YANKEES FIRE FIVE SCOUTS; HYDE & HENDRY SURVIVE

The Yankees are not waiting for the offseason to begin cleaning house.

According to industry sources, the organization has dismissed five members of its international scouting department as part of a planned overhaul. Gone are José Sabino; Arturo Peña Jr., the club’s Cibao-area scout in the Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo-area scout Moises Brito; video assistant Miguel Mojica; and Venezuela supervisor José Gavidia.

Those dismissals came just days after the Yankees separated from longtime international scout Victor Mata, who spent more than 30 years with the organization. Mata reportedly played a role in evaluating and signing Robinson Canó, Alfonso Soriano and Gary Sánchez.

That is a significant shakeup—and the timing is impossible to ignore. The regular season is not even over, the Yankees are headed toward October and the organization has offered no public explanation for the sudden changes.

Clearly, somebody inside the Yankee hierarchy believes the scouting operation needs fixing.

Us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue has questioned Yankee scouts and their evaluation process for years. Most recently, we examined the unusual favoritism surrounding Anthony Volpe and questioned how he became the Yankees’ starting shortstop after being rushed through Triple-A.

That brings me to Matt Hyde and Jim Hendry.

Both men remain employed by the Yankees.

Our investigation in, HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT detailed Hyde’s longstanding relationship with Volpe and his relentless internal campaign to promote him. Hendry, meanwhile, developed a close relationship with the Volpe family before the draft and was reportedly present years later when Volpe learned he had made the Major League roster.

Maybe the Yankees see nothing wrong with any of that. I do.

If the organization is willing to overhaul its international scouting department and dismiss longtime employees, it is fair to ask why Hyde and Hendry have escaped scrutiny after becoming so personally invested in a player whose performance has never matched the enormous organizational hype.

Perhaps they are simply praying that Volpe eventually becomes the star they promised everyone he would be. If that happens, they can declare victory and skate.

Until then, the question remains:

Why were five scouts fired while Hyde and Hendry are still collecting Yankee paychecks? My opinion? I find it weird.

Stay tuned.