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Has There Ever Been a Girl MLB Player?
Major League Baseball (MLB) has seen some of the best performances by some of the best players to date. However, fans alike do wonder whether any female player has played in the league. Let’s find out!
Major League Baseball (MLB) has not seen any female player participating in any of the franchise’s teams, over the last few years. However, during the 2022 season, Kelsie Whitmore became the talk of the town as she became the first woman to pitch in the Atlantic League.
The Atlantic League is the highest level of professional baseball other than MLB and is affiliated with Major League Baseball. Whitmore signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks, an independent professional team in the league, and played with them until 2023. She then signed with the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League, earlier this year.
It should be highlighted that not only Whitmore, but many other female players tried to feature in several baseball divisions. Regardless of their talent, they couldn’t make it to MLB and there are various reasons behind it.
Women have a long history in professional baseball. Various women's teams have been formed to date. However, over the years, a few of them have made headlines for their attempts to break into MLB.
Initially, in 1931, Jackie Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game. It thus resulted in her getting banned from playing professionally.
The year 1952 further saw the league ban women from participating in the MLB or affiliated minor-league teams. The ban remained in place for several decades until it was finally lifted in the 1990s.
Later, in the 1993 MLB Draft, the Chicago White Sox, an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, made history by drafting Carey Schueler, a left-handed pitcher, in the 43rd round. This milestone marked Schueler as the first woman ever to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team.
Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out how they should have been as the pitcher did not sign with the White Sox and instead played collegiate baseball for DePaul University in Chicago.
Furthermore, women like Ila Borders and Eri Yoshida have played professional baseball in men's leagues, though not in MLB. Borders became the first woman to start in a men’s professional baseball game in 1997. Meanwhile, Yoshida played in various independent leagues in the United States.
Also Read: How Many MLB Players Are From Canada?
While the debate on whether women should participate in MLB still remains a question, Mike Scioscia, former manager and All-Star catcher with the Angels and Dodgers, revealed that the idea of females being able to pitch at a high level in baseball is not unrealistic or out of reach.
Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times; “Yeah, I think it's a definite possibility, I don't think it's a far stretch to see some girls be able to develop and pitch.”
It should be noted that although women don’t currently play in MLB, earlier this year, the video game MLB: The Show allowed users to create and play as female baseball players for the first time. With this progress, the possibility of seeing a woman on an MLB roster may not be as far-fetched as it once seemed. However, only time will tell when fans can get to witness a female player in the MLB.
Also Read: Top 7 Most Impressive Debuts In MLB History
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