super-utility, player-manager superstar Martín Dihigo. He has yet to be promoted from the Dominican Summer League despite an impressive start to his professional career. Scouting the stat line is not a good idea, but his sparkling BB/K ratio and ability to steal bases at an extremely efficient clip are huge green flags. I am eager to see how he performs once he is promoted to a stateside affiliate.

RP David Matoma, Pittsburgh Pirates

2025 Stats:
19 Games
26.1 innings pitched
4.78 ERA
21.9% K%/14.9% BB%

David Matoma is a 19-year-old Ugandan relief pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He started playing baseball at age 10 and inked a deal with Pittsburgh’s scouting department during the 2023 signing period for international amateur free agents. He is the third Ugandan to sign with an MLB club, following in the footsteps of Umar Male and Ben Serunkuma. He allowed zero earned runs across 16.2 innings during his professional debut in the 2023 Dominican Summer League. He followed up his pristine debut season by posting a 0.82 ERA across 22 innings in the Florida Complex League for the 2024 MiLB season. He has had less success in his first full season with Pittsburgh’s affiliate in the Florida State League during 2025, but has shown evaluators specific intangibles that make him a legitimate prospect. He is armed with a fastball that sits in the high-90s and reaches triple digits. He also has a cutter and slider in his repertoire.

INF Ayden Johnson, Athletics

2025 Stats:
28 Games Played
.259/.419/.321
3 2B/1 3B
13 SB/1 CS
19:31 BB:K Ratio

Ayden Johnson is a switch-hitting third baseman from The Bahamas who was signed by the Athletics organization during the 2025 signing period. Only 17 years old, he trained in Plant City, Florida, and in the Dominican Republic, where he came into contact with various scouts. He is bilingual, fully fluent in both English and Spanish. He had an impressive debut season in the Dominican Summer League and has a reputation as the most polished Bahamian prospect since Jazz Chisholm Jr. was in the Diamondbacks’ farm system.

OF Kenly Hunter, St. Louis Cardinals

20 Games Played
.321/.424/.385
1 2B/2 3B
13 SB/0 CS
10:7 BB:K Ratio

Kenly Hunter is the most promising prospect to emerge from the Jamaican ethnic enclave in Nicaragua in over a decade. He was extremely impressive during his debut season in the Dominican Summer League. He played the majority of the 2025 season at only 16 years old, which is a huge green flag as it pertains to future success. Hunter has a long way to go, but he has a chance to be the most productive Nicaraguan position player of the 21st century.

SS Jemone Nuel, Baltimore Orioles

34 Games Played
.279/.461/.450
6 2Bs/2 3Bs/3 HRs
30 SB/ 5 CS
35:23 BB:K Ratio

Dominican-Jamaican infielder Jemone Nuel was among Baltimore’s top international signings in 2024. He received one of the highest bonuses for a signee from an Anglophone Caribbean country. His eye at the plate is advanced, and he has already built a reputation for his glove work and baserunning prowess. He repeated in the Dominican Summer League for 2025 and dominated accordingly. He also made an appearance in the 2025 DSL All-Star Game. I will be watching his Florida Complex League debut closely next season.

3B/1B Jamesson Val, Minnesota Twins

26 Games Played
.192/.403/.288
2 2Bs/1 HR
6 SB/2 CS
19:15 BB:K Ratio

Jamesson Val was signed by the Minnesota Twins out of Fond-Verrettes, Haiti. The young Haitian has made appearances in the Dominican Summer League at first base and third base. Even with his somewhat poor performance during his debut season, he still showed legitimate on-base skills with an impressive 19:15 BB:K ratio. The Twins player development group is one of the best in the sport at maximizing a position player’s offensive potential, so I am looking forward to seeing what they can extract from Val over the next couple of years.

OF Armstrong Muhoozi, Pittsburgh Pirates

17 Games Played
.313/.333/.438
3 2Bs/1 HR
14 SB/3 CS
1:15 BB:K Ratio

Outfielder Armstrong Muhoozi is the third Ugandan prospect to be signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization during the 2020s. The 18-year-old had an impressive debut season in the Domincan Summer League, and I will be watching closely during the offseason for any signs on whether he will repeat the DSL or get promoted to the Arizona Complex League in 2026.

