The first black player in the major leagues? It wasn't Jackie Robinson.

The Syracuse Stars baseball team posed for a team portrait in 1889,in that photo in the far right back row stands Moses Fleetwood Walker he played one season in 1884 63 years before Jackie Robinson, there was also one fill in game in 1879 of which William Edward White played.

Walker played a season but suffered injuries and insults he played catcher in a time that he had no glove and batted .263 in 42 games all while having to sleep on park benches when denied entrance to some hotels in the south.

Cap Anson rallied support to segregate the game in 1887 the International league managers agreed to vote not to sign any black players and the color lines were drawn.

The Texas Independent Baseball League u21 will honor Fleetwood's sacrifice by awarding the leagues MVP with the Moses Fleetwood Walker award designating the best player in the RDB academy who not only represents hard work put into developing the players trade of baseball, but his humanity towards others he encounters.

The Texas Independent Baseball League u21 league championship Trophy is named for the founding father of the Negro Leagues Rube Foster Trophy, and the best team record of the 22 game season will be awarded the Jackie Robinson award.

The Waco YellowJackets return in 2018 sparks the return of the team Rube Foster got his start into baseball as a middle schooler.

A couple of the other teams will be the Fort Worth Panthers, Dallas Spudders. The Houston Mudcats, while not looking back at the moments of shame within the sport we will celebrate the victories of those players managers and team owners who thought the country offered them the opportunity even if some thought it should not be simply because of skin color.

Today our mission is to incorporate opportunities to build and develop opportunity for all talented players who have the desire and are able to fit our model grading system to enter the RDB academy, we are currently in the planning stages of a fully operational athletic education campus that will allow us to fully establish development opportunities.

We are working on satellite centers which will allow our model to reach across the state of Texas, more information will come soon about that.

And finally the RDB academy manager of the season award will be named for the first mexican player to play in the major leagues. (The Mel Almada award)

Mel Almada aka Baldomero Melo Almada Quiroz aka Baldomero Melo (Quiros)

A native of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico, Almada made history by becoming the first Mexican baseball player to reach major league status with the Boston Red Sox in 1933.

Willie James Wells (August 10, 1906[1] – January 22, 1989), nicknamed "The Devil," was an American baseball player. He was a shortstop who played from 1924-48 for various teams in the Negro leagues and in Latin America.

Wells was a fast baserunner who hit for both power and average. He was at his finest with his glove, committing almost no errors and having the speed to run down anything that came in his direction. He is widely considered the best black shortstop of his day. He also taught Jackie Robinson how to turn a double play.

Wells was also notable as being the first player to use a batting helmet, after being hit and getting a concussion while playing with the Newark Eagles. (His first helmet was a construction helmet.)

He is a member of the baseball halls of fame in the United States, Cuba and Mexico.

The award for best short stop in the RDB academy will be called the Wells Glove .