MLB announced a number of umpire moves today. One was the official announcement of Joe West’s retirement. That was already known to be coming, but it wasn’t official until today.
Also retiring is Kerwin Danley, the first African American crew chief.
Hired today was Robert Ortiz. He, and the other new umps announced today, has been a minor league ump for a long time and served as a fill in at the major league level. The importance of his appointment is that he is now the first Puerto Rican working full time as a major league umpire.
Another notable announcement today was the promotion of Laz Diaz to crew chief.
Congrats to each of them.
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