SS Felnin Celesten, Seattle Mariners

70 Games Played
.282/.343/.378
12 2Bs/2 3Bs/4 HRs
18 SB/8 CS
28:73 BB:K ratio

Dominican-Haitian Fenin Celesten is a switch-hitting shortstop in the Seattle Mariners organization from Guaymate, a small city 20 miles outside of La Romana, Dominican Republic. He was ranked as one of the top amateur prospects in the 2024 international signing period and signed with Seattle. He skipped the Dominican Summer League and started his professional career in the Arizona Complex League during the 2024 season. He had one of the best debut seasons by any player in the ACL in 2024 and is currently playing with Seattle’s full-season Low-A affiliate.

Discount Link: https://tangibleuno.substack.com/q3discount2025

The Red, Black, Green Baseball Blog focuses on the African diaspora’s past, present, and future relationship with professional baseball. Black baseball history is expansive, stretching from Nicaragua and Alabama to Japan and South Sudan. While many think that baseball is dying within the African-American community and across the entire African diaspora, the opposite is true. Baseball has made significant strides forward on the African continent during the 21st century. While not known for producing professional baseball players, the Anglophone Caribbean has had a relatively large contingent of millennial and Gen-Z baseball talent reach the upper minors and majors during the 2010s and 2020s. The Red Black Green Baseball Blog provides articles focused on Black baseball history, player evaluations, and commentary on significant current events involving active Black players in the sport. Some of my past work is available to view below.

My online portfolio: https://www.clippings.me/users/tangibleuno

Further Reading

Tampa Bay has quietly established itself as one of the few organizations willing to put Black starters on the pitcher’s mound during the 21st century. David Price, Chris Archer, and Edwin Jackson are the three most prominent Black starters in the relatively brief history of the Rays franchise. Current Rays starting rotation member Taj Bradley has the talent to join this trio, but has yet to establish a history of above-average performance.

20-year-old Gary Gill Hill possesses the potential to extend the Rays’ special history with successful Black starting pitchers. He was drafted by Tampa Bay in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of a Catholic high school in Westchester County, New York. He had one of the most polarizing profiles of any player in his respective draft class. Some scouts considered the right-hander an advanced pitcher and a talent worthy of being drafted in the first ten rounds. Others expressed skepticism about his ability due to his cold-weather background and a lack of notable performances until his final year of high school.

He forewent his commitment to the Division I baseball program of a small private college in New Jersey to begin his professional career after being drafted. He played in 12 games with Tampa Bay’s Florida Complex League affiliate before a late-season promotion to the Low-A Carolina League in 2023, posting a 5.49 ERA across 41.0 innings. For the 2024 season, Gill Hill made 22 starts across 108.2 innings in the Carolina League with a 3.15 ERA. He lowered his WHIP from 1.683 in 2023 to 1.113 in 2024, demonstrating significant improvement in his ability to strike batters out while reducing his walk rate.

Gill Hill has made 14 total starts with Tampa Bay’s High-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League for the 2025 season so far. He dominated opposing High-A hitters in April 2025 with a 1.73 ERA across 26.0 innings of work. He struck out only 20 total batters, but still managed to prevent hitters from accumulating hits. During May, he posted an abysmal 9.25 ERA in 24.1 innings. Opposing hitters batted .352/.409/.590 off of him, which inflated his ERA to 5.36 at that point in the 2025 season. He has bounced back impressively in June with a 3.04 ERA and an improved ability to accrue strikeouts. His performance for the third month of the 2025 season has reduced his ERA to 4.62 across 74 innings. The 20-year-old starter is on track to reach Double-A by the last month of the current season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he made his MLB debut in 2026.

Gill Hill is 6’2” and weighs about 180 pounds. He has the lean, wiry build of an average-sized NBA point guard. He has already gained 20 pounds of muscle since becoming a professional baseball player and still has room for more growth without losing his above-average flexibility and athleticism. This development has enabled him to handle a bigger workload and keep his fastball velocity in the mid-90s later into starts. He works from the first base side of the rubber with a quick sidearm throwing motion and mechanics that are often described as “athletic and dynamic.” He repeats his pitching mechanics whether fully winding up or pitching out of the stretch with runners on base.

