TEMPE, Ariz. -- During the morning sessions of the 2025 DREAM Series, where 80 top Black and Latino high school players descend upon Tempe Diablo Stadium to participate in a full-scale development experience, an almost perfect metaphor unfolds in the corner of one of the backfields.

Away from the boisterous energy of infield and outfield drills, a small group of catchers grind under the tutelage of the likes of former big league catchers Mike Scioscia, Tom Gregorio, Darrell Miller and Marcus Jensen, quietly honing their blocking and receiving skills in the shadows of the left-field fence.

The DREAM Series, which began in 2017 to predominately uplift Black high school pitchers and catchers, has since opened up to players of all positions. But the slew of backstops that come through the event during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend still hold a special place in the heart of the instructors.

¡°I think it¡¯s the character of the catching position: It¡¯s a tough, gritty, hard position and you¡¯re going to get out of it what you put into it,¡± said Gregorio, who was drafted by the Angels in 1999. ¡°And the ability and work that these guys put into it is absolutely tremendous. ¡­ Got to be a little crazy to be a catcher, and I think these kids have the drive and ability to be really good catchers.¡±

The focused attention on building up a pipeline for Black catchers at the DREAM Series is a direct response to a worrying systemic trend. It¡¯s widely known that Black (non-Hispanic) representation at the Major League level has been declining steadily since 1995 -- six percent of the players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2024 were Black -- and that downturn is overrepresented at the catcher¡¯s position. The Guardians¡¯ Bo Naylor and Chuckie Robinson of the White Sox were the only Black catchers to make an appearance on any of the 30 teams in the Majors last season.

It¡¯s not as though Black players never gravitated toward the position in the 20th century: Negro Leagues lore and the Baseball Hall of Fame are rife with the feats of Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Ted ¡°Double Duty¡± Radcliffe. Players like Charles Johnson -- who won four Gold Glove Awards in the late 1990s -- and Lenny Webster carved their own roads near the turn of the millennium, but as Black participation in baseball dwindled, the catcher¡¯s spot became the most common casualty.

That sparse landscape is part of the motivation that fuels this year¡¯s DREAM Series participants.

¡°It sounds crazy. It¡¯s super special to try and bring it back into the game as much as possible,¡± said Ayden Roman, a 2026 graduate from Queens, New York. ¡°Because I see not that many people who look like me, or like my boys ¡­ there¡¯s not that many catchers that look like us.¡±

As Gregorio alluded to, there¡¯s a level of dedication that¡¯s needed to devote oneself to arguably the toughest position in baseball. The sheer level of information that¡¯s encoded and then dispersed by a catcher to the team¡¯s pitching staff and the defense is enough to make anyone¡¯s head spin -- and is often why youth baseball players avoid it like the plague. Combine that with the physical punishment that a player takes each game, and it can be hard to convince a prospect to post up behind the plate.

But in watching the way the DREAM Series catchers oscillate between steely intensity when listening to their coaching staff¡¯s tips and joking with each other between drills, it¡¯s clear that the position isn¡¯t a chore to these prospects. There¡¯s a real pride in the responsibility one takes on behind the plate that mixes with a burning love for the game of baseball.

¡°It¡¯s the only position that sees everything,¡± said Samuel Schwamb, a 2025 North Carolina A&T University commit from Fort Mill, S.C. ¡°I¡¯m watching people as a whole. I¡¯m calling the signs, I¡¯m letting the people know where they need to be on doubles coverage. It¡¯s being the voice of the whole entire thing.¡±

¡°I like to control the game,¡± as Jonathan Griggs, a 2026 graduate from Atlanta, emphasized. ¡°You¡¯re in on every pitch, you call the pitch, you¡¯re in charge of everything. ¡­ It¡¯s on you to position everybody correctly.¡±

The passion and enthusiasm that flows through the 16 catchers at the event is palpable, as there¡¯s a clear communal effort to improve at each moment they¡¯re on and off the field. Schwamb senses it even while catching bullpens, referencing how the group will dispel tips and compliments to each other at the drop of the hat, looking to build their confidence together. And it helps that they¡¯re able to look at sterling examples of success right in front of them, picking their brains about every aspect of the journey through professional baseball.

¡°It definitely feels great, because I know they¡¯ve gone through the very same process that I¡¯m going through ¡­ because I want to follow in their footsteps,¡± Griggs said. ¡°I want to play professional baseball at some point. So it¡¯s good because it also builds confidence, and you know that you¡¯re working on the right thing. Because it¡¯s one thing to work hard, but it¡¯s another thing to be working hard on the right stuff.¡±

There¡¯s clear acknowledgement amongst the players and coaching staff about the potential impact the DREAM Series catching prospects can have on the game of baseball in the United States. Not simply completing their individual goals of reaching the next level in their baseball careers -- but turning into beacons for young Black catchers to look up to, hopefully creating a feedback loop of examples to help interest in the position grow.

¡°Showing confidence, showing that we know the game, that have the knowledge of the long history before us and following the steps of those who already did,¡± said Twins pitcher and DREAM Series alumnus Simeon Woods Richardson. ¡°You can give that next generation the confidence [to succeed].¡±