Black MLB Players #9: Touki Toussaint
Touki Toussaint is a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves from Broward County, Florida who is of Haitian and Kenyan descent. Born in the United States but raised in Haiti as the son of a Haitian politician until the age of six, Touki has a unique background compared to most baseball players. Touki was a nickname given to him as a portmanteau of his parents’ last names(Toussaint and Kiti). His father is Haitian and his mother is half Haitian, half Kenyan.
Touki Toussaint was a heavily recruited pitcher out of high school in South Florida, foregoing a commitment to Vanderbilt University, one of the premier college baseball programs after getting drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 MLB Draft. The D-Backs pried him away from a strong commitment to Vanderbilt with a $2.7 million dollar signing bonus. Toussaint was considered one of the top high school pitching prospects in the 2014 MLB Draft.
Toussaint sits 91–95 mph on his fastball, being able to touch 97 when he needs to. He has one of the best curveballs in baseball, as it has been effective throughout his whole professional career. His changeup is average to above average, as it compliments the rest of his pitching repertoire really well. Touki’s weaknesses as a pitcher so far in his career is mostly based around his ability to limit walks and command his pitches by throwing for strikes. While he hasn’t lived up to the expectations during his stints in the major leagues, he is only 24 years old and still can be a productive major leaguer. Touki has yo-yo’d between starting and in the bullpen during his time in the major leagues due to these command issues, and regardless of his role Touki has the ability to an above average player than can compete in high leverage situations.