Gill Hill is a very efficient pitcher who is starting to show a penchant for going deep into games. In 2025, he’s gone at least six innings in five starts and has only thrown more than 75 pitches once. During his longest outing, he threw 73 pitches across seven innings with two earned runs and four hits allowed. He can pitch effectively as an east-west and north-south pitcher to left-handed and right-handed hitters. He understands how to adjust his sequencing and strategy when navigating through an opposing lineup for a second or third time.

There are times when he shows pinpoint control of his pitches, and other times when he lets offerings drift over the middle of the plate that opposing hitters can handle. He has a habit of getting preoccupied with dotting the edge of the zone or forcing a hitter to chase a particular pitch instead of making the appropriate adjustments during the at-bat. Being so focused on attaining specific outcomes in certain situations has completely derailed some of Gill Hill’s starts.

He utilizes a five-pitch repertoire that is headlined by a lively two-seam fastball that sits 94-95 and reaches 97 miles per hour. It has utility in garnering weak contact and whiffs from opposing batters, regardless of their handedness. When he runs the two-seamer in on the hands of righties, it frequently leads to harmless groundouts to the left side of the infield. He also consistently hits the outside corner with it when facing left-handed hitters. Occasionally, lefties will chase well-placed two-seamers on the outer edge of the strike zone. He has worked hard to develop an effective four-seamer that has a distinct yet complementary shape to his two-seam fastball. He made adjustments to his release point and mechanics to consistently generate more carry on the ball. The result is a flat four-seamer that Gill Hill uses in the top half of the zone to get called strikes and whiffs.

He uses two distinct slider grips and exhibits an excellent feel for using both to garner whiffs and weak contact. The first is a cutter-slider hybrid that he throws in the upper 80s with a tight, sharp break. The pitch’s late gloveside movement allows Gill Hill to run it in on the hands of left-handed batters and away from right-handed hitters. The velocity makes it a viable option as a fastball. His second slider is a slurve that he can use as more of a flat, sweeping slider or as a pseudo-11-5 curveball, e.g., Corey Kluber. His fifth pitch is a changeup that is used to steal strikes and force weak contact. His cambio is effective due to his quick arm and ability to throw his entire repertoire from close release points.

Conclusion

With Chase Burns' call-up by the Cincinnati Reds and the promotion of Afro-Colombian Didier Fuentes to Atlanta’s 25-man roster, Gary Gill Hill might be the best active Black starting pitcher in MiLB right now. He has all the traits of a starting pitcher who will thrive as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. I'm interested in seeing how he performs in the upper minors with his vast repertoire and whether he can maintain such a sophisticated identity against MLB-caliber hitters.

Further Reading

The signing of Jamaican-Nicaraguan relief pitcher Duque Hebbert by Tigers scout Luis Molina in April 2023 serves as a good example because it is a move that would not have happened just a year prior. Hebbert agreed to a minor league deal with Detroit after striking out Dominican superstars Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, and Manny Machado during a 2023 World Baseball Classic game between Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Despite standing only 5’10’’ and being equipped with a sinking fastball that flirts with the low 90s, it wouldn’t surprise me if Hebbert found success for Detroit as an effective long relief pitcher sometime in the near future. He has tools that could allow him to compete against major league-caliber hitters, but he needs to work on reducing or erasing the glaring flaws holding him back from more consistent success.

Looking Under The Hood

Duque Hebbert is 5’10’’ and weighs around 170 pounds. He lacks projection in his frame but has a bit of lower-body muscle mass. He throws right-handed and works from the middle of the rubber with a basic, 3/4ths overhand delivery. His pitching arsenal consists of a sinker, slider, and changeup.

His sinker sits 90-91 miles per hour and will reach 92-93 occasionally. It has an average shape for accumulating whiffs and is somewhat decent at garnering groundballs when it is well located. Hebbert’s lack of feel for controlling his sinker is one of his most significant flaws and might be the reason he never pans out. While he can throw strikes, he frequently leaves offerings in places where opponents can do damage. The pitch works best in the lower third of the strike zone, and he frequently leaves it elevated.

