MLB Commissioner applauds Twins at annual diversity celebration in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KMSP) - The eighth annual Minnesota Twins Diversity Celebration featured a special guest Wednesday.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was in attendance and was quick to compliment the Twins on their role in helping grow diversity within the game and the community.

“It’s an amazingly well-run organization, shown a real commitment to diversity over time, can't say enough good things about the Twins on that front,” Manfred said.

While progress is being made Manfred says there's still work left to be done.

“We are investing in diverse and underserved communities to make sure that we're making playing opportunities available,” Manfred said. “The numbers that we're seeing suggest to us that there is significant return on that investment in terms of the amount of diversity we're going to see in our playing workforce."

While the game remains healthy among the Latin and Asian populations, there is concern surrounding the African American community where the number of black baseball players in the majors is under 10 percent and Manfred says the league will need a collective effort to see that number increase.

“Everybody in the industry has a responsibility on the diversity front. It begins with me but it continues down to the owners and the management of the individual clubs that make their own decisions with respect to hiring and player personnel."

“It’s also important not to lose sight of the fact that we over index in terms of the number of Hispanic players we have playing the game and, overall, our diversity in terms of where our players come from is very good."