Chicago White Sox amateur scouting director Mike Shirley has resigned, with the organization announcing the news on Saturday prior to the team’s 6-5 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Shirley, who was in his seventh season in the leadership role, was alleged to have made inappropriate racial and sexist comments about coworkers and in front of coworkers, according to The Athletic.
The report said that Shirley was placed on administrative leave after an anonymous tip was made to the White Sox regarding his conduct at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., in August. The Area Code Games is a scouting event that welcomes high school players and is attended by scouting directors, other scouting personnel, as well as front-office employees.
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Chicago’s latest investigation into Shirley also included allegations of vulgar language about females and their bodies, sources told The Athletic.
It is the White Sox’s policy not to comment on personnel decisions, according to MLB.com.
Shirley had been the subject of at least one other internal investigation in the past in which an anonymous tip was reportedly received from a former White Sox employee who claimed to have left their role regarding Shirley’s behavior toward scouts “from underrepresented groups,” The Athletic reported.
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Shirley did not receive any disciplinary action after the investigation reportedly found no wrongdoing.
The 56-year-old was named the director of amateur scouting for the White Sox in September 2019 after serving as an assistant scouting director and a cross-checker from 2010-2018.
Shirley and his department’s work this year was highly focused on Chicago holding the top pick in the MLB Draft for just the third time in franchise history.
The White Sox, who also held a record Draft pool of $20,489,500, selected shortstop Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA at first overall. Chicago shut down Cholowsky for the remainder of the season in August, citing right wrist soreness.
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