A special baseball card of one of our MLBbro greats was unveiled in New York City on Saturday. Jackie Robinson can be seen on a large baseball card in the heart of the Big Apple.
Today, a giant card honoring Jackie Robinson was unveiled at FOX Plaza in New York City 🙌@FOXSports and @Fanatics collectibles are paying tribute to the Negro Leagues ahead of the @MLB at Rickwood Field game, June 20 on FOX
Rickwood Set Of Baseball Cards: Negro League GreatsÂ
FOX Sports and Fanatics Collectibles/Topps came together to create a Rickwood Field set of cards of Negro League greats.
“The greats of the Negro Leagues are larger-than-life figures in American history and the history of the great game of baseball and it is only fitting to have a larger-than-life unveiling at the Negro League Baseball Museum,” President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick said in a statement back in May.
“We would like to thank our friends at FOX Sports, Fanatics Collectibles, and Major League Baseball for keeping the spirit of black baseball alive.”
These will be featured in a tour of six cities and the cards are 24 feet by 16 feet and weigh 8,000 pounds. The MLB at Rickwood Field Game is a little under two weeks away and this is a special and creative way to honor those Negro Leagues stars.
Former major league player Micah Johnson was the one who designed the cards. The tour will continue through multiple cities, eventually making its way to Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama for the game on June 20, where the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants will match up against each other.
The landscape of MLB history took a dramatic shift on Wednesday with the integration of Negro League stats into the MLB database. And while many of these Negro league players who will be shown are already either in the Hall of Fame or well-known, this will enhance the image of MLBbros collectively. For starters, three of the top five leaders in batting average are now MLBbros, including Josh Gibson first overall. So many different narratives will now have to come into play when discussing all-time greats.
Naturally talents like Josh Gibson will now be debated as the greatest hitter ever with context to support it, but there will be so many more that are appreciated. For baseball historians this gives a whole new flock of players to learn about and appreciate. Players like Oscar Charleston and Jud Wilson are sure to be examined closely as their hitting resumes are impressive and now in full display.
This also changes the legacies of players who converted from the Negro Leagues such as Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson who saw their hits total increase by ten and 49 respectively. This could not have come at a better time as the percentage of Black players is at an all-time low. This is inspiring and should spark more involvement and interest for future black players and current ones. Every sport has icons of the past that young players use to model their game after and now there is easier access to Black players who weren’t in the Major Leagues but still proven to be some of the greatest baseball players of all time. There is sure to be pushback with the addition of these stats, as some players will drop in career rankings, but if the ultimate goal of the MLB is to completely display the entire history of baseball, then this was a necessity. This is further proving the Black and Brown players have and always will be integral to the game of baseball.
Mookie Betts hopes to continue to do historic damage in MLB on Sunday.
Betts and the Dodgers close out a three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays, looking for the sweep. Betts had had his offensive hand in the first two games.
On Saturday, Betts recorded three hits, scored a run, and an RBI in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory. In the opener Friday night in Toronto, Betts had two hits, scored a run and had an RBI. Now, Betts will try to up his hitting streak of seven games with at least a knock in the finale. In his last 10 games, he is hitting .475 with six doubles, six walks and seven RBI.Â
Betts is white hot so far this season. He leads MLB with a .391 batting average. In all, Betts has 45 hits, nine doubles, two triples, 23 RBI and six home runs thus far this season and is looking like an early lock for the NL MVP. And he has a strong case. Including all MLB hitters, Betts, 31, is first in batting average, first in on-base percentage , and third in slugging.Â
“I feel like we’re seeing the MVP version of Mookie Betts,” Dodgers closer Evan Phillips told the media. “And I feel like this is who he can be for us, hopefully throughout the whole year.”Â
The Dodgers back during spring training had asked Betts to switch from second base to shortstop. This can be very tough for some players who aren’t versatile but that’s not the case for him. Betts, who won six Gold Gloves as an outfielder, is proving to be a true reliable source for the Dodgers at the shortstop position.Â
Phillips added more compliments about Betts transitioning positions and the impact for the team.
