Chicago White Sox amateur scouting director Mike Shirley resigned on Saturday amid an internal investigation into allegations that he made inappropriate racial and sexist verbal comments. The club placed Shirley on administrative leave after receiving an anonymous tip about his conduct at the Area Code Games in Long Beach in early August, and the White Sox human resources department then interviewed members of the amateur scouting department. Multiple sources told The Athletic the latest probe included allegations of vulgar language about females and their bodies; it was not immediately clear what the investigation’s findings were. Shirley, 56, became the White Sox director of amateur scouting in September 2019 after serving as assistant scouting director and a cross-checker from 2010 to 2018. The Athletic reported Shirley had been the subject of at least one prior internal investigation, and a 2022 MLB referral prompted a probe that found no bias and led to no discipline; a 2021 anonymous department survey had expressed concerns about unequal treatment of scouts from underrepresented groups. The team declined further comment, Shirley did not respond to requests, and senior vice president and general manager Chris Getz did not respond to a request for comment. During Shirley’s tenure the White Sox drafted Garrett Crochet (2020), Colson Montgomery (2021), Hagen Smith (2024), top prospect Caleb Bonemer (2024), and used the No. 1 pick this year on Roch Cholowsky.
