ZAWorld.com is a site for South Africans in the United States
and around the globe. ZAWorld.com provides a wealth of
information
for those
South Africans and other travelers nostalgic for the sights,
smells and unique quirks of South Africa.
Who will be the first South African to play Major League Baseball?* Each of these players share that dream.
Gift Ngoepe
Tayler Scott
Kieran Lovegrove
SS, S-R, 5' 10", 165, Pietersburg, South Africa
M'Poh "Gift" Ngoepe (born January 18, 1990) plays in the Minor Leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirate. A native of Randburg, Gauteng, Ngoepe became the first Black South African, and the sixth South African to sign a professional baseball contract when he signed in October 2008.
Born June 1, 1992. Scott, a much sought after high school pitcher, was drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago Cubs in 2011. Tayler is a pitcher with tremendous upside but limited experience. With a fast ball that has been clocked up to 94mph I would imagine that the Cubs will be happy to refine his talent. Follow Tayler @taylerscottsa
Born July 28, 1994. Mission Viejo, California High-schooler Kieran Lovegrove is eligible for the 2012 draft and is ranked 65 by Baseball America. Kieran has committed to pitch for Arizona State University. Kieran has been invited to the18U USA trials but would prefer to pitch for SA. He might be enticed into professional baseball by a high pick in the draft. Follow Kieran @Lovegrove19
Dylan Unsworth
Justin Erasmus
Hein Robb
RHP, R-R, 6' 1", 170, Durban, South Africa
Born September 23, 1992. Signed as undrafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 2010. Dylan Unsworth played for South Africa in the 2008 World Junior Championship and 2009 Baseball World Cup, at only age 16. He attended the MLB European Academy in 2009. In 2012 Dylan pitched 50 innings, struck out 44 and walked only 1 batter!
Born 22 January 1990. Signed by the Boston Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent on July 16, 2007. ... Made one start for South Africa at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. ... Was 0-2 with a 3.99 ERA (13 ER/29.1 IP) in eight starts in Major League Baseball's Australian Academy Program in 2008. Currently plays for the Brisbane bandits in the ABL.
Born 12 May, 1992. Hein Robb was signed out of the European Baseball Academy in 2008 by the Minnesota Twins. He was on the South African roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He made his pro debut with the 2010 GCL Twins, throwing a scoreless inning June 24 against the GCL Rays, walking one.
Number of South African-born currently signed to MLB organizations: 7 First South African-born to play MLB: None yet*
First South African-born to be drafted in MLB: Tayler Scott (2011) Ones to watch for in the future: Gift Ngoepe 5'10", 165lb, INF (Pittsburgh Pirates); Tayler Scott 6'3", 165lb, RHP(Chicago Cubs); Kieran Lovegrove, 6'4", 185lb, RHP (Eligible for 2012 Draft); Justin Erasmus (Red Sox - now playing for Australia); Anthony Phillips 5'9", 160lb, INF (Mariners) Alessio Angelucci, 6'2", 190lb, RHP (San Diego Padres) Dylan Lindsay, 6'2", 185lb, RHP (Kansas City Royals) Hein Robb, 6'0", 185lb, LHP (Minnesota Twins) Dylan Unsworth, 6'1", 170lb, RHP (Seattle Mariners)
*Barry Armitage was the first South African-born baseball player ever to make an appearance in any Major League Baseball game when he threw an inning for Kansas City Royals against the Houston Astros in a 2005 exhibition game.
South Africa's baseball weather: Mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights. Biggest sports competitors: The big three -- soccer, cricket and rugby Approximate number of South Africans playing organized baseball: 370,000. Amateur highlights: First victory: 1974 XXIII Baseball World Cup over Italy; first tournament win: Africa-Oceania Olympic qualifier, 1999, went undefeated; first Olympic win: 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (3-2, over the Netherlands in 10 innings); first Little League affiliated appearance: Big League World Series 2003 (went 1-3). Annual competition: Baseball in South Africa is played under the auspices of the South African Baseball Union and is played at club level with clubs affiliated to provincial (regional) structures. For example, in Cape Town, clubs are affiliated to the Baseball Association of the Western Province.
Editors Comment: South Africa is a notoriously athletic and competitive nation and remains the only African nation to have competed in international events. They competed in the World Baseball Classics and the 2000 Olympics where they finished 8th. Despite a population of over 50 million people, participation in baseball is extremely small. The sport seems to have been hampered by the ever-present politics, infighting and the prevalence of traditional colonial sports like cricket and rugby.
The very nature of the South African athlete and the fact that baseball is relatively inexpensive, compared to the size and maintenance costs of cricket fields, should have resulted in an explosive growth of baseball from its existing roots. Baseball was introduced to the country by American gold miners in the late 1800s. Per Josh Chetwynd, "The Americans were true missionaries for the sport, bringing equipment, creating a baseball diamond, and setting up games. Thanks to their persistence and local interest in baseball, an official league was set up in 1899, and, in September 1904, Transvaal's first official provincial baseball body was formed".
Although baseball was played there for a considerable number of years, it never really became popular, and by 1908 it went into a decline. At the beginning of the Thirties, baseball staged a comeback, this time, simultaneously in Johannesburg and Cape Town. In 1933 the South African Baseball Federation (SABF) - originally known as the South African Baseball Council - was established to promote the game, and with the passage of time it spread throughout the country.
Although the governing bodies in South Africa have done very little to grow the game, stars like Gift Ngoepe and Tayler Scott are causing the American scouts to sit up and take notice. If a nation like the Dominican Republic with a population of less than 10 million produces more than 10% of the players in the Major Leagues, imagine what South Africa could do if properly motivated. Right now, the Australians are blowing us away in this regard and I know you don't want to let that happen. Wayne Williams
Resources for those intersted in pursuing a baseball career:
