Tim Raines’ Franchise Record Falls | MLBbro & FAMU Legend Still Reps Best College For Black Outfield Talent

by Mark Gray | May 26, 2021 | THE TWO HOLE

There was a time when the Washington Nationals were known as the Montreal Expos.

The MLB franchise in the Great White North was the organization that was home to arguably the greatest collection of outfield talent that one college has ever produced.

Ryan Zimmerman broke the all-time runs scored mark that had been previously held by 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tim Raines. Rock is an HBCU legend, whose talent was cultivated at Florida A&M University

FAMU, a historically Black College in Tallahassee, FL, boasts a legacy that includes four of the greatest outfielders the game has ever known.

The Rattlers baseball program is dwarfed by the shadow of a football program that has produced NFL legends from Bob Hayes in the early 1960s to Nate Newton in the 1980s.

With two alumni that have already gotten their call to Cooperstown and two other multiple-time all-stars who make compelling arguments for those Cooperstown plaques, FAMU stands with the elite programs in college baseball history.

Until last weekend, 2017 Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines held the Expos/Nationals franchise mark for runs scored but that’s just part of his legacy.  Raines is on the shortlist of the greatest leadoff men in history. In achieving such acclaim,  he also helped put Canadian baseball on the MLB map before the game exploded nationwide.

HBCU baseball has been devalued by MLB scouts, but the quartet of FAMU all-star outfielders is second to none. In addition to Raines, the Rattlers baseball program produced former NL MVP and 2010 Hall of Famer Andre “Hawk” Dawson.

There’s an argument to be made that Marquis Grissom, who was a five-tool all-star in his own right, is a glaring omission from the house of legends. By the way, Vince Coleman, another prolific all-time great base stealer probably couldn’t get off the bench to start for this team.

It would be hard to find another college program that can boast a legacy of outfield talent to compare with this quartet of greatness. And when it comes to Black outfield excellence, FAMU still got it locked.