Seattle Mariners: Discrimination Allegations Levied Against Organization

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, Manager Scott Servais, and Director of Player Development Andy McKay have been accused of discrimination.

On Monday, the Seattle Mariners received a left hook of sorts when Lorena Martin, the Mariners former director of high performance, levied some hefty allegations or racial discrimination against team executives.

In response, the Seattle Mariners released a statement categorically denying Martin’s allegations.

Lorena Martin’s comments are surprising considering that the 2018 Seattle Mariners roster contained many Latinos, especially from the Dominican Republic. In fact, according to Baseball Reference, of the Mariners’ top 12 players, half are from Latin American countries. Four of the six Latin born players are from the Dominican Republic.

Nevertheless, Ms. Martin’s allegations are disturbing, and her decision to out the organization via social media speaks of desperation. Someone who’s voice has been muffled for far too long.

According to a story posted on the The News Tribune, GM Jerry Dipoto and Director of Player Development Andy McKay

"“called Martin a “cocky Latina.” In that same meeting McKay said Dominican players are “just plain stupid” and, in a separate meeting, Servais told her that you don’t see Latino catchers or managers because “they aren’t bright enough. They are dumb.””"

In the same piece, written by TJ Cotterill, Ms. Martin claims to have reported these incidents to the Mariners HR person and other staff members.

“These claims are not true,” Mariners vice president of communications Tim Hevly said to The News Tribune. “They are completely false and ludicrous. She is fabricating stories, including about her reports to human resources and the people named in this story.”

Call to the Pen reached out to Ms. Lorena Martin over direct messaging (DM). She agreed to conduct an interview with us in order to get to the bottom this ordeal. Unfortunately, she would not return my messages prior to running this story.

We will keep you posted on any updates regarding this story.