I think Hebber uses two different slider grips, but I am not entirely sure. At the very least, it’s a pitch that he has tremendous feel for. I’ve seen him throw it up to 85 mph with a tight, hard, cutter-ish gloveside break and seen him slow it down to 79 mph with a more sweeping shape. His changeup is a straight, fading offering that sits in the low 80s. It is his best offering, and the pitch that he used to get strikeouts against the heart of the Dominican Republic’s order during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It plays well off his sinking fastball in the lower third of the strike zone and underneath it. I can comfortably say both pitches are at least 45s, and borderline 50s. It would not surprise me if the two secondaries utilized by Hebbert turned out to be 55-grade pitches.

Hebbert has a real feel for pitching backwards and getting crafty with his pitch usage. He works with a very fast tempo, regularly leaving 10-12 seconds on the pitch clock when winding up. His ability to command and control his secondary pitches is very impressive. It looks like he has an easier time throwing his slider and changeup for a first-pitch strike than his sinker sometimes.

I believe Hebbert should consider manipulating his leg kick timing, similarly to Johnny Cueto, Nestor Cortes, and Oliver Perez. He’s already shown the intangibles to be crafty with his ability to locate, so why not give him another wrinkle that might help him find more viability against opposing hitters? Cleaning up his delivery and getting him to be more consistent with his release point will help him control his sinker in the strike zone. It will lead to more first pitch strikes, which will in turn reduce his walk rate and possibly even make his strikeout rate jump up despite not being a flamethrower with hell-bending secondary pitches.

A Brief History Lesson

If the idea of Hebbert being Jamaican-Nicaraguan has you scratching your head, then you probably did not know about the considerable populations of Black people in the Central American countries of Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, or Costa Rica. Hebbert is from Puerto Cabezas, known locally as Bilwi. It is the capital of the Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (NAAR), which makes up a large sector of the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua. NAAR is the official name for the territory that has belonged to the Miskito maroon enclave since the late 1800s. Maroon is a term used for the communities of escaped African slaves and Indigenous Americans who successfully occupied territories in North, Central, and South America as well as Continental Africa.

Baseball was introduced to Bluefields, Nicaragua, in the 1880s and quickly spread across the country as a replacement for cricket. Bluefields is the largest city in the region and the epicenter of the Jamaican ethnic enclave in Nicaragua. This transition was not coincidental, as American influence in Latin America was growing, while Britain’s influence in Central America was waning after the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty was signed between the two countries in 1850.

Nicaragua has a notable history of producing Black baseball players that is not widely known. Jamaican-Nicaraguan Edward “Eduardo” Green is considered by many to be one of the greatest Black players of his era to have never played in the Negro Leagues. He was recruited by Branch Rickey to play for the Dodgers, but quit and returned to Nicaragua after experiencing the Jim Crow laws of America. He expressed extreme disgust with the de jure and de facto racism of the United States.

It was very common for Black baseball players from Latin America to refuse to play in the Negro Leagues despite being offered large amounts of money. They felt living under the pervasiveness of Jim Crow laws that made American racism unique was beneath them. Afro-Puerto Rican shortstop Perucho Cepeda famously lived in poverty while being one of the most famous Black baseball players in the world during the 1920s and 1930s because he refused lucrative offers from Negro Leagues teams.

Many baseball historians consider David Green (son of Edward) to be one of the biggest what-ifs of MLB’s Integration Era. He was signed by a Milwaukee Brewers scout who navigated through intense urban warfare in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua during the Sandinista Revolution. He was compared to Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente as a teenager. He did not reach his ceiling due to issues with depression and alcoholism after the unexpected death of his father. Other Black players from Nicaragua include Kenly Hunter, Devern Hansack, Albert Williams, and Carlos Rodríguez.

Thank you to John Vicari, Great Lakes Loons Broadcast & Content Coordinator, for granting me access and arranging my interview with Josue De Paula. Without people like John in my corner, I would not have had the opportunity to tell the stories of individuals like Josue De Paula. Thank you to Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula for his time and the wonderful conversation that led to this article. It means a great deal that he trusts me with his story, and I am honored to share it with my audience. - Pat Ellington Jr.

