Lind Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Major League Baseball

Sylvia Lind is suiting up for a battle against Major League Baseball

The 48-year-old Cuban-American executive, the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in a management position at the MLB headquarters, has filed a lawsuit claiming she’s faced discrimination in the organization for two decades.

Sylvia Lind

Lind’s lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks unspecified damages for what she describes as a failure by the league to consider, interview, appoint and promote qualified Hispanic women to managerial and executive positions.

She says the league has created a hostile work environment for her because of her age.

Lind, the league’s director of baseball initiatives in its Office of the Commissioner, names as defendants the league, commissioner Bud Selig and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who supervised her.

The lawsuit says Lind works in an industry dominated by white men and has been passed over for promotions and underpaid since 1995.

Lind said Hispanics are underrepresented in the management level while baseball has a high percentage of Hispanic players. She said of 52 people who are vice presidents or above only two are Hispanic and only 12 are women.

According to the lawsuit, Lind, who lives in New Jersey, earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1995. It says she began working for Major League Baseball on Nov. 21, 1995, as supervisor in the legal department of MLB Properties Inc. at an annual salary of $43,000.

She said she was the only Hispanic female lawyer in the legal department at the time and no Hispanic attorneys have been hired since.

Lind said her troubles with the league worsened after Robinson, who played for several teams between 1956 and 1976, became executive vice president of baseball development in June 2012 and criticized her writing and other skills.

She said Robinson, who won rookie of the year and MVP honors with the Cincinnati Reds and MVP with the Baltimore Orioles, lacked the educational credentials, professional license and executive experience to qualify for the job, which paid him more than $1 million annually.

Lind said the league’s discriminatory conduct was carried out even as she was assigned to plan, advance and promote the league’s annual Civil Rights Game.

“While plaintiff has always maintained a professional demeanor to the public and endeavored to do what is in the best interest for MLB, it has been extremely disheartening, utterly demoralizing and extraordinarily taxing on her, both emotionally and psychologically, to almost singlehandedly perpetuate what she has known to be the diversity and equal employment opportunity falsehood,” the lawsuit said.

Cabrera Gets His “Crown” & Wins the AL’s Hank Aaron Award

Miguel Cabrera made history by becoming the first Latino Triple Crown winner… And, now he’s got the hardware to prove it.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig presented the 29-year-old Venezuelan third baseman with an actual crown on Saturday for becoming only the fifteenth player to win the coveted Triple Crown, and announced that the Detroit Tigers slugger won the American League‘s Hank Aaron Award.

Miguel Cabrera

For the first time, both winners of the award that recognizes the top offensive players in each league were getting ready to play in the same World Series.

After Cabrera received his crown, he went to get ready for Game 3. Moments later, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey was honored for being the National League‘s Hank Aaron Award winner.

“Miguel joined historic company this year by winning the game’s first Triple Crown in 45 years,” Selig said. “And, Buster was a consistent force in returning to the field triumphantly this year.”

Cabrera is the first player to lead baseball in batting average, home runs and RBIs since 1967 when Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski pulled off the feat.

“I am very nervous right now,” Cabrera said after waiting for more than 10 minutes for Selig to arrive at the pregame news conference. “But I want to thank you very much. It’s an honor to be sitting here with a Hall of Famer and commissioner.”

Posey hit .336 and became the first catcher in the league to win the batting title since Ernie Lombardi of the Boston Braves in 1942.

“I’m humbled that Hank Aaron knows who I am,” Posey said. “Growing up in Georgia, he’s a legend.”

Correa Becomes the MLB’s First Puerto Rican No. 1 Draft Pick

He’s only 17-year-old… But Carlos Correa has already made it into annals of baseball…

The Houston Astros selected the Puerto Rican baseball phenom as the No. 1 pick Monday night, making him the first player from Puerto Rico to lead off the Major League Baseball draft.

Carlos Correa

“This means a lot,” said Correa, who was all smiles when he heard his name called, knowing he’d made hometown history at the baseball draft. “We’ve got a lot of good players there.”

Despite producing its share of baseball royalty like Roberto Clemente, Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez and Bernie Williams, Correa is the first selection from Puerto Rico. Some of those players signed as free agents — catcher Ramon Castro had been the highest-drafted player out of Puerto Rico, going No. 17 to Houston in 1994.

“I feel so excited to be the No. 1 pick,” said Correa, who was congratulated by Delgado on Twitter. “I’ve worked so hard to be here.”

It was the first time Houston had the top pick in the draft since 1992, when the Astros selected Phil Nevin — passing on future star Derek Jeter, who went five spots later to the New York Yankees.

“I have read about that,” said Correa, calling Jeter his idol. “I want to be like him. He’s awesome.”

Carlos Correa

First-year Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Correa “has a chance to be a star” who could hit 20-30 home runs in the pros, whether it’s in his current role as a shortstop or “ultimately maybe third base.”

Correa said he’d like to stay at shortstop and plans to use his signing bonus to help his family.

As he walked to the podium and shook hands with commissioner Bud Selig before a brief hug, Correa pulled out a small Puerto Rican flag and held it up to cheers from the crowd of major league representatives and fans gathered in the stadium-themed studio.

While recent drafts lacked first-pick intrigue, Luhnow said the Astros didn’t settle on Correa until about an hour before they went on the clock. Several mock draft lists predicted the Astros would select Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, but instead Houston made a somewhat surprising selection — although Correa was considered one of the top five players available.

Correa, who has an incredibly strong arm and terrific instincts on defense, may be the highly sought after “big-time bat” for the middle of Astros lineup. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound star from Santa Isabel was a star at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. He’s committed to the University of Miami, but will likely head to Houston’s farm system instead.

“Right now, he stays at shortstop and if he was to happen to grow out of it, it’s the power that’s the attraction here and it’s the middle of the order potential impact bat,” Astros scouting director and assistant general manager Bobby Heck said. “So if he has to move, his profile is still very, very strong.”

Meanwhile, Florida high school outfielder Albert Almora was selected sixth by the Chicago Cubs.

“I’m speechless,” said Almora by phone in an interview with MLB.com, about an hour after the 18-year-old was drafted. “I don’t remember much of anything that happened tonight. I know that the Cubs drafted me, and I’m grateful, but I’m still kind of shocked and overwhelmed.”

The first round and the compensation rounds are completed Monday night, with rounds 2 through 40 conducted over the next two days via conference call with the teams.