Africa

Africa is a continent south of Europe. The first major leaguer to be born in Africa, South African Gift Ngoepe, made his debut in 2017, followed two years later by Tayler Scott. Several other South African players have appeared in the minors as well (Anthony Phillips and Dylan Unsworth reaching AAA), as did Ntema Ndungidi who was born in Zaire but grew up in Quebec. Other include Nigerians Gbenga Olayemi and Wande Olabisi and Steve Martin (born in Swaziland, raised in the USA).

In 1887, Jim Wilson was the first professional baseball player from Africa: born and raised in Liberia, he played in the Negro Leagues before they achieved major league status.

South Africa is the major baseball power on the continent, although Uganda has been represented in the Little League World Series on occasion.

Related Sites

• Geoffrey York: "Diamond mining in Africa: Along with a promising lode of talent on a new frontier, MLB-sponsored camps are unearthing lots of unexpected passion for the game", The Globe and Mail, December 21, 2016. [1]