Josue De Paula’s lanky 6’4’’ frame and thick Brooklyn accent would lead most people to assume he spends a lot of time on the basketball court, but the truth is he started playing baseball at the age of four and never looked back. “My dad loves baseball, so he introduced me to it. And ever since I played, I fell in love with it,” he said with a smile. “On my mother’s side, everyone plays basketball. I’m the first one to play a different sport.” The 20-year-old Dominican-African-American outfielder is a younger cousin of legendary NYC point guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair on his mother’s side. He is eager to make a name for himself by representing his family on a new front.

New York City’s incredibly long history of producing professional baseball players has been overshadowed by its reputation as “The Mecca of Basketball” during the 21st century. Unbeknownst to many, the first documented baseball game between two professional Black teams took place in New York City in 1869. Suppose De Paula completes the arduous journey to the majors. In that case, he will join a group of Black MLB players from New York City’s five boroughs that includes Rod Carew, Marcus Stroman, Shawon Dunston, Willie Randolph, Dave Cash, Ken Singleton, Bobby Bonilla, and Tommy Davis.

“I believe there are a lot of good [baseball players] coming from New York. It gets overshadowed by other sports, and the weather doesn't help either. I always think about how [the Dodgers] used to be in Brooklyn. It’s fitting to have that connection. And I really like Dodger Blue, I think it looks good.”

By the time he was in middle school, the young Coney Islander had become one of the most promising position players for his age group throughout the entire East Coast. However, he didn’t realize he had the talent to play baseball professionally until his freshman year of high school. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced high school baseball programs across the United States to shut down in 2020, De Paula took a leap of faith and moved to the Dominican Republic on his own with a plan to find a trainer.

Choosing to become an international amateur free agent instead of maintaining his eligibility for the MLB Draft had plenty of incentives for the young New Yorker. It gave him more control over his career, as he could negotiate with all 30 teams on more equal terms instead of waiting to be selected. He would also be able to become a professional player a full calendar year earlier, as he met the minimum age requirement for the 2022 international signing period but was not eligible for the MLB Draft until 2023.

With his father pulling strings stateside, De Paula ended up at El Niche Baseball Academy in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo after living with one of his uncles for a month. El Niche is a renowned academy that has produced All-Star-level talents such as Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz. The Brooklyn native quickly established himself as one of the best corner outfielders in his age group on the Dominican amateur circuit, and teams began to take notice. He signed with the Dodgers on the first day of the 2022 international signing period for $397,000 dollars.

“I needed that challenge of living in a different country as a person and as a player. I feel like my abilities and talent rally started developing when I moved. I always had it, but it grew in [the Dominican Republic.] That’s when I felt like I was challenged and had competition. It's better weather. You've got more access to more fields. And over there it's just baseball, 24/7.”

Read more

I would like to thank Ernesto Martínez Jr. for letting me interview him and tell his story to the world. I also owe 1000 thank yous to Cory Hilborne, Communications Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate, Nashville Sounds, for dealing with my persistence while arranging the interview that led to the creation of this feature article. - Pat Ellington Jr.

Introduction

The island of Cuba has an extensive history of producing Black baseball players that stretches back to the late 1800s. Martín Dihigo and Luis Tiant II were amongst the many Black Cubans who competed in the Negro Leagues during the first half of the 1900s. Infielder Silvio Garcia was the first Black player approached by Branch Rickey to break MLB’s color line during the mid-1940s. Minnie Miñoso and Luis Tiant III were outspoken about being acknowledged as Black during and after their lengthy playing careers in MLB. African-American-Chinese-Cuban second baseman Tony Taylor played 19 seasons in MLB. Jamaican-Cuban Aroldis Chapman is one of the greatest left-handed relievers ever.

