White Sox general manager Chris Getz signaled that the club’s amateur scouting setup is headed for change after Mike Shirley’s resignation, though he stopped short of laying out a specific replacement plan.
Shirley, the team’s amateur scouting director since 2020, stepped down Saturday amid an internal investigation into allegations of verbal harassment. The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli reported that Shirley is accused of making inappropriate racial and sexist comments to and around coworkers. After an anonymous tip led to administrative leave in August, the team’s HR department investigated before Shirley ultimately resigned.
For the White Sox, the news lands as a jolt on the minor league side. Shirley’s draft record included first-round selections Garrett Crochet, Colson Montgomery, Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and most recently Roch Cholowsky. He had reportedly signed a contract extension shortly before the latest investigation surfaced.
Getz, who was in Cleveland for the White Sox’ series against the Guardians, declined to address the details of Shirley’s departure. But he did outline a broader look at how the organization wants to handle scouting going forward.
“We’re looking at a lot of different ways and we’ve been doing that for a while- not just a clear restructure- of conducting business on that front,” Getz said. “In the meantime, we’re not going with an interim.
We’re going to map out where we see the future is on the scouting front in all areas. Once that’s mapped out, we’ll figure out what the needs are for the organization.
If that means you’re going outside of the organization, so be it”
That answer points to more than a simple one-for-one hire. The White Sox have spent the past few years making real progress in scouting and player development, and Shirley’s approach helped shape that push. Every one of his first-round picks was either a left-handed pitcher or a shortstop, a clear sign of the club’s recent focus on premium positions.
Shirley had been in the organization since 2000 and climbed through the system, but he was not installed in the role by Getz. Now, with Shirley gone, Getz has a chance to keep putting his own imprint on the front office.
Whether the White Sox choose a direct replacement or rework the department more broadly is still up in the air. If they do search outside the organization, clubs like Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay could again be places where Chicago looks for help. Either way, the amateur scouting operation is set to look different in the years ahead.
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