The White Sox are taking an unusual path as they sort out the fallout from Mike Shirley’s departure, and the shape of their amateur scouting department may be changing with it.
Shirley was no longer with the organization after the team announced his exit on September 12th, but the club did not spell out why. A report from Brittany Ghiroli and Keith Law of The Athletic said his resignation followed an internal investigation into verbal harassment. Before that became public, Shirley had already been placed on administrative leave after an anonymous tip about his behavior at the Area Code Games in California in August.
However it unfolded, the move left Chicago with a major opening to fill. Shirley had been in charge of the amateur side during a stretch that included the selection of Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick, along with other top draft choices who are beginning to make their way to the big leagues. His exit still landed as a major surprise, but based on the reporting, it also appears to have been the necessary call.
Now Chris Getz’s plan is coming into focus. In a media session last week, Getz said the title of the new role would be “Director of Amateur Aquisitions”.
A few weeks earlier, he had said he wasn’t sure exactly which position the White Sox would hire for. The wording matters, because the team already has Matt Grabowski in a job called Director of Acquisitons, and that role covers both amateur and pro scouting.
One possibility is that the White Sox are preparing to split those duties and assign separate leaders to each side.
The club is expected to cast a wide net. Getz has shown a willingness to consider outside candidates for front office jobs, and the search for this one should be no different. Still, if Chicago stays in-house, James Fox of FutureSox reported that Crosschecker JJ Lally would be a strong candidate.
Lally has been with the White Sox since 1998 and has worked in a range of areas across the organization. In recent years, he has been linked to the team’s evaluations of Noah Schultz, George Wolkow, and Jaden Fauske as draft picks from the Chicago area.
Whether the next hire comes from inside the building or from outside it, the White Sox are clearly reshaping the department with purpose. The organization believes it has set big expectations for what comes next, and this offseason gives it a chance to move in that direction.
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