Haitian-Cuban first baseman Ernesto Martínez Jr. is the ideal candidate to join this esteemed group of Afro-Cuban baseball players. He plays the game with a high tempo, apparent joyfulness, and sense of competitive urgency that emits heavy Russell Westbrook vibes. Yes, the fact that he turns 26 next month and has yet to make his MLB debut is a gigantic red flag. This isn’t just another late bloomer who has a chance to have a handful of decent years doing typical first baseman stuff before fading into obscurity. He has a five-tool profile with a ceiling similar to that of Freddie Freeman, Derrek Lee, Jeff Bagwell, and Paul Goldschmidt in a highly athletic and mobile 6’6’’ frame. He also speaks four languages(Spanish, French, Haitian Kreyol, English) and has embarked on a path that stands out even amongst his other countrymen who have defected from Cuba to play in MiLB and MLB.

The Holguín Globetrotter’s Origin Story

Ernesto Martínez Jr’s fluency in the language of baseball has enabled him to use his bat as a passport that has taken him across the world. He was born and raised in Holguín, Cuba, as the only child of two professional athletes of Haitian descent. His father was a longtime catcher in the Cuban National Series(CNS) who later defected to play in France, and his mother was a professional volleyball player in Cuba.

He played in his first international tournament at 12 years old and was one of the cornerstones of Cuba’s national teams for teenagers during the mid-2010s. In those tournaments, he established a reputation as a prolific two-way player against the world’s best baseball players in his age group. He followed his father across the Atlantic Ocean and defected to France in July 2014, just one month after turning 15. He trained and studied at Pôle France Baseball Academy in the South of France.

After watching the 6’6” left-hander throw in France and seeing his immense potential, former Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagné agreed to become Martínez Jr.’s pitching coach under the condition that he give up being a two-way player. The retired big leaguer would also leverage his connections to help Martínez Jr. showcase his repertoire in front of scouts as his official representative.

Before departing for the United States from France to begin training, Martínez Jr. lived in Haiti with relatives to establish residency outside of Cuba and gain eligibility for a French passport in 2015. While he grew up listening to his mother converse with his aunts in Haitian Kreyol and understood some of the language, Martínez Jr. became fluent during his three months in Haiti. After receiving a French passport, he moved to Arizona to begin his training.

“I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona for nine months, and Gagné taught me some things. I was doing well in all of my tryouts. I had twenty-two teams interested in me, and then I got hurt.”

The left-hander impressed scouts with a lively fastball in the mid-90s and a Vulcan changeup that he learned from Gagné. He also learned to speak English using a Rosetta Stone application on one of the Gagné children’s tablets. During negotiations with teams to join the 2016 J2 Class, he sustained a severe injury to his throwing shoulder, which necessitated postponing his transition to MiLB by an entire year. He decided to move to the Dominican Republic in 2016 and sought a trainer to relearn how to hit and field after almost three years of solely being a pitcher.

“A friend of mine was training at [Fernando] Tatís Sr.’s place and took me there. I didn’t really know anything about him except that he played in the majors. He saw me hitting bombs and decided to take me under his wing. And then I became a hitter again.”

He trained under Fernando Tatís Sr. in San Pedro de Macoris for nine months. He drastically increased his value as a full-time first baseman in various showcases and tournaments throughout the Dominican Republic. He then dominated the amateur European circuit before becoming the youngest player to be included on a 25-man roster in World Baseball Classic history during the 2016 WBC qualifiers as a member of Team France. He played alongside his father and under legendary manager Bruce Bochy.

“[Bochy] is a great person. He taught me a lot about the game and about being a professional. Even though I did not spend much time with him because the pandemic canceled the WBC in 2020, he took me under his wing.”

Making the Long-Awaited Leap

While most MLB front offices expressed immediate interest in him as a pitcher, it took much longer for Martínez Jr. to garner attention after transitioning to first base. Shortly after the WBC qualifiers concluded in the last quarter of 2016, he struck a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in early 2017. Although he had minimal contact with scouts or front office members from the Milwaukee Brewers organization, they extended an offer he couldn’t refuse after orchestrating a trade to obtain additional international bonus pool money from the Baltimore Orioles.

Martínez Jr.’s professional career began during the 2017 MiLB season at 18. He competed in the Dominican Summer League before getting a late-season promotion to the Arizona Summer League. He repeated the ASL in 2018 and appeared in 35 games. During the 2019 season, he appeared in only 48 of 77 games with Milwaukee’s Pioneer League affiliate, posting a .262/.356/.445 slash line. He attributes his subpar performance during the first few years of his professional career to a lack of fundamentals.

