Mickey

Callaway

Callaway was suspended from his role as the Angels’ pitching coach in February -- and then placed on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list in late May -- after a report from The Athletic revealed that he had been sending inappropriate messages and photographs to multiple female media members as recently as 2020. He probably won’t work at baseball’s highest level ever again.

Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement regarding the announcement. “My office has completed its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Mickey Callaway. Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr.Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted.” The statement went on to add that “Callaway’s placement on the Ineligible List is immediate and will continue, at minimum, until the end of the 2022 championship season, when Mr.Callaway will be eligible to apply for potential reinstatement.” The Angels announced they have terminated Mickey’s Callaway’s employment with the company.

“Late yesterday we were made aware of allegations reported in The Athletic,” a statement from the team reads. “This morning we suspended Mickey Callaway and will work closely with MLB to conduct a full investigation.” The suspension stems from a report from Britt Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic which detailed Callaway’s conduct in sending lewd messages to five women who work in sports media over the course of “five years, multiple cities, and three teams.” There were even screenshots of the messages in the report, but that apparently wasn’t enough for the Angels to fire him. Still, it would be a surprise if that wasn’t the ultimate outcome here. For what it’s worth, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reports that Callaway has denied any wrongdoing, “which protects him from being fired without an investigation.” Odds are the process has something to do with whether he’ll get his salary. Look for a quick resolution here.

Some of these unsolicited electronic messages were sent as recently as 2020, and Callaway’s behavior allegedly “spanned at least five years, multiple cities, and three teams.” There are graphic details -- and even screenshots of some of Callaway’s texts -- at the link below. When asked to respond to the allegations, Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey told The Athletic: “The behavior being reported violates the Angels organization’s values and policies. We take this very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB.” Callaway worked as the pitching coach for the Indians from 2013-2017 before a short two-year (2018-2019) stint as the manager of the Mets. He was hired as the pitching coach of the Angels in October 2019.

Callaway intends to test his shoulder in a throwing session in the next few days. If that does not go well, Callaway will be shut down for the remainder of the campaign.

Callaway missed most of the year with arm problems. He underwent surgery in April to reposition the ulnar nerve in his elbow, and after returning in August, he lasted just 11 days before being put on the DL with shoulder inflammation. He can opt for free agency.

Callaway can’t be sent down without going through waivers, but the only value he has to the Angels right now is as insurance.

The Rangers will take a long look at Callaway in the spring. The Rangers’ bullpen has now pitched 598 1/3 innings this season. Unless they get a complete game today, the Rangers will break the record of 599 1/3 relief innings set by the 1977 expansion Mariners. If there is one stat that illustrates how far the Rangers have to go to improve their starting pitching, that’s it.

He’ll be used out of the bullpen until he makes his first start April 13, and even then the Rangers plan to skip the fifth starter as often as possible. No value here.

Inflammation of the nerve forced him to the DL on April 13. Don’t expect him to make an impact for a long time.