Major League Baseball and USA Baseball’s DREAM Series has existed for eight years, but the impact stretches far beyond that.
The two organizations host this event annually. It’s a baseball developmental experience to diversify the talent pool. Young, predominantly Black players learn from former major and minor-league players, managers, and coaches in Arizona at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Cliff Floyd and Chris Young have a combined 30 years of MLB playing experience and now work as analysts for MLB Network. Floyd will participate in his first DREAM SERIES while Young goes to his third.
“I think that, to me, is the most important – is just to see where the future of our game is going,” Floyd said.
Former Manager of the Year Jerry Manuel is one of the instructors participating in the series. He has a close relationship with Floyd.
“He’s a huge reason why this is such a successful program,” Floyd said. “These kids, you have to trust when you get into your first big league camp, you trust someone, and if you have the right one as far as coaches, as far as players – and every day, it might be uncomfortable, but you know – you need to do it.”
Floyd said Manuel was a mentor, but he was cool, calm, and collected about it.
Despite managing big-league players, Manuel said the only difference between that and the younger generation is some of the verbiage. The rest remains the same.
Young’s heading to his third Series and has seen All-Star Hunter Greene grow through the program.
“I feel like [he] is the ambassador of this event,” Young said. “Because when you see him on site, he’s the O.G. He’s the one that guys are like, ‘Man, he went on the same path.’ Granted, he is the first-rounder who throws a hundred miles, but he gives promise to the next generation of being here. The DREAM SERIES is not just something to do. It’s not just another initiative that MLB puts on. From Michael Harris to Taj Bradley to Simeon Woods Richardson, Hunter Greene, Jordan Walker – and this is just the beginning.”
Young said each year he sees new talent and the importance of the series is the amount of exposure it presents.
“I think it’s healthy for players to come out here who look like me. We’re all really good ball players, which is something that’s different for a lot of players, as opposed to where they’re coming from, a lot of places that these players are playing, if they’re the Black players on their team, they’re the only two on the team. Let’s take those players and put them around major league coaches.”
It’s more than just the baseball aspect. That’s important, yes. Being around the players helps too. It essentially speeds up the process of getting a mentor who’s “been there, done that.”
“The Dream Series has become a giant reunion for players–current and former–during the offseason. It’s an event where players want to be to give back to the next wave of African-American talent, who are striving to be in their shoes one day,” said Ben Friedfeld, MLB Network vice president of content logistics and field production. “We dove right in a couple years ago from a live production standpoint and haven’t looked back.”
Young said a typical ballplayer would often have to wait until their rookie season to gain this knowledge. You’d get a Tony Clark or Orlando Hudson to take you under their wing. Now, you have social media or an opportunity like this.
“It’s sitting around – the stuff Cliff is talking about right now as far as passing down the wisdom and the knowledge to where they’re mentally prepared to be able to take on anything,” Young said.
“The next ten years – that’s another generation,” Floyd said.
There are group activities as well. At night, Greene hosts everybody at his house and they have a Q&A session where they share experiences, showing the kids there isn’t one designated way to make it to the big leagues.
The coverage doesn’t change either.
“I think the biggest thing is you got to be yourself,” Floyd said. “If you’re authentic, it comes off so much better.”
The DREAM Series creates a great program on MLB Network overall as well. It’s timed to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And MLBN will air a new MLB Tonight: A Conversation program highlighting the impact of the DREAM Series and the continued diversity efforts throughout MLB on Monday, January 20th at 5 p.m. ET and again at 7 p.m. ET.
“Giving valuable, national exposure to this program and all the meaningful things that will come out of it will make this some of the best content we’ll produce all year,” said Adam Helfgott, MLB Network supervising producer of field production. “One of these prospects on Friday’s show could be the next Michael Harris II, so for us to be there and help take this event to the next level is something we’re extremely proud of.”
Other familiar names as instructors include Dellin Betances, Marquis Grissom, Howie Kendrick, Mike Sioscia and Darrell Miller. MLB Network’s daily morning program Hot Stove will air live from the DREAM Series on Friday, January 17th at 9 a.m. ET.
Floyd looks forward to his first one.
“I’m just going in there blind,” Floyd said. “Count on [Chris] to get me through. I want to enjoy it so much that I hit him up like, ‘I’ll see you next year, right?’”
