MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league's Diversity Pipeline initiative is its "biggest program" in regards to identifying diverse, "high-potential" front office candidates in clubs. Manfred joined the ESPN booth during Mets-Phillies last night, and diversity in baseball was a main discussion point. He said the Diversity Pipeline program helps MLB works with teams to "make sure the clubs have career paths developed for those individuals that will allow them the opportunity to progress in the organization" or another team. Manfred said in order to get more minority managers, MLB must create a "diverse pool of candidates" available to clubs when they begin searching. Manfred: "The managerial qualifications have become a little broader in recent years and we have a number of programs in place to make sure that we have diverse candidates available." Manfred said MLB is creating a six-month internship program for former players where they "work for a club in their baseball operations department" because many former players are "interested in being involved on the field." Meanwhile, Manfred called diversifying ownership a "difficult issue," noting owners "self-select, in the sense that they make it be known that they're interested in owning" a club. Manfred: "We are making efforts to identify minority candidates who have the financial capacity to own a team because we think additional diversity in our ownership is important" (“Mets-Phillies,” ESPN, 4/15).
