Major League Baseball Players Association & Former Players Are Determined to Cultivate Future Stars
MLBPA is committed to providing youth players from underserved populations with access to expert coaches and playing opportunities
Major League Baseball Players Association & Former Players Are Determined to Cu…
In recent years, with the number of African-American players on MLB rosters dwindling at an alarming rate, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), its active and in-active members have become more determined to help eliminate social and economic barriers to playing the game they love.
The players firmly believe that all youngsters deserve a chance to play baseball, and, as importantly, those youth need to learn to play the game through proper coaching and training techniques. Quite a few former Major Leaguers have taken it upon themselves to help groom future generations of players, and the MLBPA is harnessing some of that knowledge and experience in ways that are sure to help increase the levels of baseball participation across the United States.
In June, the MLBPA and Major League Baseball partnered to host the Breakthrough Series at Curtis Granderson Stadium at the University of Illinois, Chicago. This first-of-its-kind event provided a select group of about 60 mostly minority high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to develop their skills and showcase their talent before professional scouts and college recruiters.
In July, the focus shifted to Florida where the MLBPA, MLB and USA Baseball hosted their third annual Elite Development Invitational on the historic fields of Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
In Chicago and Vero Beach, the young players were taught the game by more than 25 different former Major Leaguers, representing every position and with hundreds of years of big league experience on their resumes.
Read more about how former Major Leaguers are grooming the next generation of players on MLBPlayers.com.
