By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2021 – As a former president of the Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA), I am absolutely delighted with the recent announcements that Bahamians Adari Grant and Evan Sweeting, a pair of “I-Elite Sports Academy prospects,” agreed to terms with Major League Baseball clubs on the first day of the 2021 International Signing Period.
Earlier this week Grant, who plays shortstop, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, while Sweeting, a right-handed pitcher, signed with the San Diego Padres.
According to The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’ leading newspapers, in an article published on Tuesday, January 19, Grant returned to Grand Bahama to celebrate the next chapter of his baseball career as he officially became the newest member of the St Louis Cardinals organization, adding that Grant “signed his contract to join the club among family and well-wishers at the Pelican Bay Resort in Grand Bahama yesterday.”
“The 17-year-old 5’11” 163-pound shortstop, out of the International Elite Sports Academy, headlined the group of 15 free agents signed by the Cardinals to open Major League Baseball’s 2021 International Signing Period,” The Tribune added.
Grant was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how to express my feelings, it’s surreal. I feel excitement, but I’m also anxious to start my professional career and I know I’m going to make everyone proud and represent The Bahamas very well. My mindset and attitude will be the same as always. Although I signed, nothing has changed, I’m going to keep the same underdog attitude, the same work ethic, go at it 24/7 and never let up. That’s how it is and how it always will be. I have to turn it up, I have to go harder, I have to stay committed and once I do that I know I’ll make it.”
Meanwhile, the Nassau Guardian reported that Sweeting, 19, became the second Bahamian in as many days to sign a professional contract with a Major League Baseball (MLB) club on Wednesday and the first Bahamian pitcher to do so since Chavez Fernander inked a deal with the Detroit Tigers in 2018.”
“Sweeting, who came up through the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) before catching the eye of Bahamian coaches Geron Sands and Albert Cartwright at I-Elite, said he always had the confidence that this day would come,” the Guardian reported. “He left JBLN at age 13 to give I-Elite a chance to further develop him and that is exactly what he did.”
The Guardian added, “The 6’2” 195-pound right-handed pitcher competed in a number of tournaments overseas, but it was at the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series International Week in Boston, Massachusetts, where he impressed scouts. It was there where International Crosschecker Scout for the San Diego Padres Bill McLaughlin decided that they had to have him in their program.”
Having commenced their professional baseball careers, both Grant and Sweeting no doubt are hoping that their future success in baseball will duplicate the accomplishments of Andre Rodgers, the first Bahamian to sign a professional baseball contract in 1954. Andre made it to the Major League with the then New York Giants in 1957 and had a 10-year career in Majors with New York Giants/San Francisco Giants (1957–1960), Chicago Cubs (1961–1964), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1965–1967).
Andre’s success opened an avenue for future Bahamian professional baseball aspirant to seriously begin their quest to make it to the Major League. Those that did include Tony Curry, who was an outfielder with Philadelphia Phillies (1960–1961); Ed Armbrister, an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds (1973–1977); Wenty Ford, who was a pitcher with the Atlanta Braves (1973); Wil Culmer, an outfielder with the Cleveland Indians (1983); Antoan Richardson, an outfielder with the Atlanta Braves (2011) and New York Yankees (2014); and Jazz Chisholm, an infielder currently on the roster of Miami Marlins (2020).
Of course, the pipeline to the Major League opened up by Andre’s success was clogged with a stream of other talented players, among them the late Vince Ferguson, who signed with the Milwaukee Braves’ organization in 1961 and reached Triple-A in 1966-67, and the late Ed Moxey, a catcher/outfielder signed by the Giants, who tore up lower levels starting in 1962, though he never got past Double-A.
Baseball historians in The Bahamas such as Winston “Shem” Sherman, who lives in Freeport, Grand Bahama, will strongly argue that the Bahamian professional baseball player who had the potential to possibly be the best Bahamian to play in the Majors was Lionel “Liney” Rodgers, who was tragically killed in an auto accident in January of 1961 while at home in Nassau for the Christmas holidays.
Liney Rodgers was Andre’s brother, and in June of 2019 Shem posted a classic photo on his Facebook of four Rodgers brothers that we described in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE as “The Royal Family of baseball in The Bahamas.” Included in that photo were Liney; Adrian “Squabby” Rodgers, who also played professionally; Andre; and Randy Rodgers, who likewise played professionally.
There is no question that Liney would have joined his older brother Andre in the Majors had he not been tragically killed. Indeed, according to Wikipedia, “In June 1957, three years after Andre Rodgers and the year after Adrian Rodgers, Lionel Rodgers became the third member of his family to sign with the New York Giants. With Hastings in the Nebraska State League in 1957 (the same team for which Adrian had pitched a year before), the 17-year-old got off to a promising start with 42 hits in 127 at-bats (.331). Moving up to Class C for 1958, he played just seven games for St. Cloud (where André had previously starred) because of a fractured left leg.
“Returning to Class D in 1959, Lionel bounced back for Artesia (New Mexico) in the Sophomore League, hitting .284 in 74 games. He followed up with a .302 mark – with 15 homers and 104 RBIs – in 131 games for Fresno in 1960. He was an All-Star in the California League (Class C) that year.
“The catcher-infielder had the best shot among his brothers at joining André in the majors, especially if he’d continued to develop. He had hit .345 to lead the Arizona Instructional League and was slated to play Double-A ball in 1961. Tragically, he was killed in an auto accident in January of 1961 while at home in Nassau for the Christmas holidays. He was riding in an automobile which struck a wall. Thrown from the car, he was run over by another vehicle.”
Baseball is my most favourite sport, and I would like to wish all the luck in the world to Adari Grant and Evan Sweeting as they join the other Bahamian players in pipeline that leads to a successful career in the Major League.
