Shortly after Jordan Walker’s 12th and clinching blast of the Home Run Derby final against hometown hero Kyle Schwarber had landed among bitter fans at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the St. Louis Cardinals right fielder spoke of the importance of his achievement.
“I hope it means a lot to [Black kids],” Walker told reporters. “I want to be a role model for the Black kids, and I want more Black kids in baseball. Hopefully this raises some awareness. I know a lot of them are playing basketball [and] football.
“I want them to know the baseball route is open to them, too. There are a lot of kids that are athletic enough and mentally strong enough — Black kids that can play this game — and I want to see them do it.”
As for Walker, he has become a rarity — a Black star in baseball. They have been few and far between at Busch Stadium since the days of Bob Gibson, Curt Flood and Lou Brock.
Walker, who grew up in suburban Atlanta, said Braves third baseman “Chipper” Jones was his favorite player until Jason Heyward made his debut with the team.
“For Black kids, I want to kind of be a role model for them,” Walker said, “like [Heyward] was for me.”
The 2026 All-Star Game rosters featured several Black players, who shared their hopes on inspiring more Black participation in baseball.
“I think once kids see more people to look up to, the more kids will get back into baseball,” said Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood.
Modest gains
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton missed the game because of injuries, but were voted in as American League All-Star starters. Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams joined teammate Wood on the NL squad. And, of course, there was Walker, who stole the show in the Home Run Derby.
“I feel like there’s been like a little surge in getting more Black players in the game,” Wood said.
“We’ve got four [Black players] on our team right now. Last year at one point, we had five..”
The Cardinals’ opening day roster featured three Black players: outfielder Victor Scott II, shortstop Masyn Winn and Walker. After struggling offensively the first months of the season, Scott was sent down to Triple-A Memphis.
When the St. Louis trio took the field on opening day, Major League Baseball reported that 6.8% of players on rosters, injured lists and the restricted list were Black.
That was up slightly from 6.2% at the start of the 2025 season. It marked a two-year increase from a 6% rate at the beginning of 2024. It was the largest increase in a season since a 0.7% rise from 2017 to 2018.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, who to his credit has ignored criticism of baseball diversity programs, sees progress and hopes for more.
“[Y]ou have to continue to invest, grind it out, do that grassroots work to attract more people to the game and then nurture them in a way that gets them into this elite pipeline,” Manfred said.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns, who was named to the NL All-Star team and just signed a seven-year, $105 million contract extension, said he is perplexed by the low number of Black baseball participants.
“You don’t see a lot of Black athletes in baseball. I don’t know why that is,” Burns said. “I think it’s great for guys like me and [Walker] to strive to get Black athletes into the game of baseball, whether it’s talking about it or doing stuff in the community. I think it’s great he pointed it out.”
As for Walker, he has become a rarity — a Black star in baseball. They have been few and far between at Busch Stadium since the days of Bob Gibson, Curt Flood and Lou Brock.
Hopefully Cardinal Nation will appreciate Walker’s stardom, and the team will reward him with a lucrative contract extension soon.
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Based on reporting by St. Louis American.
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