In perhaps the most surprising news of a season full of surprises, the White Sox announced on September 12th that Amateur Scouting Director Mike Shirley was no longer with the organization. While no specific details were provided by the team regarding the circumstances of his resignation, a report from Brittany Ghiroli and Keith Law of The Athletic indicated that Shirley’s resignation came in the wake of an internal investigation into verbal harassment. It wasn’t public information, but Shirley had been placed on administrative leave following an anonymous tip about Shirley’s behavior at the Area Code Games he attended in California in August. Regardless of the circumstances of his departure, Shirley’s exit left the White Sox with a lot of questions about the future of their amateur scouting department.
Having just led the charge on drafting Roch Cholowsky with the first overall pick and watching a few of his other top draft picks start to find success in the big leagues, Shirley’s exit came as a big surprise to a lot of people. But based on the reports, it seems like parting ways was the necessary decision. Still, it left the White Sox in a precarious position.
Chris Getz's vision for amateur scouting is beginning to take shape
In an interview a few weeks ago, Chris Getz originally indicated he wasn’t sure specifically which position the White Sox were going to hire for, but Getz mentioned in his media session last week that the title of the new position would be “Director of Amateur Aquisitions”. The specific responsibilities of the position are not yet known, but the White Sox also currently have a position held by Matt Grabowski titled Director of Acquisitons, which oversees all of the team’s amateur and pro scouting. It sounds like they could potentially be splitting the acquisitions department into pro and amateur and having different people run each.
Chris Getz has not been afraid to look at external candidates for front office positions in the past, and I expect the team to do a thorough search to hire the position. According to James Fox of FutureSox, should the White Sox hire an internal candidate, Crosschecker JJ Lally is expected to be a prime candidate.
The #WhiteSox search for a new director of amateur scouting is underway. While external candidates are likely a major focus; the last three hires for the role were all internal. Crosschecker JJ Lally should be a prime candidate if they go that route again.
— James Fox (@JamesFox917) October 20, 2026
Lally is a longtime White Sox scout, having been with the team since 1998, and he has experience in several different aspects of the organization. In recent years, he’s been credited with scouting Noah Schultz, George Wolkow, and Jaden Fauske as White Sox draft picks in the Chicago area.
Whether the White Sox look externally or internally for the new position, Chris Getz has proven his ability to make smart hires in various levels of the front office. Whoever gets the job and however the department looks moving forward, the organization has earned the benefit of the doubt over the past couple years. The front office has made clear they have big expectations for the future, and I agree. This offseason will be a pivotal opportunity to get on the right track moving forward.
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