“I feel like the transition to shortstop, all the extra work he’s doing each day fielding ground balls, talking to Miguel Rojas about playing the position at a major league level – to see his focus level on a day to day, I think it’s helping him in all parts of his game,” Phillips said. Â
With most athletes in the big leagues, it is all about the work you put in to gain the results that are needed. Betts, the former AL MVP, is one that takes a lot of pride in his development and learning everything to the utmost extent. Â
“I take great pride in work,” Betts said to the media. “Learning a new position is work…. It’s been tough but it’s been fun. When you have a resource like Miguel (Rojas), it makes things a little bit easier. He’s made the process tough but fun, somehow.”Â
Since joining the Dodgers in 2020, Betts has scored more runs than ANY player in their first 500 games with the team. With 412 runs scored it just so happens that the player he passed in the record books for the Dodgers was none other than MLBbro pioneer Jackie Robinson. Robinson, who was the first to break down the barriers in baseball for Black players, was leading the Dodgers with this stat for almost 74 years. Jackie had 388 runs in his first 500 games, Mookie had 407 through his first 495 games which is impressive.Â
“Especially as a leadoff hitter scoring a lot of runs is important but it also shows that I’ve had a lot of great teammates that drive me in, so that’s not just from me,” added Betts.Â
With such a long season to go, Betts hopes to stay consistent and help lead the Dodgers’ stacked team – with three-former MVPs at the top of the lineup – to the NLCS and then to yet another World Series.Â
For sure, Betts is leading the damage being done all over baseball by the Dodgers.
MLBbro.com was front and center Monday April 15th for Major League Baseball’s annual “Jackie Robinson Day” for the man whose influential style of play still resonates in the game to this day.Â
While the festivities were going on and every player that donned a uniform wore the number 42, staffers created content to remind baseball fans of the legacy of Robinson.Â
However a “Debatable” video segment featuring Mark Gray and Manny Brown sparked an interesting conversation wondering if the sport of baseball took full advantage of Robinson’s sacrifices. It’s no secret that Black and brown players aren’t nearly represented to the levels of the past, even to the point that on some teams there is currently ZERO representation.
MLBbro.com has been consistent in monitoring the level of African-Americans in the game. When the 2024 season started, the representation of Black players stood at 6.3 percent which shows there’s a lot more work to do. While on the surface the diversity looks good for Major League Baseball, it applies to all minorities, not just Black players. The 2023 numbers alone show why Manny and Mark’s argument is so important…
MLB rosters were reported to be the most diverse in all professional sports with a number of 40.34 percent of overall rosters. The number showed a 2.34 percent increase from the previous year.
Now look at the breakdown of the 945 players that were included in the report.
59 Black players counting for 6.2 percent.
285 Latino/Hispanic players coming in at 30.2 percent.
30 Asian players representing 3.2 percent.
Six Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian players (0.53 percent) and two Native American players (0.21 percent) make up less than one percent.
Of those 59 Black players on Opening Day rosters, 63 percent are under age 30 with an average age of 27.
The slight improvement this season was covered in MLBbro.com’s segment “The Push Back” by J.R. Gamble.
MLB DIVERSITY BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS: The PushBack
MLB’s diversity numbers show that MLB is 6 percent Black American. However, if not for the tremendous efforts of MLB Develops and MLB Diversity team leaders, former players, coaches and managers, that percentage could be… pic.twitter.com/4VYTgHN9RI
Despite the goal of increasing the percentage of Black players in the Majors, it doesn’t mean Black excellence is non-existent. As a matter of fact, the impact of our MLBbros is evident and in many ways influencing the sport. Three of the last six Rookie of the Year Award winners are MLBbros…
2020 American League Rookie of the Year… Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners.
2020 National League Rookie of the Year… Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers.
2022 National League Rookie of the Year… Michael Harris II of the Atlanta Braves.
So would Jackie Robinson be happy overall with the diversity of Black players not only as players, but executives and owners? No, not a chance. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be cracking a smile about some of the MLBbros today that are in some ways bringing back interest to a sport that desperately needs it.
Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers):
If there was a team that Jackie Robinson would be watching over the others through the season, it would be the franchise he put in the history books, the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the MLBbro G.O.A.T. was with the franchise in Brooklyn, it would be hard to believe that his heart wouldn’t pump Dodger blue.
Mookie Betts would make Mr. Robinson proud for a number of reasons. Much like the Dodgers biggest Icon, Betts shows his talent at numerous positions on the baseball diamond much like Jackie Robinson did in the late 1940’s and 50’s. After spending most of his career in the outfield at the most important spot (center), he has moved his way to the infield the last couple of seasons playing second base and shortstop.
Another Betts influence that likens him to our MLBbro G.O.A.T. is the ability to affect the game as a two way player. Not only is Mookie making a smooth transition to any position the Dodgers need him to play, he is dominating at the plate as well. His home run explosion to start the season was so evident, MLBbro.com had to put him in his own exclusive Chocolate Thunder segment…
Lock in! It’s time for a @mookiebetts edition of Chocolate Thunder 🍫⚡️
Catch this set of the top three mashes of the week and check back to possibly see some more bro bombers!
Finally, Mookie Betts could make the biggest impact as an ambassador to the game of baseball. Black representation is not going to improve without someone that can influence multiple cultures which is the way of life today. He is well spoken, talented and can continue to speak about the game of baseball long after he quits playing.
Aaron Judge (New York Yankees):
No MLBbro could understand Jackie Robinson’s pressure cooker environment of the baseball world watching his every move like Aaron Judge did a couple of seasons ago.
Even though no one will even match or understand the pressure of Robinson, Aaron Judge was chasing the American League home run record held at the time by Roger Maris. Throw in the fact he had to do it in a Yankees uniform and his chase became national news.
It bears repeating the racism and unfair treatment that Jackie Robinson had to deal with and the consequences of retaliation affecting history is something Judge or any fan could understand. But to follow the media coverage and horrible takes on the significance of this accomplishment was sad.
Aaron Judge handled the situation with class and continues to represent the Black players admirably while not letting the outside noise get to him.
The similarities that Judge brings to the table is the professional consistency to improving his craft. MLBbro.com broke down how hard this guy works from bat positioning to handling outside pitches and putting them into play.
Let’s not forget that Aaron Judge is considered not only the top MLBbro in baseball, but the top player period! All of these accomplishments are done in a quiet and classy way. Anyone noticed the New York Yankees are in first place in the AL East… again?
Because of the best player on the roster.
Jazz Chisholm (Miami Marlins):
Anyone shocked that Jazz Chisholm is on this list? It’s not surprising considering the Miami Marlins are among the worst teams in baseball that keeps this MLBbro out of the spotlight. But ask yourself this question?
Wasn’t Jackie Robinson the greatest “Influencer” in sports history?
Jackie Robinson doesn’t change history without bringing an element to the game that no one had seen before. Yes, the Negro Leagues had that level of talent, but it was Robinson that crossed that talent over to MLB.
Will Jazz Chisholm match this level of influence? No. However, the way he plays the game and his “Euro Step” after home runs shows a level of swagger that will entice Black kids to watch, play and possibly emulate. One way that is already happening is Chisholm’s signature “Euro Step” being featured in the MLB The Show video game.
Are there better MLBbros than Jazz Chisholm on better teams? Sure. But in this day of social media and the importance of self-promotion, Jazz Chisholm does it better than any other.
For now, the lack of representation of Black players is an ongoing discussion and work in progress. For the record MLB has stated to MLBbro.com that diversity is a priority not only on the field but off as well.
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