Former MLB player Darryl Strawberry emphasized the need for Major League Baseball to focus on developing and marketing the game within inner cities to increase the percentage of Black players in the league. Strawberry, along with Eric Davis and Chris Brown, who all hail from the Los Angeles area, highlighted the decline of organized baseball in inner cities and the conversion of baseball fields into soccer fields, leading to a decrease in Black players in the league.
Statistics show that Black players made up 6.2% of opening-day rosters this season, a slight increase from last season but a significant drop from 1991 figures. MLB has initiated programs like the DREAM Series to engage Black high schoolers, aiming to attract athletes who might choose basketball or football instead. Strawberry advocated for enhanced marketing efforts by MLB to make the game more appealing to young African-American players, pointing out the successful marketing strategies employed by basketball in attracting youth to the sport.