Amateur Scouting Director Mike Shirley Resigns From White Sox

A surprising thing happened in the Chicago White Sox organization on Saturday. 

White Sox amateur scouting director Mike Shirley resigned from his role. His leave was effective immediately, and Shirley steps away from the organization after serving in this role since September 2019. 

At the time of this announcement, it was quite surprising that Shirley was stepping away just months after the 2026 MLB Draft. Many analysts said the White Sox had a strong draft, especially after landing Roch Cholowsky. 

The White Sox landed the best college bat in the draft in Cholowsky. Shirley and his scouting team chose the UCLA product over high school sensation Grady Emerson and catcher Vahn Lackey. Cholowsky had back-to-back 20-home-run seasons with the Bruins before being drafted first overall by the South Siders. 

At first, this resignation seemed to come at an unusual time. Chicago just landed the top prospect in the draft, and there were no signs that Shirley and the White Sox were on different pages in terms of scouting. 

However, The Athletic reported shortly after his resignation that Shirley’s departure from the organization stemmed from an internal investigation into allegations of verbal harassment. 

Here’s what The Athletic reported in that article: 

“Shirley was first placed on administrative leave following an anonymous tip to the organization with concerns about his conduct at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., last month. That annual event takes place in early August and draws roughly 200 high school players who are split into eight teams run by area scouts. It’s heavily attended by scouting directors, agents, and various front-office personnel.

Shortly after receiving the complaint, the White Sox human resources department launched an investigation into Shirley’s alleged behavior, including interviewing members of the amateur scouting department, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal investigation. A team spokesperson confirmed Shirley had resigned on Saturday evening. It wasn’t immediately clear what the results of the investigation were.”

These allegations appear to be at the forefront of Shirley’s resignation on Saturday. He is now out as the White Sox’s amateur scouting director. The White Sox have not commented on Shirley’s resignation, and the team does not usually comment on personnel decisions (according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com).  

The White Sox will now be looking for Shirley’s replacement over the next few weeks. It’s unclear at this time who will take over that lead role.