Kansas City Royals sign first player with autism
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals have made history, signing the first professional player known to have autism.
Over the Kansas City Royals history, they have been a safe haven for players battling their own inner demons. Pitchers Zack Greinke and Danny Duffy retired early in their careers, with Greinke dealing with his anxiety issues. Prior to that pair of talented pitchers, the Royals had Jim Eisenreich, who walked away from the game due to his problems with Tourette’s Syndrome and Asperger’s.
It may be that the Royals history in such cases has helped as a recruitment tool. That may well prove to be the case as Kansas City has signed the first professional baseball player known to have autism in Tarik El-Abour.
His journey to the professional ranks has been quite the odyssey. El-Abour played for four different college programs, and eventually signed with the Sullivan Explorers in the Empire League prior to the 2016 campaign. Last year, he was a part of the Plattsburgh RedBirds, winning the league championship in both seasons.
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El-Abour certainly made the most of his opportunity in the Empire League. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2016, producing a .323 batting average in his 19 games. Although his average slipped to .240 last season, El-Abour appeared in 33 games, notching 112 plate appearances. He showed a knack for getting on base, as he was hit with 18 pitches last year.
In a way, it is a bit of a surprise that he will become the first person known to have autism to play in affiliated ball. Millions of people deal with those challenges, as one out of every 66 children in the United States have the disorder. Given the attention to detail and the obsessive nature of professional baseball players, it may be possible that there are players with autism already in the professional ranks, albeit undiagnosed.
As he embarks on his journey in the Royals organization, El-Abour can become quite the role model. He is proof to those children struggling with the disorder that they can succeed at whatever they put their minds to. If he could make his way into affilliated ball, why can’t they?
Next: Royals designate Almonte for assignment
An inspirational story, Tarik El-Abour will continue his journey in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has already made his mark on the game,