To start the MLBbro season off strong, MLBbro.com featured Kyle Lewis’ new start with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason.
After headlining “Can MLBbro Kyle Lewis Regain His NL Rookie of the Year Swagger in Arizona?”, It did not take long for Lewis to warn the baseball world about hitting the snooze button on what he can accomplish going forward…
Now that Kyle Lewis is establishing himself well in his new surroundings, his departure ends a potentially historical era in Seattle.
Lewis One Of The Original Mariners’ Black Pack
A few seasons back, the Mariners stood out as having a number of upcoming MLBbros in a day and age where MLB is noticeably lacking in Black and brown players. This subject was heightened during last season’s World Series that didn’t feature one MLBbro player on either team.
MLBbro manager Dusty Baker made it clear that this situation is unacceptable to the point of embarrassment.
“What hurts is that I don’t know how much hope that it gives some of the young African-American kids,” Baker told The Associated Press at the time “Because when I was their age, I had a bunch of guys. [Willie] Mays, [Hank] Aaron, Frank Robinson, Tommy Davis – my hero– Maury Wills. We need to do something before we lose them.”
For the first time since Jackie Robinson’s early days as a big leaguer, no U.S.-born Black players are expected to play in the World Series.
"It looks bad," Astros manager Dusty Baker said today. "But there is help on the way."
Full story: https://t.co/lEyz33i6sR pic.twitter.com/GpBLmwN2e5
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) October 27, 2022
“I don’t think that’s something that baseball should be proud of,” said Baker, “It looks bad. It lets people know that it didn’t take a tear or even a decade to get to this point.”
What Happened To All The Black Talent In Seattle Mariners Organization?
In Seattle, there was a MLBbro movement not seen since the Pittsburgh Pirates put out an all-minority starting lineup in the 1970’s.
In 2020, the Mariners had 10 MLBbros on their 40 man roster. This was such a big deal the four of them (Dee Gordon, J.P. Crawford, Shed Long Jr. and Kyle Lewis) sat down with broadcaster Dave Sims, an MLBbro broadcaster to discuss life in baseball as a Black man.
This time was special, something these guys mentioned in the
“We definitely don’t take this for granted. It’s probably something that’s nerve been done since the Negro Leagues. I’m proud to be a part of this. I’m proud to be playing alongside each and every one of my teammates right now. Coming up we were one of the two brothers on the team. If that, so being a part of this has been something special,” said Crawford.
Now those days are over. After having the honor of having the highest ratio of MLBbros in baseball, only J.P. Crawford is left as the only MLBbro representative. What happened to some of the others other than Kyle Lewis?
After the New York Mets traded the MLBbro pitcher to Seattle, the Mariners brought him to the main roster in September of 2019. After an uneventful 2020, His time on the field was short when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder strain that led to the Mariners decision to shut him down.
The Mariners traded Dunn to the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.
Justus Sheffield:
In 2018, the New York Yankees traded Sheffield to Seattle in an offseason trade. In 2019, the melanated mound marauder struck out 37 batters in 36 innings in eight games. In 2020, Sheffield had a record of 4-3 in 10 starts with an era of 3.58.
In 2021, our MLBbro appeared in 21 games (15 starts) with a 7-8 record with an era of 6.58.
In 2022, Sheffield was designated for assignment in 2023.
Shed Long:
After coming to Seattle in a trade from the New York Yankees in 2019, Shed hit .263 with five homers in 2020. After that leg injuries derailed our MLBbro’s tenure. Surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right shin ended his 2020 season and it carried over into the 2021 season before he was released after long bouts on the injured list.
Taylor Trammel:
After coming over in a trade from the San Diego Padres, He played 51 games as a rookie with a hitting slash of .160/.256/.359 with eight home runs and 18 RBI. After struggling in 43 games the next season, Trammel broke his right hand in an offseason workout that sidelined him for up to two months.
He is not on the current 2023 Mariners roster.
Taijuan Walker:
This MLBbro pitcher played for the team twice. After being drafted in the 2010 MLB Draft and playing six seasons, he returned on a one-year deal in February of 2020. He was traded in August to the Mets where he went on to become one of two Bros to win more than 10 games in 2022. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies this past offseason.
Carl Edwards Jr.:
In the offseason before the 2020 season, Edwards signed a one-year deal with the team. He pitched in 5 games and collected six strikeouts before opting for free agency at the end of the season.
Declining Black MLB players on rosters bottomed out to 7.2 percent of opening rosters last year which is the lowest percentage since 1991 at 18 percent according to Richard Lapchick, the director for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. Compared to the fact that a quarter of the Seattle Mariners roster were made of MLBbros in 2020, this could be one of the more amazing diversity achievements by an MLB team in decades.
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