Dusty Baker celebrated late Brooklyn Dodgers star Jackie Robinson’s legacy on Wednesday, the 73rd anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in the major leagues.
The first-year Houston Astros manager also lamented the lack of African Americans in baseball today.
“It’s frustrating because we’ve talked about it forever but it seems like the numbers are dwindling instead of increasing,” said the 70-year-old Baker, who played for four teams during 19 MLB seasons and began his coaching and managing career in the late 1980s.
Only 7.7% of MLB players on rosters for opening day in 2019 were African American, down from 17% in 1990. Baker and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts are the only two African American managers currently in the majors.
Baker – who also has managed the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals – appreciates that Major League Baseball is making a “conscious effort” to get more young African Americans involved in baseball through programs such as Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities. He’s optimistic there can be a turnaround in the upcoming years.