Yahoo Finance Baseball mourns death of Yankees scout Kelly Rodman, 1 of 3 female scouts in MLB
The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that scout Kelly Rodman died.
The team did not note her age, but she was born in 1975. Subsequent reports noted that she died of cancer.
The New York Yankees mourn the loss of Kelly Rodman, a trusted scout and treasured member of this organization. Kelly was a huge part of our amateur scouting department & represented the Yankees with dignity and class while earning the admiration of countless people in the game. pic.twitter.com/upTn40aNGA
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 4, 2020
The Yankees did not provide further details about her death.
Rodman was 1 of 3 female MLB scouts
According to a bio on softballcoachesclinic.com, Rodman attended MLB scout school in 2013 and joined the Yankees as a volunteer associate scout the next year before the club officially hired her in 2017.
She played softball at Eastern Connecticut State University prior to joining the New England women’s baseball league in Connecticut and Boston.
She was one of three female scouts in MLB alongside Amanda Hopkins of the Seattle Mariners and Haley Alvarez of the Oakland Athletics. She represented the Yankees at the 2019 draft in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The Yankees broadcast home Yes Network featured Rodman in a 2019 profile.
Kelly Rodman is one of 3 female scouts in MLB. Check out her story TONIGHT on the Yankees Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. pic.twitter.com/HNn2PErsJA
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 7, 2019
“I’ve never been discouraged of being a woman scout — or as I like to just say, a scout,” Rodman told Yes Network.
Players, peers mourn Rodman
Outfielder Ben Ruta and shortstop Max Burt — both players in the Yankees minor-league system — shared memories of Rodman upon the news of her death.
Today we lost an amazing woman, Kelly Rodman, to a battle with cancer. She was an amazing scout, baseball mind, and all around human. I’ll miss seeing you at the turkey drive every year, our talks about baseball but I’ll miss even more our talks about life. RIP Kelly ❤️❤️
— Ben Ruta (@benJAMINruta) March 4, 2020
Throughout the draft process I got to meet Kelly Rodman. The passion that she had for the sport of baseball and people in general was unmatched. Unfortunately today she passed away to a battle with cancer. I wish everyone could have met her. Rest easy Kelly❤️ #foreverYankees
— MAX BURT (@Maxburt14) March 4, 2020
Friends and colleagues also shared their condolences.
Today we lost one of the greatest people any of us have ever known, Kelly Rodman. A true team player whose love for the game of baseball and passion for the Yankees was beyond measure. Here’s to a life well lived and a legacy that will never die. #foreverAYankee pic.twitter.com/GKQqPlCBoC
— Tim Alexander (@Talex10) March 4, 2020
I am devastated to learn of the passing of yankees scout Kelly Rodman. I heard her speak at Saberseminar last year and had the pleasure of spending a few days with her as part of the Take the Field program at last years winter meetings.
— Alexis Collins (@AlexisCBaseball) March 4, 2020
Something I would like to add on Kelly Rodman: Her colleagues always spoke highly of her ability to make strong connections with people throughout the amateur game, even ones considered tough people to crack.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 4, 2020
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