Mets’ Rojas condemns behaviour of fired hitting co-ordinator

By: Jake Seiner, The Associated Press Posted: 3:05 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 Last Modified: 4:53 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021

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Mets manager Luis Rojas condemned the behaviour of former New York hitting performance co-ordinator Ryan Ellis on Wednesday but said he never witnessed his longtime coworker act inappropriately after Ellis was fired recently for sexual harassment.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2021 (2014 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Athletic reported Wednesday that in the summer of 2018, three female Mets employees complained to human resources that Ellis, then the minor league hitting co-ordinator, had directed lewd comments to them in person and via text message.

Ellis, promoted to the big league coaching staff last summer, was fired last month after New York investigated the matter for a second time. His dismissal came shortly after the club fired newly hired general manager Jared Porter for sending sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs.

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas walks back to the dugout after relieving relief pitcher Justin Wilson in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Former Mets manager Mickey Callaway, now the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, was suspended this month and is under investigation amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward several women who work in sports media.

In a statement to The Athletic, New York said it investigated and disciplined Ellis in 2018 but did not terminate his employment. The team said it received new information in January regarding Ellis’ behaviour in 2017-18 and fired him Jan. 22 for “violating company policy and failure to meet the Mets’ standards for professionalism and personal conduct.”

“We’ve set new expectations,” Rojas said from the club’s spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. “There’s also new avenues added to report cases like this. It’s been disappointing. I’m sorry to see it from afar.”

Ellis, a former minor league infielder, was hired by the Mets as a minor league coach in 2006. Rojas joined the franchise a year later as manager of its Dominican Summer League team, and both had been with the organization since, spending most of that time in the minor leagues.

Rojas was thrust into the job as New York’s manager in January 2020 after Carlos Beltrán was fired 77 days into his tenure for his role in the 2017 Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. Ellis joined the big league staff for the pandemic-shortened regular season after hitting coach Chili Davis opted out. Ellis was with the team throughout the 60-game season.

“My relationship with Ryan, knowing him for years here in the Mets organization, has been strictly baseball,” Rojas said. “That’s what we had as far as conversations.”

“Those misconducts, they’re just unacceptable,” he added. “We should have a safe environment to work in, a safe workplace.”

Rojas said he’s had regular video meetings with his coaching staff this off-season, and Ellis had not been a part of that group because Davis is returning for the 2021 season.

The women who spoke to The Athletic about Ellis described sexually explicit comments made in person and persistent, unwanted text messages that were sexual in nature.

Rojas credited new owner Steven Cohen for responding swiftly to the allegations against Porter and Ellis and pointed to new reporting procedures put in place by the team for employees to report illicit behaviour, including an external hotline that allows employees to remain anonymous if they prefer.

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2020, file photo, New York Mets new manager Luis Rojas speaks during a baseball news conference after his introduction in New York. Mets manager Luis Rojas condemned the behavior of former New York hitting performance coordinator Ryan Ellis on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 but said he never witnessed his longtime coworker act inappropriately after Ellis was fired recently for sexually harassment. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Major League Baseball has adopted a similar hotline for league and team employees that is also available to non-league employees, such as journalists.

“Our new ownership has definitely set a new set of expectations they put out, and there’s also new avenues of reporting these cases,” Rojas said. “I’m pretty confident that this type of behaviour is something that is going to be unacceptable in this organization. I’ll just leave it at that.”