USA TODAY International Edition
Greene model in pitch for diversity
MLB has dearth of black pitchers
The name is Hunter Greene. You might not know him, but every team in baseball recognizes that he’s perhaps the most gifted amateur baseball player in this country, projected to be the first player chosen in June’s draft.
Greene, who attended the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., when he was 7, also represents Major League Baseball’s potential role model in its battle to reverse the industry’s scarcity of African- American players.
Greene, who is 6- 4, 205 pounds and throws 98 mph with a solid slider and changeup, could become the first right- handed high school pitcher selected with the No. 1 overall pick. When he isn’t pitching, he plays shortstop, possessing tremendous bat skills and sheer, raw power.
Greene will be the centerpiece this weekend in MLB’s inaugural Dream Series in Tempe, Ariz., providing exposure to about 65 minority pitchers and catchers, primarily African Americans.
MLB, with its African- American population hovering around 8%, is trying to focus its efforts on attracting more pitchers and catchers. There were 14 AfricanAmerican pitchers on opening- day rosters last year — 1.6% of all major league pitchers — and one black Canadian- born catcher. Considering every team employs 12 or 13 pitchers on its 25- man roster along with at least two catchers, nearly 60% of job opportunities are unavailable if you don’t play those positions.
Baseball is hoping to show that it’s cool to be a pitcher or catcher while inviting collegiate and professional scouts to take a look for themselves this weekend at the Los Angeles Angels spring training complex.
“I love pitching, but there’s so few African- American pitchers I see out there,” Greene, a senior at Notre Dame High School near Los Angeles, told USA TODAY Sports. “As far as catching, maybe there’s only one or two African Americans I’ve ever seen, and none in our league. Maybe there just hasn’t been as many opportunities, I don’t know, but hopefully that can change.”
Darrell Miller, director of MLB’s Urban Youth Academy, thinks a renewed focus on pitching and catching should make a difference. It’s absurd that Canadian- born Russell Martin of the Toronto Blue Jays is baseball’s lone black catcher. There hasn’t been an everyday African- American catcher since Charles Johnson 12 years ago.
“I honestly have no idea why it got to be like this,” said Miller, who spent parts of five years as a major league catcher in the 1980s. “I remember taking a ( recent) picture with Charles Johnson and Lenny Webster. I’m thinking, ‘ Wow, when have we ever seen three African- Ameri- can catchers in the same room at the same time?’ It’s a little bit like the quarterback syndrome in football. The catcher is the quarterback, he runs the game, and there has to be a lot of trust in that regard.
“Maybe it’s our fault, too. Maybe we haven’t sold it right. These kids want to hit, want to be an athlete and show athleticism. We’ve got to show them if you want to be in the big leagues, maybe the best way is through pitching or catching.”
Just in case these kids wonder whether there can be a career opportunity on the pitcher’s mound or behind the plate, there will be prime examples this weekend serving as instructors under coordinator Jerry Manuel. Former major league pitchers Dave Stewart, LaTroy Hawkins, Ken Hill, Marvin Freeman and Darren Oliver will be on hand, as well as Johnson and Webster as catching coordinators.
Greene, who committed to UCLA but is expected to turn pro, says he relishes the opportunity to be a role model, no matter if he’s a pitcher or a shortstop. No offense to his future employer’s desires, but MLB would love to see him make it as a pitcher.
“If you see a guy like Hunter become a really high pick as a pitcher, I’d be thrilled,” Miller says. “Talking about it is one thing, but seeing guys come through the academies, and the impact he could have on the mound, it gives these kids a vehicle, knowing there’s a chance. That’s really what this is about, giving kids the best opportunity. And if you want to increase your chances of playing in the major leagues, you’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to be a pitcher or catcher. We have never driven that message home before, but we sure are now.”
Perhaps, just in time.