Twins analyst Span calls the move ‘way overdue’
On Thursday, June 20, MLB will play tribute to the Negro Leagues in a regular season game between San Francisco and St. Louis at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The ballpark, formerly the home of the Birmingham Black Barons, is considered the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S.
Thursday’s game is the culmination of week-long events that began with a Monday screening and discussion of “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” an HBO documentary chronicling the life and career of baseball legend Willie Mays. Mays passed on June 18.
Other events include local youth playing baseball at Regions Field, where the minor league Birmingham Barons play; a Wednesday luncheon honoring Negro Leagues families; and other community engagement events around the city.
Although it was announced last year during the NABJ annual convention held in Birmingham, Thursday’s game also will have added significance as it comes almost two months after MLB announced that Negro Leagues statistics will officially become part of its historical record, elevating them finally to major league status.
Mays, Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, and Henry Aaron all once played in the Negro Leagues before baseball’s integration in 1947. Now their stats will be integrated and updated: Mays’ hit total is now 3,293, up 10 from his 1948 season in Birmingham. Robinson’s 49 hits with Kansas City raise his total to 1,567. Satchel Paige’s win total is now 125 with his 28 Negro Leagues victories.
Negro Leaguer and Baseball Hall of Famer Josh Gibson now is MLB’s single-season record holder in batting average (.466 in 1943), slugging percentage (.974 in 1937), and OPS (1.474 in 1937). His career slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177) now surpass Babe Ruth in both categories.
More than 2,300 players who played in the Negro Leagues from 1920 through 1948 will be integrated into MLB’s database. More statistics will continue to be revised and updated as more data and information is uncovered, according to MLB officials.
“I think it’s definitely way overdue and something that should have been done a long time ago,” retired major leaguer Denard Span told the MSR. “Those numbers and those players are being recognized and acknowledged. I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
Span played 11 seasons in the majors—the Twins drafted him in the first round (20th overall) in 2002 out of high school. He played five seasons in Minnesota (2008-12), then Washington (2013-15), San Francisco (2016-17), Tampa Bay and Seattle (2018). He retired from baseball in June 2020.
After working for his hometown Tampa Bay Rays television broadcast team in 2023, Span joined the Twins television team this season as an analyst.
“It came about over the last couple of years” when he filled in whenever absences occurred during Twins broadcasts, recalls Span. “It was the right time where everything was able to align, and that’s kind of how it materialized in a nutshell.”
Other than being scheduled to work a home series in late July, Span will mostly work Twins road games. “I’m new to this,” he admitted. [Former teammate and current Twins special assistant and television broadcaster] LaTroy Hawkins has been doing it a lot longer than me.”
Although he has yet to perfect his broadcast on-air style, “I tried to keep it as simple as possible,” said Span. He and Hawkins, along with MLB execs Tony Reagins and Tyrone Brooks, will be featured on a panel discussion at the July 31 Minnesota Twins’ 13th annual Diversity Celebration at the team’s ballpark.
Span also works with other former MLBers to attract more Blacks to baseball. “I try to talk about the pros, about playing the game of baseball, and about all of the blessings that it brought to me and my families…and how beautiful of a game it is,” he said proudly.
“I played basketball and football as well. I just try to encourage and encourage them and tell them honestly baseball has been good to me.”