“I didn’t understand certain things, whether big or small. For example, I didn’t know how to hit the ball up front. I only knew how to hit the ball hard. I didn’t understand that you have to apply mechanics to hitting. I didn’t pay attention to what my coaches were telling me because I was hard-headed back then. A lot of things were flying over my head in those days.”

Finally Turning the Corner

“El Espectáculo” secured more playing time and sustained success after the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was lifted. Amid this newfound progress, he found it easier to be himself between the lines and in the clubhouse. His faith in God grew stronger, and he became more outgoing and upbeat off the field.

In 2021, he logged a .274/.370/.492 slash line across 311 plate appearances in 79 games with 15 doubles, 11 home runs, and 30 successful steals out of 34 total attempts. He played in only 28 games for the 2022 MiLB season after a wrist injury forced him to miss a substantial amount of time. He bounced back for the 2023 MiLB season with a .261/.345/.415 slash line across a career-high of 98 games played during a single season.

His breakout campaign finally arrived during the 2024 MiLB season. He posted a .284/.365/.466 slash line across a new career high of 110 games played with 30 doubles, 13 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. After resigning with Milwaukee as a minor league free agent after the 2024 season concluded, Martínez Jr. has continued to perform at an above-average level with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in 2025. He has a .270/.383/.427 slash line across 25 games with one double, two triples, and three home runs.

Diving in a Crowded Toolbox

Standing 6’6" and weighing 250 pounds, Ernesto Martínez Jr. has the lean build of a prototypical NBA small forward. His athleticism and mobility are rare for a position player his size. He is among the few individuals in his position group with five above-average tools in the minors or majors.

Despite being such a large individual, the Haitian-Cuban first baseman puts the bat on the ball at an above-average to borderline plus rate. He currently holds the nineteenth-lowest swinging strike rate out of 245 qualified players in Triple-A with at least 100 plate appearances. He rarely chases offerings outside the strike zone and teeters upon passiveness to some degree. He allows too many hittable fastballs to reach the catcher’s mitt in early counts instead of pulling the trigger. He compensates for this lack of aggression against fastballs with a knack for obliterating breaking pitches to all fields after putting together lengthy at-bats against opposing pitchers.

His remarkable ability to make contact for a hitter of his size stems from his unique stance, uncanny eye-hand coordination, and athleticism. The positioning of his hands lets him cover the strike zone with an optimal bat path. Martínez Jr. is forced to employ a long bat wrap because of his long arms, but he compensates for it with a sound feel for anticipating pitches by starting his swing early enough to get the bat around on time. He effectively utilizes his strong hands and robust core to generate elite bat speed consistently, a la Jazz Chisholm Jr. He consistently keeps his hands close to his chest when pitchers try to jam him on the inner third of the plate. He also possesses the requisite bat control to do enough damage against fastballs in the upper third of the zone.

He has top-of-the-scale power, but the caveat is that he does not hit flyballs at a high rate. He’s recorded exit velocities as high as 115 miles per hour and regularly produces exit velocities in the mid-90s. He sprays blistering line drives to all fields and knows how to get a well-placed groundball past the infield dirt for a base hit. It would not surprise me if he accrued doubles at a high rate, similarly to Freddie Freeman.

“I’ve always had [speed]. I was very limited in the beginning because they did not trust me that much. In 2021, my Low-A manager Joe Ayrault finally let me run, and I stole thirty bags in ninety something games. Prior to then, I really did not run.”

His high motor and baserunning prowess are also comparable to Freeman’s. He’s a slightly above-average runner with a long history of swiping bags at a high rate without getting caught. While he has struggled to swipe bags in Triple-A this year(1 SB/3 CS), it would not surprise me if Martínez Jr. accrued 100-200 stolen bases during his MLB career if he plays long enough.

“I learned how to play good defense by digging out bad throws from my friends. I studied taekwondo as a kid, which is why I know how to do the splits.”

