NEW YORK – Diversity is important for Major League Baseball and the league has worked hard over the years to increase the percentage of Black players in the sport. According to the numbers provided by MLB on Friday morning, the hard work has paid off.
Percentage Of Black MLB Players Slowly Increasing
Based on the Opening Day rosters late last month, a total of 64 African Americans, led by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Reds right-hander Chase Burns, appeared among the 948 players on the active and inactive lists. That’s an increase to 6.8 percent MLBbro representation, up from 2025’s 6.2 percent and six percent from the year before.
This marks the first time in at least two decades in which MLB has had back-to-back years of increases in African American players on Opening Day rosters. The increases followed six consecutive years of decreases.
MLB Diversity & Developmental Programs Working
Of the 64 players, 35 of them are 27 years old or younger. The average age of the 64 African Americans on Opening Day rosters is 27.8 years old and 20 of them are alumni of MLB Development Programs – MLB Youth Academy, Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series, Nike RBI and Hank Aaron Invitational. Among those 20 included Braves outfielder Michael Harris II, Mets closer Devin Williams and Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford and Hunter Greene, just to name a few.
Seeing Generation Of New, Young Black Players:
That’s not all. An additional 17 African American Minor League players appeared on MLB’s 40-Man rosters on Opening Day. Of the 17, Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins has since been called up to the Majors. Of those 17 players, seven are products of MLB Development Programs.
