On March 19, the longtime MLB pitching instructor and former manager of the New York Mets was named the new manager of the Meridian Blues, a summer team for collegiate baseball players located in Meridian, Mississippi.
Since Callaway was prohibited for two seasons by MLB for harassing at least five women while working for teams, it is thought to be his first coaching position in the US.
When the ban was made public in May 2021, Callaway lost his position as pitching coach for the Los Angeles.
Callaway, 50, was hired to manage the Mets before the 2018 season after serving as pitching coach for the Cleveland Guardians for five seasons (2013–17). Before Callaway was sacked in October 2019, his teams had a 163-161 record over two seasons.
During the 2021–2022 Mexican Winter League season, Callaway guided the Acereros de Monclova to a championship. He continued to oversee their summer league team, but on May 30, 2022, he was let go with a 16–17 record.
Callaway was named the team’s pitching coach in 2023, but he left the Acereros organization before the season was out.
In an Instagram post, Meridian Mayor Percy Bland confirmed Callaway’s employment.
“It’s a new day in Meridian!” Bland wrote. “Today the Meridian Blues announced the new Manager for the team! Mickey Callaway was announced today by General Manager Larry Gill as the manager for our new Independent Summer Collegiate Baseball Team! Mickey has over 20 years MLB baseball experience and once served as the Manager of the New York Mets! He is about to begin the work of putting a great team for our city on the field beginning in May!”
According to a 2021 article by The Athletic, Callaway was legitimately accused of chasing “at least five women who work in sports media” when he was employed by MLB teams.
“Sending three of them inappropriate photographs and asking one of them to send nude photos in return” was the accusation made against Callaway. According to the investigation by Britt Ghiroli and Katie Strang, “He frequently made uncomfortable remarks about their appearance and sent them unsolicited electronic messages.”
