ROBERT PHELPS, AT REINHARDT UNIVERSITY.
He’s a 2022 Allderdice graduate
In 1990, 20 percent of Major League Baseball players were Black.
Today, in 2025, that number hovers around 8 percent.
Getting a definitive answer as to why the number of Black Major Leaguers has dwindled over the decades is difficult. But in Pittsburgh, there is a young African American man who is taking the right steps to get to the Majors.
Robert Phelps, a 2022 graduate of Allderdice High School, learned he was drafted in the 19th round by MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, July 14. Two days later, his family and friends held a block party-style celebration for him in Highland Park, complete with food, drinks, hugs and gratitude.
Phelps, who is now in Florida navigating the Phillies’ minor league system, went off to Philadelphia on July 17, and was officially signed by the Phillies on July 22. He most recently played for the Edmonton Riverhawks, a collegiate summer league team in Canada. Phelps played his college ball in a number of places, like Riverside Community College (California), Hartford Community College, West Virginia University, and Reinhardt University (Georgia). He is a shortstop, and oftentimes, you’ll see him leading off in the batting order.
ROBERT PHELPS, FAR RIGHT, WAS DRAFTED IN THE 19TH ROUND OF THE MLB DRAFT, JULY 14. (PHOTO BY CHIEF IKHANA-HAL-MAKINA)
“I’ve loved it since I was a little kid, it’s always been what I’ve done, it’s always been my dream,” Phelps told the New Pittsburgh Courier about the game of baseball at his celebration, July 16. “For the dream to come true is amazing, and it’s just the first step.”
Phelps’ family has always supported his baseball dreams. Phelps even lived in the Dominican Republic from the age of 13 to 16, before returning to Pittsburgh to attend Allderdice.
“It was crazy, it was a cool experience,” Phelps said about living in the D.R.
The list is very small when it comes to African Americans from Pittsburgh playing in the Major Leagues. Most people remember Pittsburgh’s own Josh Gibson…he played in the Negro Leagues back when Major League Baseball wouldn’t allow Black players in the league. Ironically, as of 2024, Major League Baseball has incorporated the statistics from the Negro Leagues into its official statistics., which means that Gibson holds the record for the highest career batting average, at .371.
From the “Pittsburgh Pirates” perspective, their list of Black players is stellar, such as Willie Stargell, Andrew McCutcheon, Barry Bonds and Dave Parker. In 1971, the Pirates fielded the first all-Black and all-Latino lineup, and it read: Rennie Stennett (2B); Gene Clines (CF); Roberto Clemente (RF); Willie Stargell (LF); Manny Sanguillén (C); Dave Cash (3B); Al Oliver (1B); Jackie Hernández (SS); and Dock Ellis (P).
Some of today’s standout Black players in MLB include the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, the Twins’ Byron Buxton, and the Nationals’ C.J. Abrams and James Wood.
But there aren’t enough Black players currently in Major League Baseball, which has 25 active roster spots for each of the 30 teams.
ROBERT PHELPS SIGNS AN AUTOGRAPH, JULY 16. (PHOTO BY CHIEF IKHANA-HAL-MAKINA)
For Phelps to reach the Majors, it will take time. He will be incorporated into the Phillies’ “system,” or how they choose to develop their young prospects. In the minor leagues, it’s about development, and then the talent will soon show. Once a baseball organization feels the prospect has conquered everything in say, “A” ball, he is moved up to “Double A.” Then, he is moved up to “Triple A.” Then, they’re just one phone call away from joining the Big League ballclub.
“I’ve always loved it,” Phelps told the Courier about baseball. “It’s always been my happy place. My family always told me the same thing, they see that I can be me (in baseball), and it gives me the biggest smile on my face.”
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