MLB Analyst Requests ’40-Acre Field’ Full of Players Who Look Like Cuban-Born Yoan Moncada, Later Apologizes for ‘Hurtful Remark’

Friday afternoon, MLB Network offered a broadcast booth featuring Bob Costas, Buck Showalter and Jim Kaat for their coverage of the Chicago White Sox-Houston Astros playoff game.

With White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada making his first plate appearance of the game, the 82-year-old Kaat began to offer a compliment to the young power hitter, but the conversation quickly became awkward, and ultimately offensive.

“I don’t’ know how much you’ve seen of Moncada, but everybody talks like this guy should be a star, an All-Star,” Kaat said.

“That’s what they look like,” Showalter responded. “I don’t know about the rest of it. The first time I saw him in the big leagues I looked around the dugout and said ‘Can we have one of those?’ That’s what they look like.”

“Get a 40-acre field full of ’em,” Kaat requested.

The comment from the 82-year-old former pitcher and longtime broadcaster was met with silence, until Costas eventually called the next pitch.

Moncada was born and raised in Cuba, leaving the island in 2014 after receiving permission from the government to pursue a Major League Baseball career. Requesting a 40-acre field of people that look like a Cuban-born athlete because of their strength and physique was viewed as being racially charged.

Later in the game, Kaat offered a brief and prewritten apology.

“While they have a little break here,” Kaat began. “In fact I need to read this right now. Because, earlier in the game when Yoan Moncada was at the plate, in an attempt to compliment the great player that he is I used a poor choice of words that resulted in an insensitive and hurtful remark. And I’m sorry for that.”

Although the sport touts wanting their audience to become younger and more diverse, MLB Network was featuring a broadcast booth of three White men, totaling 216 years in age.

Kaat’s error is part of a string of racist and insensitive comments to be uttered about Major League Baseball players this season, with Bob Brenly, Jack Morris and Stephen A. Smith being a few of the other notable offenders.

Watch above via MLB Network