He is one of the very few active players at the cold corner in MiLB or MLB who could win a Platinum Glove Award in the near future. He displays a plethora of creativity and flexibility when making picks in the dirt. He has become renowned for his ability to hit the splits like James Brown when attempting to secure outs. He’s also retained his arm strength from pitching, which allows him to contribute on relays and balls in play with a lot of traffic on the basepaths.

Conclusion

No single player in MiLB or MLB compares to Ernesto Martínez Jr. He possesses a frame and raw power that invite comparisons to Aaron Judge and James Wood. His bat-to-ball skills and athleticism as a full-time first baseman show shades of Freddie Freeman. He has the hands, range, instincts, and willingness to be a Don Mattingly-level defender at the hot corner. If MLB GMs could create first basemen in a laboratory, they would use Martínez Jr. as a template. His pursuit of an MLB uniform has taken him on a journey through five countries, forcing him to alter his identity as a baseball player significantly. After taking such a huge gamble, he’s on the verge of finding his way onto a 26-man roster in MLB and representing Cuba in the 2026 World Baseball Classic and 2028 Olympics.

This article is one of the first to be published under the umbrella of my official partnership with Black Baseball Mixtape. At least four articles will be published per month on all topics that are relevant to Black Baseball Culture, including the moments that reveal themselves as the 2025 MLB season transpires. I will have more opportunities to interview Black players, scouts, coaches, etc. than ever before in my brief career.

My main goal is to publish stories that push the envelope and highlight the entire African diaspora’s past, present, and future relationship with baseball on a collective level. Thank you all for reading and subscribing; I would not have reached this point without the collective support from my audience and my peers. - Pat Ellington Jr.

Introduction

There are just three pitchers in Major League Baseball history who have recorded at least one save with nine different teams. Additionally, there are only 53 pitchers who have successfully converted at least 200 saves, and among them, only 31 have reached the milestone of 300 saves. Since the start of the Wild Card Era in 1995, only 10 relievers have pitched at least 900 total career innings. The only individual to achieve these milestones is Fernando Rodney, who boasts one of the most unique careers of any relief pitcher during The Integration Era.

Rodney belongs to an ethnic enclave known as Samaná-Americans, descendants of a group of African-American families from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area who immigrated to the island of Hispaniola during the mid-1820s while it was still entirely under the authority of Haiti after being emancipated from slavery. Most of these individuals congregated on the Samaná Peninsula, located in the northeastern sector of the island in the present-day Dominican Republic.

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the American government established multiple deportation programs to send emancipated individuals of African descent in the United States to the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. The Samaná-American ethnic group makes up the largest English-speaking population on the island of Hispaniola, and it is one of the five largest ethnic enclaves of Anglophone Black people in Latin America. Its creole/patois is a mixture of Spanish and Ebonics known as Samaná English. There are approximately 10,000 Samaná English speakers and half a million total Samaná-Americans in the Dominican Republic currently.

Rodney was selected to three All-Star teams and recorded seven seasons with at least 30 saves. He reached the forty-save plateau twice and is 19th all-time in career saves with 327. His 951 appearances on the mound is the 20th all-time, and he is one of 47 relief pitchers with at least 900 career strikeouts. Rodney was the last MLB player born in the 1970s to appear in a game, which encapsulates his persistence.

Rodney is known for sporting a baseball cap with the bill pointed slightly towards the left and his tradition of firing off an imaginary bow and arrow after successfully closing out a game. He tilts his cap as a way to pay homage to his late father, who succumbed to cancer a week before his MLB debut. The bow and arrow gesture is a reference to the place where he was raised, a small village in the Samaná Bay known as “La Flecha.”

As a child, he learned the tricks and trade of a Dominican fisherman under the tutelage of his father, Ulises Benjamin, with whom he had a close relationship. The younger Rodney developed the trademark jokester personality that has made him beloved in every clubhouse he’s gotten dressed in while handling nets and lines on the sea with his father. Growing up, his preferred sport was boxing, even though he always showed promise as a baseball player.

"That's what all the guys do (at that age in Santo Domingo) -- boxing, karate, taekwondo. But my dad told me, 'I don't like boxing for you. I don't like that sport. Keep working on practicing baseball.' And I listened to my dad." - Fernando Rodney

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