St. Louis Cardinals Right Fielder Jordan Walker hopes that winning the Home Run Derby will get more black kids playing baseball
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Why It Matters
Walker hit six consecutive home runs to edge out Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber and win a million dollars. Walker had said after the contest that he hopes that this inspires more black kids to follow in his footsteps. Walker said that he wants to be a role model for black kids to have more black kids playing baseball after hitting a total of 31 home runs on his 50 swings over three rounds. He wants black kids potentially gravitating towards football and basketball to understand that baseball is a viable option for them. The percentage of black players on MLB active and inactive lists on opening day had increased from 6.2% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2026.