The whitening of the Red Sox

This post is an observation and poses questions. It will not be my purpose to consider any grand schemes or impart any incrimination. But it is an observation that has been sticking in my brain for quite a while now. The local baseball channel here in Maine is the Red Sox (NESN). As such, I watch a lot of their games. And this observation is from what I see. Oh, I see a very good team. I see a very close-knit team. I see a team that could win a World Series. I also see a very white team.

According to 2012 statistics, 61.2 percent of the players in baseball were white, 27.3 percent were Latino, 8.8 percent were African-American and 1.9 percent were Asian (minute percentages of other such as Hawaiian, etc.).

On the current Red Sox 25-man roster, 19 of the players are white or 76 percent. Three are Latino or 12 percent. Two are Asian or 8 percent and there are no African-Americans. And the Red Sox have one native Hawaiian.

Of the 43 total players that have worn the Red Sox uniform this season, 31 have been white (72%), 8 have been Latino (18.6%), one (Jackie Bradley) has been African-American (2.3%), two have been Asian (4.6%) and one has been Hawaiian.

Both the 25-man roster and the totality of the players who have played for the Red Sox in 2013 skew more white than the Major League norms.

To compare that to last year when the Red Sox used 56 total players, 60.7% were white, 25% were Latino, 7.1% were African-American and 5.3% were Asian. In 2011, the percentages were 63.2% white, 18.3% Latino, 8.2% African-American and 4.1% Asian out of 49 players.

On just about any typical night this season, the Red Sox lineup includes all white guys, one Hawaiian (Shane Victorino) and David Ortiz. Four of the rotation's five starters are white. The recent subtraction of Jose Iglesias exacerbated that skew.

2011 and 2012 were much closer to the relative norms according to racial demographics in baseball. Both seasons ended in disappointment for the team. This year, a high emphasis was placed on chemistry when putting together the roster. Is it a coincidence that such an emphasis ended up with a predominately white team? I am just asking the question. You tell me.