Deion Sanders made some comments this week about why Blacks and baseball don’t seem to mix anymore like they once did. There’s a disconnect. Many of his points were valid, from high costs pricing certain minority families out of the sport to a low number of Black fathers passing the game on. While all of that is certainly true, MLB’s Diversity Team has been making incremental but successful efforts to increase Black participation in baseball at the grassroots and professional levels.
The Hank Aaron Invitational is one of these developmental programs that identify and encourage Black participation up the ladder.
Major League Baseball recently celebrated the accomplishments of Miguel Cabrera joining the 3,000-hit club, becoming the 33rd player in history to do so. He’s also only the seventh player to hit more than 500 home runs, while collecting 3K hits.
Out of those seven players, Cabrera joined rare air where only two all-time MLBbro greats dwell with a batting average of .300 or better.
The fact remains that the 3,000/500/.300 club has been MLBbro country for decades. See Hank Aaron aka “Hammerin’ Hank” and Willie Mays aka “The Say Hey Kid” accomplished this feat in their eras even though many have forgotten.
With Hank Aaron, it might be easy to forget why he’s in the club because that’s just one of the numerous accomplishments on his resume. Most baseball fans remember Aaron for breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, hitting his 715th back on April 8th, 1974…
The Hall of Famer STILL holds the major league records with 2,297 RBI, total bases with 6,856 and 1,477 extra-base hits for his career. He’s third all-time in hits with 3,771 and games played with 3,298. Finally, he’s still in the top five with 2,174 runs scored.
When Mr. Aaron passed in 2021, the current home run king, Barry Bonds shared his “deepest respect and admiration” on social media.
Willie Mays was another all-time great and the first MLBbro to really merge the sport of baseball and celebrity into one cultural package. Not only was “The Say Hey Kid” loved by fans around the world, but he was also loved by Hollywood. What Michael Jordan did for the NBA in the 1990s is similar to what Willie did in the 1950s and Ken Griffey Jr. did, transcending the sport and expanding it to a much larger audience past the hardcore baseball fan.
While everyone attached this one play to Mays in the 1954 World Series, robbing Vic Wertz of an extra-base hit.
His career resume is just as long as Hank Aaron’s. Mays finished his career with 660 home runs, 3,283 hits with a batting average of .302. He led baseball in home runs multiple times, won 12 straight Gold Gloves spanning from 1957-1968, and was a 20-time All-Star. A true GOAT candidate.
While Miguel Cabrera is being celebrated for an historic achievement…
Only three players in MLB history have 500 homers, 3,000 hits, and a .300+ career batting average.
Cedric Mullins has been one of the few good things about the Baltimore Orioles, and Saturday afternoon he once again showed you why he remains a lone bright spot in their season.
The Orioles lost 9-3 to the Boston Red Sox, But after going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, the young star crept closer to joining the exclusive “30/30 Club”.
Now entrance into the 30-30 club would be cause for celebration any year, but with the Orioles in the midst of another 100 loss season, such an accomplishment gives the ballclub hope for the future.
“When you have a season like this, you are looking for bright spots and things to build on for the future,” manager Brandon Hyde told MLB.com. “Looking for cornerstone guys that, when the team does get competitive and does get good, that you can surround them with. The right kind of players, veteran players, the right pitching staff. Cedric Mullins is playing like that, there’s not a doubt about it. Playing like an All-Star.”
Indeed Mullins has flashed all the tools you would want your cornerstone franchise player to possess, but the exclusivity of the 30-30 club signifies just how high his ceiling is.
Once he connects on his 30th bomb of the season, Mullins will be the 41st player to join the 30-30 club, and the 18th Black player to join this illustrious group.
First accomplished in 1922 by Ken Williams, once Willie Mays cracked the club in 1956, the brothers dominated with Mays (two), Hank Aaron, Bobby Bonds (five) and Tommy Harper recording the next nine 30-30 seasons.
1987 was a special season for the MLBbro’s on the base paths and at the plate, as Black legends Joe Carter, Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry compiled three of the four 30-30 seasons recorded that year.
Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds were the only two players in MLB history to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons, that was until his son, Home Run King Barry Bonds went on to do it three straight times from 95-97, which helped him match his fathers all time total of five.
Of the 17 Black ballplayers to join this elite group, there are five who have gone on to win League MVP Awards as well as carry their teams to a World Series Championship.
If Cedric Mullins has his way, the Baltimore Orioles will return to their winning ways of the past sooner than people expect. And If the O’s keep him around he’s sure to be a cornerstone of their rebirth.
Ken Griffey Sr. is one of the distinguished former MLB players, coaches and executives lending their expertise to the development of Black & brown players at The Hank Aaron Invitational in Vero Beach, Florida this week and next.
Ken Griffey Sr. was playing the outfield for the Big Red Machine when Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth on the all-time Home Run list with 714. He also caught the last out ever made by the great Willie Mays in 1973. The father of “The Kid” shares some of the most memorable moments of his 19-year career.
If you’re searching for the best Black baseball talent of today and the future, look no further than the Hank Aaron Invitational in Vero Beach, Florida, named after the greatest home run hitter to ever grace the diamond.
With Aaron’s unfortunate passing in January of 2021 and Black players being systemically eliminated from the game, the Invitational bearing Aaron’s name has become more impactful, important and necessary than ever.
“I’m humbled to have this program named in my honor and thrilled the showcase game will be played at SunTrust Park,” said Aaron, a few years before his passing, about the event which was originally called the Elite Invitational, “I applaud MLB and the Braves in their efforts to continue to assist with outreach so that opportunities are available to all.”
The Invitational currently has more than 100 alumni either playing in MLB, Club Minor League systems, or on the collegiate level.
Thursday completes Week 1 of the Hank Aaron Invitational, where 100 diverse amateur baseball athletes from over 17 states come to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, in Vero Beach for a Black baseball extravaganza.
The first week of the amateur development camp began on Sunday, July 18. The event provides training and instruction from former Major League Players, coaches, and baseball executives for Black and brown ballers in the 2024 and 2025 graduating High School classes.
The week also includes special guest presentations and addresses. The Hank Aaron Invitational was created and developed by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation (a joint initiative by MLB and MLBPA) to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and internationally.
Following is a list of former MLB and MiLB players and coaches who will serve as instructors at the event. The wealth of knowledge is unrivaled by any developmental program in the country.
Former MLB Players as On-Field Coaches
Luis Alicea
Willie Banks
Lou Collier
Courtney Duncan
Marvin Freeman
Ken Griffey, Sr.
Marquis Grissom
Ken Hill
Brian Hunter
Charles Johnson
Pat Mahomes
Bobby Ramos
Jerry Royster
Sergio Santos
Junior Spivey
Michael Tucker
Lenny Webster
Jemile Weeks
Reggie Williams
Dmitri Young
Former MiLB Players, Managers, Coaches & Executives
Antonio Grissom
Jerry Manuel
Lester Strode
Reggie Waller
Tye Waller
Baseball Executives
Tony Reagins, MLB Chief Baseball Development Officer
Del Matthews, MLB Vice President of Baseball Development
Dave Winfield, MLBPA Special Advisor to the Executive Director
Jeffrey Hammonds, MLBPA Associate Director, Player Programs, and Initiatives
Leonor Colon, MLBPA Senior Director, International and Domestic Player Operations
Bo Porter, MLB Consultant on Coaching Development
Gregor Blanco, MLB Senior Director, Baseball Operations
Stay tuned for more live coverage from Hank Aaron Invitational with MLBbro.com
