"It's heartbreaking to see" - Mets legend Darryl Strawberry laments the shrinking presence of Black players in MLB

When Darryl Strawberry debuted in 1983, the MLB featured prominent Black superstars like Dwight Gooden, Tony Perez, Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Willie McGee, Eddie Murray, and many more. Following their lead, Barry Bonds emerged as the biggest name in the sport.

During his appearance on "All The Smoke" on Thursday, Strawberry recalled that era of MLB when young, talented Black players electrified the sport. But decades later, Strawberry says the once-robust pipeline of Black talent has been allowed to dwindle.

For Strawberry, the trend is worrying, and he appeared to know the reason why it is so. Having played with some of the best Black players, the current situation saddens him.

“They were really drafting them [young Black players]," Strawberry said [Timestamp from 28:14]. "It’s just so unfortunate it dropped off because Major League Baseball used to be about the young African-American players. They changed it so much and it’s heartbreaking to see that because they took away what was important for the kids in the hood."

Strawberry also described how tough conditions helped shape better, more resilient athletes in his generation. With the MLB teams focused on building academies outside the US, Strawberry believes non-US players are at an advantage.

"Those dirt fields we grew up on, that’s how you learn how to play," Strawberry said. "They had rocks, bricks. We had to learn how to make a play on them. They removed those fields and started building academies in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and all these other places."

Darryl Strawberry is an eight-time All-Star who helped lead the Mets to their 1986 World Series title. Strawberry played for the Mets from 1983 to 1990. He was second in the 1988 NL MVP voting and third in 1990.

Darryl Strawberry on Latin American players succeeding in MLB

In the same conversation, Darryl Strawberry noted that Latin American players approach baseball with greater seriousness than their U.S. counterparts, which he believes contributes to their higher level of success.

"So you know what they join them academies like when they 12, 13 years old," Strawberry said Timestamp 30:42]. "Because they don't have anything else to do. So they train them up, you know, to be be ball players and everything like that."

Strawberry explained that young Latin American players are often told baseball is their ticket to a better life, and they are taking that advice seriously. He concluded by pointing out that they are excelling, earning top salaries, and dominating Major League Baseball as some of the sport's best players.