‘It hurts:’ After vowing change, Black candidates shut out again of MLB front office jobs
Kim Ng was the only minority hired when she became the first woman and first person of East Asian descent to be the GM of a MLB franchise with the Miami Marlins.
The New York Mets hired two white men — Sandy Alderson and Jared Porter — to become their president and GM, respectively.
The Philadelphia Phillies hired a white man, Dave Dombrowski, to become their president of baseball operations.
There were new white GMs in Texas (Chris Young) and Anaheim (Perry Minasian).
There were three white males who were promoted to president or GM with the Chicago Cubs (Jed Hoyer), Cincinnati Reds (Nick Krall) and Milwaukee Brewers (Matt Arnold).
“I had fooled myself into feeling that by seeing people march on streets on our behalf, and that all people matter,” Chicago White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams told USA TODAY Sports, “there was going to be some change. I really thought that.
“I won’t make that mistake again.”
Williams, 56, is the lone Black man in charge of baseball operations for any of major-league club. He was hired as the White Sox’s GM 20 years ago, and during the past two decades, the only other Black GMs hired throughout baseball were Tony Reagins of the Los Angeles Angels, Michael Hill of the Miami Marlins and Dave Stewart of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They have yet to get another opportunity. The only active minority GMs are Al Avila of the Detroit Tigers, Farhan Zaidi of the San Francisco Giants and Ng.
Given the national dialogue on race and equality this year, there was reason to believe things would change in baseball. Even Theo Epstein, then the president of the Cubs, ridiculed his hiring practices and called on all of MLB to improve.
WHAT’S NEXT: MLB, union at odds on whether to delay 2021 season
DUSTY BAKER: Astros manager relieved Black doctors among those approving COVID-19 vaccine
helped create the Equity League with the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks and Microsoft, to increase investment in businesses started by Black and Latin entrepreneurs, was stunned by the lack of interest.
“It was astounding, and troubling,’’ Schlesinger said, “that these future leaders had no interest in our industry. We have to do a better job promoting our industry. We have to market ourselves better.
“We get so any resumes and applicants for jobs, but we are not getting the resumes and interest from African Americans, and that has to change. That’s on us.’’
Yet, with Black players comprising only 7.8% of last year’s opening-day rosters, and the few executives in front offices, it’s almost as if the doors are already closed. Baseball has done an abysmal job retaining former players.
It’s time for drastic change, perhaps an incentive plan to help influence hiring decisions, knowing that despite all of the promises for change this summer, the status quo is suffocating the sport’s aspirations of genuine diversity.
“I can’t even tell my own son (Ken Williams Jr.), who’s our assistant player development director,’’ Williams said, “to stay in the game because I don’t know if there will be an opportunity for him. No matter how good he gets, will there be an opportunity for him ahead? I can’t say that. What evidence is there this will be the case?
“And I can’t begin to tell you how much that hurts.’’
Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale
