SEATTLE -- When Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford and Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith got together at T-Mobile Park for this week’s matchup between Seattle and Atlanta, they did so with more than 20 years of nostalgia.
And some great stories about where their big league dreams all began.
Crawford and Smith have been among the most prominent success stories of the Compton Youth Academy, which is celebrating its 20th season in 2026. Now called the MLB Youth Academy, it was built on the campus of Compton College in the Los Angeles area, with a broader mission than just developing athletes.
MLB created it partly in response to declining participation of African-American players in baseball and the lack of accessible facilities in many urban communities. The idea was to provide free baseball and softball instruction, safe recreation spaces, academic support and mentorship, pathways to college and pro baseball and exposure to careers around the game outside of playing.
Crawford and Smith -- who both grew up in Southern California -- were among the Academy’s first players and remain among its most notable alumni.
“I was just trying to go play baseball with my friends,” Crawford said, “and then it turned into something bigger, and now we're here, so it was really cool.”
Added Smith: “Just like J.P. said, we were just two young kids who just loved baseball, and the opportunity came with MLB putting that Academy right there in our backyard. And we went there, and they took us all over the world.”
Crawford and Smith were interviewed for nearly 10 minutes, side by side, by MLB Network to recount the Academy’s impact on their playing careers and personal development.
“Without baseball, I had nothing,” Crawford said. “So it was either baseball or go flip some burgers or something. I don't know.”
As Crawford and Smith have enjoyed success and the off-the-field benefits that come with it, they’ve pioneered efforts to give back. And most of those endeavors have centered on children, and making baseball and softball accessible to anyone who wants to play it.
Crawford, a two-time nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, has been the Mariners’ leading presence with the club’s Hometown Nine program, which was created in 2020 to create access, remove barriers to participation and build a culture of inclusion by providing mentorship as well as financial and academic support to youth baseball and softball players.
Smith, meanwhile, established his own foundation in 2017 -- Baseball Generations -- “out of the desire to address the systemic problems hindering the participation and development of youth,” per the initiative’s website. Crawford has been heavily involved.
“That's something that really meant a lot to us,” Smith said. “And we just wanted to give it back to the kids, and something that we're really passionate about.”
Many of those efforts tie back to the Academy.
“We've got a lot more on the way, too,” Crawford said. “They're about to break out soon. They've got some in Triple-A, Double-A. So it's really cool to see them grow and just turn into the bright young men they are.”
The Academy is free to attend year-round for youth players, which is a huge deal in a sport that has become increasingly expensive because of travel ball, private coaching, showcase circuits, and equipment costs.
Physically, the facility is impressive. It includes multiple baseball and softball fields, batting cages, pitching tunnels, locker rooms, classrooms, weight rooms, and a show field with lights and grandstands.
Other notable alumni currently in the Majors include Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene, Blue Jays reliever Dillon Tate and Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka. But it also produced others who reached The Show, such as Aaron Hicks, Khris Davis, Anthony Gose, Jon Singleton and more.
The Compton academy became the model for later MLB academies in places like Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, Washington, Philadelphia and New York City.
In baseball circles, the Compton Youth Academy is often viewed as one of MLB’s most successful long-term grassroots initiatives. And two of its brightest success stories were all smiles when talking about its impact this week in Seattle.