The Clubhouse Conversations Interview Series exists to celebrate and give more visibility to the professional Black baseball players in Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball, Black coaches/scouts/managers/front office members, and the Black writers who cover professional baseball. These interviews will solely be featured on Unculture and conduct the…

The first entry in an article series on Black families from throughout the entire African diaspora who have made notable contributions to the sport of baseball — Introduction Baseball is heavily associated with family, as the love for the game is often passed down from an elder family member to a younger one. My earliest memories of the game of baseball involve me spending time with my father at his house watching Derek Jeter and the Yankees on…

Originally published on 1/23/2022, this is a feature article on 1B Jhonkensy Noel I wrote for the now defunct Guardians Baseball Insider — Driven to provide for his family based on his life experiences, Noel’s belief that his family deserves better is the source of his strong competitive spirit and business-like attitude on the field. He’s extremely straightforward about the hard times his family frequently faced during his childhood. The 6’3 slugger is…

This 2700 word feature article was originally published for the now defunct Official Guardians Baseball Insider during my coverage of the High-A Lake County Captains for the 2021 MiLB season — Introduction The Cleveland Guardians had one of the most unproductive outfields in all of baseball during the 2010s, ranking 25th in fWAR, 26th in wRC+, 27th in OPS, 28th in runs scored, and 29th in home runs in comparison to collective outfields fielded by the other 29 teams during the 2010s.

Background + Path to Professional Baseball Canaan Smith-Njigba is a 22-year-old outfielder of Sierra Leonean descent in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from Dallas, Texas. He comes from an athletic family, as his younger brother is a star wide receiver at The Ohio State University. A catcher while he was in high school, teams walked him so…

Simeon Woods Richardson is a 20-year-old pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization from Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Texas. Kempner High School was where he started as a 5'6'’ second baseman who grew to be a two-way phenom as a 6'4'’ starting pitcher with four legit pitches…

Andre Jackson is a 25-year-old starting pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization from Tuscon, Arizona. Jackson was one of the top high school baseball players coming out of the state of Arizona, which is one of the hotbeds for top-tier high school baseball players in the Western hemisphere. A…

Jeter Downs is a 23-year-old Afro-Colombian middle infielder in the Boston Red Sox organization with an interesting combination of power and speed for an up-the-middle player. He brings solid on-base skills and a reliable glove to the table as well. — Background + Path to Professional Baseball Jeter Downs is a twenty-three-year-old Afro-Colombian shortstop/second baseman in the Boston Red Sox organization that was born and raised in Colombia until he was four and then moved to Southern Florida with his family, where he grew up. Downs is named after Derek Jeter, as the Yankees Hall of…

After a shoulder injury and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his meteoric rise through Minor League Baseball, Richie Palacios is back wreaking havoc on pitchers from the left-handed batter’s box. With a crowded toolbox that includes versatility, speed, and on-base skills he has a chance to be a dynamic position player for the Cleveland Guardians very soon. — Background + Path To Professional Baseball