News ‘Starting to hit home:’ Growth in number of Black players in MLB shows encouraging signs August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Comments Off on ‘Starting to hit home:’ Growth in number of Black players in MLB shows encouraging signs The Black population in MLB is nearly 8%, with the Seattle Mariners having a record 10 Black players on their team in USA TODAY'S annual study.