Commissioner Rob Manfred wants MLB to hire more minority managers
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred wants the league to hire more minority managers and coaches, the Associated Press reports.
“We have had a year where our numbers are down in terms of the diversity that we have in some of our key positions,” Manfred said. “I think it’s incumbent upon us to come up with additional programs and ways to make sure that our numbers look better over the long haul.”
After the Seattle Marinersfired Lloyd McClendon earlier this month, they introduced the possibility that the 2016 season could mark the first time in nearly 30 years that MLB has no African-American managers.
The Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals are all looking for new managers. Bud Black has emerged as a top candidate to land the job with the Nationals, and Don Mattingly interviewed with the Marlins on Monday.
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Bo Porter, who is African-American, also interviewed with the Marlins, and several other black candidates remain. However, the possibility of Braves skipper Fredi Gozalez, who is from Cuba, representing the only minority manager in the league was concerning to Manfred.
“There is a certain cyclical nature to this,” Manfred said. “Obviously, field managers are high turnover jobs. And you’re going to have peaks and valleys in terms of representation within what’s a very small sample; there’s only 30 of them out there. Having said that, we are focused on the need to promote diversity, not just African-American, but Latino, as well, in the managerial ranks.”
The first World Series since Manfred became commissioner will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.
- Erin Flynn
