Jackie Robinson Day 2022 : Who Are The Best Current African American Players Today?

Every April 15th Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day. Jackie Robinson Day is a traditional event that occurs annually, commemorating and honoring the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut.

Celebrated at MLB ballparks across the country, on April 15th all players, coaches, managers, and umpires wear Robinson’s uniform number, 42. April 15 was Opening Day in 1947, Robinson’s first season in the major leagues.

Initiated for the first time on April 15, 2004, the festivity is a result of Robinson’s memorable career, best known for becoming the first black major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. His debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers (today the Los Angeles Dodgers) ended approximately 80 years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Since it is Jackie Robinson Day, I am going to highlight some of the top African American baseball players to date. We all know about the greats like Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter, Willie Mays, & Ricky Henderson, but there are some names in the Major League I didn’t mention. There are also Negro League players like Erin Banks, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, & Oscar Charleston that are often overlooked.

Instead of looking at the past, I want to look toward the future and highlight some of the best African Americans that are playing baseball today.

The first player I would like to mention is Markus Lynn Betts aka Mookie Betts.

Mookie is the right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Boston Red Sox. In 2018, while with the Red Sox, he became the first player in MLB history to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, Batting Title, and won the World Series in the same season.

Mookie is probably the most accomplished African American player in MLB.

5× All-Star (2016–2019, 2021), 2× World Series champion (2018, 2020), AL MVP (2018), All-MLB First Team (2020)
All-MLB Second Team (2019), 4× Silver Slugger Award (2016, 2018–2020), 5× Gold Glove Award (2016–2020)
2× Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award (2016, 2018), AL batting champion (2018), 30–30 club (2018),
Hit for the cycle on August 9, 2018 & 4× Fielding Bible Award (2016–2018, 2020).

The next player is Aaron Judge.

American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017 and finished second in voting for the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Judge, who played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs, was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. After making his MLB debut in 2016 and hitting a home run in his first MLB career at bat, Judge went on to have a record-breaking rookie season in 2017. He was named an All-Star and won the Home Run Derby, becoming the first MLB rookie to do so.

Judge ended the season with 52 home runs, breaking Mark McGwire’s MLB rookie record of 49 and the Yankees’ full-season rookie record of 29 (previously held by Joe DiMaggio). His rookie record would stand for two more years when Pete Alonso broke it in 2019 with 53 home runs. He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Month Awards for April, May, June, and September, as well as the AL’s Player of the Month Award for June and September.

Some of Judge’s awards and accomplishments are 3× All-Star (2017, 2018, 2021), All-MLB First Team (2021), AL Rookie of the Year (2017), 2× Silver Slugger Award (2017, 2021), Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award (2019), Fielding Bible Award (2021), & AL home run leader (2017).

The last and final player I would like to highlight is Tim Anderson.

Anderson is the shortstop for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Anderson played college baseball at East Central Community College and was selected in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft by the White Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2016. Anderson led the American League batting average in 2019, won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020, and was an All-Star in 2021.

Tim isn’t the most accomplished out of the players I discussed., but he is the one with the most potential because we haven’t seen him at his apex yet. We’ve seen Mookie at his apex, and he still has more chances to accomplish greater things, especially with the team he is around. Aaron Judge is in the same boat as Mookie and we have seen him at his apex, but with Judge, it’s time to see him win a World Series title.

I look forward to seeing these three players have an amazing season and other African American players continuing the legacy that Jackie Robinson left 75 years ago.