Study: MLB teams could do better hiring minorities, women

Major League Baseball teams could do a better job of hiring minority candidates for managing and general-manager posts or women for vice president and other administrative positions, according to an annual report released Wednesday.

The study is overseen by Richard Lapchick of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida and is similar in scope to those he conducts examining other leagues.

Noting also that there are only four minority general managers, Lapchick said in a telephone interview: “Baseball needs to re-emphasize the importance of having a diverse ... (group of) people running the game.”

The grades given to MLB’s central office — an A-plus for racial hiring practices and B-minus for gender hiring — were far better than at the club level.

Lapchick praised MLB for being the best major sports league when it comes to “bringing in minority- and women-owned businesses as vendors at the league and team level.”

Stephenson was optioned after improving his major-league record to 2-0 by allowing three hits and one run in seven innings as an emergency starter in Cincinnati’s 4-3 win over Colorado on Tuesday. ...