MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Former major league catcher Tim McCarver says he is making a donation to his hometown of Memphis, hoping more African-American youth play baseball.

McCarver made the announcement Saturday in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Commercial Appeal reported the amount of the gift wasn't disclosed, but it is to be used to help fund a baseball park for inner-city youth.

McCarver noted in his speech that the percentage of black professional baseball players has declined from 28 percent in 1975 to a little more than 8 percent currently.

McCarver --now a sportscaster for Fox Sports -- starred at Christian Brothers High School while growing up in Memphis and went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies.