Former MLB player Darryl Strawberry emphasized the need for Major League Baseball to focus on developing and promoting the game within inner cities to increase the representation of Black players. Strawberry highlighted the decline of organized inner city baseball, noting the shift of former baseball fields to soccer facilities in places like Los Angeles, where he and other players like Eric Davis and Chris Brown originated.
The percentage of Black players on opening-day rosters in MLB stood at 6.2% this season, a slight increase from the previous year but down significantly from 1991 figures. In an effort to engage Black high school athletes, MLB initiated the DREAM Series in 2017, featuring promising talents like current Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene. Strawberry advocated for enhanced marketing strategies to attract Black athletes who are more drawn to basketball and football due to the marketing efforts surrounding those sports, as seen with his own sons excelling in basketball despite having baseball skills.