RJ Austin wasn't just inspired by Jackie Robinson, he studied everything about him.
Austin would watch highlights of Robinson throughout his childhood growing up in Atlanta, combing through as many clips as he could find, absorbing everything he could from the grainy, black-and-white video footage. It immediately stuck out to Austin how hard Robinson played. He admired Robinson’s energy and how he tried to win every time he stepped foot on the diamond in the face of adversity.
Austin took note of it all and instilled those same values into his own game.
“[No.] 42 is one of those numbers that’s just special,” said Austin, who now plays baseball at Vanderbilt. “... He just changed the game for us. He played the game with a lot of passion, and I play the game the same way. All props go to Jackie.”
Austin, along with Georgia’s Alton Davis II, Grand Canyon University’s Troy Sanders, Texas’ Oliver Service and Louisville’s Eddie King Jr., is one of five current Division I baseball players who wear No. 42 in homage to Jackie Robinson. Even now, 78 years after Robinson first crossed baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, his impact on both the sport and American history at large continues to be felt.
King’s connection to the number also goes back to his youth in Lynwood, Ill., when he played in the 2014 Little League World Series as a representative of the Great Lakes region. The name of that team? Jackie Robinson West.
That experience stuck with King, who’s represented Robinson through his jersey number ever since. Even when he wasn’t able to wear No. 42 on his high school team, King found a way by flipping it into No. 24.
“The two and the four, the four and the two. I wear it with a lot of pride,” King said.
It’s a pride that Service also knew he wanted to carry from the moment he arrived at the University of Texas. As a freshman, Service went up to his coach and told him that he wanted No. 42.
“I had to wear it, because I'm not going to get a lot more chances to wear that after my time here in Texas,” Service said. “So, I wanted to make sure that I wore it proud, representing on one of the biggest stages in the country.”
The feeling hits home for Sanders, who took the number the first chance it became available at Grand Canyon University.
“Without him, we wouldn't even be able to wear any number,” Sanders said. “... Without him, none of this would be possible. So I wear that with a lot of pride and honor every time I put it on.”
Sanders’ sentiment is true. He, King, Austin, Davis or Service would not be in the position he is today if it wasn’t for Robinson. There wouldn’t be a Willie Mays. Or a Hank Aaron. Or a Barry Bonds. Or a Mookie Betts. Or countless players that came after Robinson.
Robinson himself once said that a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. That quote not only leads his Baseball Hall of Fame bio, it’s also one that resonated deeply with Davis.
“I play the game -- and I know we all play the game -- to impact other people,” Davis said. “Impact other kids to just come out here and play just how we play.”
MLB’s efforts to increase diversity in the big leagues are ongoing; since this time last year, there has been a slight increase in the percentage of Black players on Opening Day rosters -- 6.2 percent in 2025, up from 6.0 percent in ‘24. A total of 59 Black players appeared on Opening Day active and inactive lists, with an additional 18 Black players in the Minor Leagues on MLB 40-man rosters.
Nine first-round picks -- including three of the top 10 -- in the 2024 Draft were Black, tying '22 for the most since 1992. Seventeen percent of the players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list are Black.
The five college players wearing No. 42 this season all participated in MLB Develops programming as youth players.
Paying it forward for the next generation -- that’s how the legacy of Jackie Robinson gets fulfilled. That’s why these five players wear No. 42. That’s why every player across MLB wears his number every April 15.
“Baseball is a sport that will beat you up. But everybody fails in this game,” King said as a word of advice to kids. “You’ve just got to look at it that way. Just keep pushing. Never give up. Never give in. It's a lot of opportunity if you keep going, so just keep doing it.”