Jean Lee Batrus: A Catalyst of Black Youth Baseball

The Swingman Classic and the Hank Aaron Invitational give light to minorities in the sport, and Batrus is one of the people who help make it happen.

In the NFL and NBA, there's been a considerable effort to shine a light on Black college athletes and provide opportunities for those players to reach the professional ranks. The same goes for Major League Baseball, a sport that, historically, had its share of HBCU stars to dominate the diamond, from Grambling's Tommy Agee to Golden Spikes winner and Southern University alum Rickie Weeks Jr.

However, not only has it been a struggle for HBCU talent to reach the big leagues, but it's tough to get minority participation on lower levels, too, from high school to youth leagues. 

Youth baseball can cost hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars for travel teams, pricing out those from underserved communities, directly impacting the Black community. Whether families choose another sport or forego athletics entirely, the financial burden often keeps Black youth off the diamond.

The lack of Black major league players is also largely related to HBCU representation or lack thereof. There's plenty of talent at Black colleges, but the perception of the competition level leads to those players being overlooked. Now, the conferences with the highest concentration of Black baseball players and the talent within them often go unnoticed.

Jean Lee Batrus noticed this trend long before she became the Executive Director of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. She saw it as a youth when she became exposed to baseball.

"I was actually on an all-boys baseball team," Batrus said. "After I took the job with the Youth Development Foundation, I asked my father, 'Why did you put me on an all-boys team?' And he said, 'Jean, there were no opportunities for women.' There were no opportunities for girls to play softball.

"With that said, When I entered this job, I realized a huge inequity in accessing this costly game. You probably remember when we were growing up, there were always low-cost or free avenues to play sports, and Parks and Recs, YMCAs, and other nonprofit organizations that our school systems had sports, and that's why we were able to get a taste of everything. That's very different today."

Between the lack of funding and ball fields in disrepair, Batrus realized that it wasn't a lack of desire to play baseball but a lack of resources. Those factors limit the opportunity those in underserved communities have to play baseball. 

Major League Baseball and the Players Association saw this dilemma and took action. 2016, the Youth Development Foundation (YDF) was born to solve the problem.

"This is a complicated economic system that we recognize," Batrus said. "Major League Baseball and the Players Association understand that there are barriers, and that's why the Youth Development Foundation had to be created: to create more opportunities for kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to play this wonderful game of ours."

Batrus was recruited and hired as the executive director in 2018, representing both the Office of the Commissioner and the MLB Players Association. Her corporate background spans almost 20 years, from being a course director in India to a special projects manager in New York.

"They needed a seasoned leader to operate it, really build the foundation and guts of it," Batrus said. "Build the team, the vision, the grant programming, and that's when I came in, after a year of discussion."

It's hard to imagine a better fit for the position. Before she took over the YDF, Batrus was the VP and Head of Business Development of GENYOUth, where she led fundraising and support for the NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 program across the nation. Prior to that, she was a managing director with Youth INC, another joint effort between Wall Street and other entities to help under-served youth, where she spearheaded corporate partnerships.

Her experience helping youth and navigating the corporate landscape has served the YDF well, leading to partnerships with USA Baseball, T-Mobile and Chevrolet. 

"In this role, it has so many facets," Batrus said. "I'm very fortunate to bring all that to the table to drive this foundation ahead and grow the game of baseball, increasing access and reducing barriers for underrepresented communities."

YDF has left its mark all over the country, from major cities like Los Angeles and Baltimore to smaller ones like Jackson, Kentucky. The foundation has funded everything from training centers to fields to necessary equipment for players and umpires to have successful seasons. 

But Batrus and her team have created two events in the last four years that have become the ultimate showcases of Black youth baseball: the Hank Aaron Invitational and the HBCU Swingman Classic.

The former was created in 2019, where 200-250 of the top Black high school players travel to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, to train, compete and receive mentorship from pro players, coaches and executives. The top 44 (Aaron's jersey number) are then selected to participate in the showcase, which is held at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Scenes from tonight’s Hank Aaron Invitational 📸@MLBDevelops pic.twitter.com/s5Yp163Zqp

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 31, 2023

The invitational became the ideal event for high schoolers and college programs looking for top talent. However, more needed to be done for HBCU baseball to receive recognition.

"What I've experienced as taking on this job in nearly five years is a lack of funding at HBCUs," Batrus said. "But even more than that, there's a lack of attention in believing that players from the schools are strong, competitive players, and we know that's completely untrue."

A showcase for the top HBCU baseball players has been about two years in the making since Batrus first spoke about the concept. To help make it a reality, Batrus called on an icon of Black baseball and one of the best ever to play - Hall of Famer and YDF Ambassador Ken Griffey Jr.

"He really drove that vision because it was so important for him in this stage of his life after being a Hall of Famer and such a legendary player to give back to the game," Batrus said. "He was fortunate enough to grow up with his father, exposing him to professional baseball and mentoring him, but most kids don't have that opportunity.

"This was Junior's time to do something great. And it couldn't have happened without him."

With Griffey's help, the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic took place in Seattle, where Griffey made his mark. But Batrus was also a key figure, promoting the event and bringing HBCU baseball legends together to participate, from former Grambling State catcher Lenny Webster to the Southern University duo of Roger Cador and Rickie Weeks.

The game kicked off MLB All-Star Week, and it was a success. The players and fans enjoyed the experience, and several players went on to be drafted and begin their pro careers.

First event of MLB All-Star Week is underway with Ken Griffey Jr.’s HBCU Swingman Classic. pic.twitter.com/h516VytU7H

— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) July 8, 2023

The turnout was also good but deserves context. There aren't many cities farther from HBCU territory than Seattle, but according to Batrus, at least 16,000 tickets were distributed for the game, not accounting for any other events that were attended.

"It wasn't that it was a bad aspect, but when you're in Seattle, and if you think about people's ability to travel and the costs affiliated with that, it couldn't necessarily get there," Batrus said.

Even with being far away from HBCU territory, the inaugural Swingman Classic profoundly impacted the community. Batrus saw it firsthand when she was a guest speaker on a panel for the Black Empowerment Network alongside moderator and MLB Network host AJ Andrews, Bob Kendricks from the Negro League Baseball Museum, and two more representatives from MLB.

"Seattle's diverse; it has a pretty big Asian-Pacific population. But I wouldn't say it's anything similar to what Texas will be when you talk about black African American representation," Batrus said. "It just really heartened me that the audience was so enthusiastic, excited, and passionate about what we were doing. This event was overdue.

She added that audience members also asked plenty of questions about receiving funding and how to improve existing operations to grow minority baseball in the region.

'What I saw was an appetite, an interest in receiving what we are doing," Batrus said. "And I think that says a lot about the Seattle community. It's very progressive, and it's very open-hearted and open-minded."

The Swingman Classic will occur in Arlington, Texas, in 2024, then in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2025, which is a big step in Batrus and her staff's goal to increase HBCU engagement.

"We want more students, fraternities and sororities, and alumni to be a part of this community game and effort because that's how we see it," Batrus said. "HBCUs are all about communities and families. And their alums. So that power of bringing that network together next year and then in Atlanta two years from then will be phenomenal."

Batrus did not break any news regarding what's next for YDF, but she was clear about what is next on her agenda: continuing the growth of women's sports.

"As a minority female working in the sports industry,  it's time to elevate female athletes. And that will be a very important focus point for YDF," Batrus said. "We are already supporting girls softball and girls baseball programs across the country and that's fantastic. But we want to make sure that no girls are left behind as well and that every child has a right to play no matter what their gender or their race or ethnicity is. 

"And as you know, HBCUs have great softball programs as well. Strong female athletes and talent and we want to elevate them on a broader scale."

Batrus isn't one for the spotlight. She takes pride in giving minorities a chance to shine. But it's because of her efforts and leadership that minorities have the stage to showcase their talents, that HBCU baseball is in front of a national audience.

It's the ones behind the scenes that help make things happen, and Jean Lee Batrus makes things happen.