ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Look around this World Series and it’s easy to spot all the newcomers—Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and David Price, eager to get a huge hit or throw a perfect pitch.

To Billy Reed, they’ve already made a big difference.

Reed coached Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and many more future big leaguers as boys across the bay in Tampa. He sees this fresh crop of stars changing the face of the game.

“I think having so many African-American ballplayers in the World Series, it has impact on local kids and I’m hoping impact ...

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