Griffey-led Swingman Classic a hit in Arlington
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ARLINGTON -- The HBCU Swingman Classic has two major purposes.
One, to put a spotlight on Black players who typically go under-recruited, under-scouted and underrepresented in baseball in recent years. The other is to highlight the culture of Black baseball, which has also been lost in the wind over the decades.
Former Rangers second baseman and current club broadcaster Mark McLemore has had a front-row seat to the relative decline in Black baseball on the Major League level this century.
"When I came into the league in '86, I think it was 26 or 27 percent Black, and when I retired in '04 it was at 8 percent,” he said on Thursday, ahead of the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile & powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. “So, saying it fell off the cliff is an understatement.
"I came up with a number of Black veteran players with the Angels and learned the game from them. It's different. They taught me how to be a Black big league ballplayer, not just a big leaguer, but a Black big leaguer. There is a difference. It taught me the ins and outs, the do's and the don'ts. The whens and the when nots. Everything about it because it's just a different world."
The second annual HBCU Swingman Classic featured some of the best college baseball players from Division I Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), giving these players a chance to shine on the biggest stage.
The group worked out at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy complex in West Dallas on Thursday ahead of the showcase event.
"There are a number of reasons for [the decline of Black baseball players], and there are a number of answers," McLemore said. "But it will take everybody to get those numbers up again. There's not just one answer. It's a number of things, but the one thing I do know is it's gonna take everybody to get this changed and turned around. What this Classic is doing, this is one of the answers. This is one of the answers and it’s spearheaded by one of the greatest players of all time [in Ken Griffey Jr.]."
Griffey has been at the forefront of the event since well before the inaugural Swingman Classic last year in Seattle.
For him, it’s not just about getting these kids the exposure they deserve, but opening them up to all aspects of baseball beyond the play on the field.
"A lot of kids are not going to be drafted, but you can still be in the sport that you love," Griffey said. "There are plenty of jobs in Major League Baseball that you can do. You may not be able to play, but you can be around and you can eventually work your way up and be a GM or a president or anything. I think the problem we have in sports is everybody looks at it and goes, 'Oh, if you don't make it, you're done.' That's not the case."
The group of players worked out with Griffey, McLemore and a number of other legends on the coaching staff, including Ken Griffey Sr., Lloyd McClendon, Andre Dawson and Jerry Manuel. Additionally, a number of former big leaguers who are HBCU alums are also on staff, including Courtney Duncan, Trenidad Hubbard, Lenny Webster, Ralph Garr Sr. and Vince Coleman.
Many of the players are relishing the experience this week, both to play on the biggest stage at Globe Life Field, and to soak up the knowledge of the legends on the coaching staff.
"I think it's a great way to showcase our skills in front of scouts, and that you can play baseball at the next level, no matter what color you are," said Grambling State infielder Cameron Bufford, who is participating in his second Swingman Classic. "It's been great. I can't express how grateful I am to be able to get that knowledge. To ask questions, and have them give him back real answers. They’ve been in the same situations we’ve been through."
Griffey, admittedly, has a lot of big ideas, both as it pertains to the Swingman Classic and the wider aspects of Black baseball in MLB.
So what’s his next move to make the Swingman Classic bigger and better in the coming years?
"I can't really talk about that right now," he said with a laugh. "There's always something going on in my head, you know? I don't think like regular people sometimes. But, like I said, this isn't isn't about me. It's about the coaches and the staff and everybody else who put all this together who spent a lot more time doing the small things than I did."