HBCU Swingman Classic Shines Light on Black U.S. Players

SEATTLE (AP) — Major League Baseball opened its All-Star weekend in Seattle with a showcase game for top players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The HBCU Swingman All-Star Classic was forged from an idea by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as a way to give a stage for players from HBCU schools that have lacked exposure. It comes at a time when a recent study found Black U.S. players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters. There’s hope at the youth level, though, after four of the top five picks in last year’s amateur draft were Black.