One thing is certain about the New York Mets and
General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen, they are not afraid to go outside the box,
even if it ruffles the feathers of the Twitterverse.
From Van Wagenen’s very own hire by the Wilpon’s to be the team’s
general manager after a career spent entirely as a sports agent, to the
prolonged chronicles of former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, the Mets have
defined and re-defined “Outside the Box.”
So it really should come as no surprise that the club was willing to
tap into another high-profile celebrity in current ESPN baseball analyst Jessica
Mendoza as an advisor to the front office.
Mendoza has a connection to
Van Wagenen. She is represented by Creative Artist Agency, the same firm Van
Wagenen once worked for, setting yet another example of how far reaching Van
Wagenen’s network of contacts can go.
Of course the announcement of Mendoza’s hiring sent Mets fans into a
tizzy, many of whom ripped the hire.
The truth is women are more and more apart of the fabric that makes
up baseball front office decisions. Jean
Afterman is Brian Cashman’s assistant GM at the Yankees, and Kim Ng, who also
once worked at the Yankees, is currently the Vice President of Baseball
Operations with Major League Baseball. Ng was even a candidate for the Mets GM
job before Van Wagenen got it.
I personally believe one day we will see a woman play in Major
League Baseball. As outlandish as that sounds to some, it’s probably closer to
reality than one thinks. Major League Baseball and even other sports like the
NBA are very progressive when it comes to broadening the workplace.
Had Mendoza not been of such a high profile celebrity, nobody would
even talk about her addition. But this is the Mets, who are not afraid of a little
extra attention.
The issue that many have pointed out with Mendoza and the Mets is
the potential for a conflict of interest. She will remain at her post as a lead
analyst for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, while still working for the Mets. According
to the NY Post, she will have intimate knowledge of the Mets thinking, and will
be a presence at GM meetings and future winter meetings.
Her role is to advise on player evaluation and development. This
could be a tricky road for both herself and Mets. By staying at ESPN, opposing
managers (especially those in the NL East) are not going to want divulge too
much.
Will Mendoza be removed from the broadcast booth when ESPN is
broadcasting a Mets or Phillies game on Sunday Night this season? Reports
indicate she will remain in the booth regardless.
And there is precedent on the side of Mendoza and the Mets too.
Alex Rodriguez already works both ESPN and the Yankees in a similar
capacity. CC Sabathia, who hasn’t even retired yet, already inked a deal with ESPN
to be an analyst this season while still playing. You also have managers who
have left the broadcast booth for the dugout in Aaron Boone and Alex Cora.
Apparently nobody seems to care about conflicts of interest if they
exist at all.
When asked about the hire and
Mendoza’s qualifications, Van Wagenen smiled, almost knowing full well what was
to come his way and said:
“First, I
was an outside-the-box hire and I have been a believer in getting new voices
and fresh perspectives in the room, especially when you are making decisions,”
Van Wagenen said at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie. “And Jessica has a very
high baseball IQ. She has aptitude to learn anything. And she knows the game.
Like Al Leiter, like David Wright, like John Franco, she’s a winner. She played
the game at an extremely high level, an Olympic champion.”
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