MLB has seen a "small increase in the percent of Black players on opening-day rosters this year, with 7.8%, or 80 players, comprising the 30-man rosters, injured and restricted lists," according to analysis cited by Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. Three teams -- the D-backs, Royals and Rays -- "didn’t have a single Black player on their opening-day roster," while 14 of the 30 teams "have two or fewer." The Mariners are the "outliers, with 10 Black players on their opening-day roster, and 12, including those at the team's alternate camp." With college coaches making a "conscious effort to provide avenues for amateur players who aren’t in showcase events, and whose parents aren’t shelling out thousands of dollars each year in travel ball, a difference is being made." The "greatest advertisement for Black collegiate baseball players" was last year’s Vanderbilt-Michigan College World Series championship, "with seven African-Americans on each team." Also, MLB's showcase events are "exposing talented kids who normally would be overlooked." There have been 136 players "drafted in the past five years from those programs" (USA TODAY, 8/14).
