Black MLB umpire Malachi Moore holds free camps in Compton
“WE WANT MOORE!” That’s what the kids say about the Compton Youth Academy (CYA) umpire camp.
Malachi Moore, an alum of the CYA, is a Black MLB umpire doing his first full-time season this year and will hold a youth umpire camp in Compton, Calif., from December 9–10, 2023.
The best part about the camp is that it is free. The 32-year-old Moore is the 10th professional Black umpire in MLB history. He grew up in Compton and wants to give kids an opportunity. The umpire camp is for youth at least 12 years old, but they try to accept all ages and have had participants as young as 9 years old.
No experience is required to attend the camp. Moore believes that no one should be left out and everyone should be given an opportunity. If you don’t think the camp is for you because you don’t have equipment, that won’t be an issue. There is a donation spot for turning in old gear, or not. Kids could walk in with nothing and walk out with brand-new equipment.
The camp has come a long way since it first started, mostly figuring out what works by trial and error and with feedback from campers.
The program has evolved from four and a half hours to seven hours last year, and is now a two–day camp. Attendees learn the basics: safety, positioning of where to stand, a lot of on-field work, and a bunch of live reps from every position. The camp is staffed by Moore and other pro umpires from MiLB and MLB.
Moore chose Compton for the camp because it holds a special spot in his heart. It is where he grew up and played both high school and college baseball. It is also where, at a pretty young age, he dealt with the loss of his grandparents and his older brother Nehemiah, who was shot and killed.
Despite all of this, Moore continued to grind and put in hard work, especially at the CYA.
If you want to attend one of Moore’s camps but don’t live in the Compton area, sit tight because you may have a chance in the near future: Moore said, “I will eventually take my camp on the road, possibly starting next year.”
For now, Moore is involved with other umpire camps if you can’t get to Compton, including a free one-day camp on December 16th in Stockton, California.
He will also be going to Puerto Rico with Roberto Ortiz who is another MLB umpire to hold a camp in his hometown.
One main reason Moore wants to have more camps is his desire to spread the game of baseball.
He believes “we all have an obligation to grow the game of baseball”.
Everyone knows it’s hard to become a professional baseball player but it’s hard out here for an up-and-coming ump too.
In addition to being one of the youngest umpires this season, Moore knows how special it is to be one of only five Black full-time MLB umpires.
He wears number 44 in honor of the first Black crew chief, Kerwin Danley, who just recently retired.
So his hope is that more Black kids can try out umpiring to build on that legacy but also just wants to help baseball grow as much as he can, in all aspects of the game.
Maybe you are shy to sign up or still don’t think this is for you. Just remember neither did Malachi Moore.
He started when he was 20 and had no interest at all but a CYA instructor showed him something new. So you never know what will end up choosing you!
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