Chris Singleton (minors)

Christopher Nygel Singleton

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• School Charleston Southern University
• High School Goose Creek High School

• Born July 5, 1996 in USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Chris Singleton was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th round of the 2017 amateur draft. He began his pro career that year with the AZL Cubs, where he hit .304 in 12 games. He was then promoted to the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League, where he hit .185 in 27 games. That gave him a combined batting line of .221/.275/.331 in 39 games.

Singleton grew up in Charleston, SC and was a parishioner at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which became infamous as the site of a massacre perpetrated by a white supremacist in 2015; his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was one of the shooter's victims. He spoke at a service organized at his school after tragedy, saying: "Love is always stronger than hate. If we just love the way my mom would, then the hate won’t be nearly as strong as the love is." He added, speaking about the perpetrator: "We forgive him for what he’s done. There’s nothing but love from our side of the family." His words were largely credited for helping to unite the city after the terrible tragedy, and preventing a spiral of violence from developing. President Barack Obama found his words so inspiring that he and First Lady Michelle Obama wrote him a personal letter of thanks. The New York Yankees, whose Class A affiliate plays in Charleston, invited him to take part in batting practice before a game and then throw out the ceremonial first pitch. His college dedicated an enrichment center to his mother, who was a speech pathologist at his high school, and also a youth athletics coach.

His father, who was a college football player, died a year after the shooting, having been emotionally devastated by the tragedy, which deepened his dependence to alcohol. That left Chris in charge of two younger siblings. He has dedicated his life to helping bring people together and to serve as a role model for youngsters, promoting the motto that love is stronger than hate.

Further Reading

• David Garner: "A Q&A with Cubs Draftee Chris Singleton, Son of Charleston Shooting Victim", Bleacher Report, June 29, 2017. [1]
• Carrie Muskat: "Singleton's message transcends baseball: Cubs prospect's subject for speaking engagements: 'Love is always stronger than hate'", mlb.com, December 28, 2017. [2]
• Bob Nightengale: "Love>Hate: Chris Singleton carries message from Charleston aftermath into baseball career", USA Today Sports, September 26, 2017. [3]

Related Sites

• Charleston Southern bio