The New York Mets hired ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza as an operations advisor. Mendoza, a Stanford grad and a softball gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics, has been an ESPN analyst since 2007.
In 2015, Mendoza became the first woman to be a national television analyst for Major League Baseball games. She will continue to contribute analysis to Sunday Night Baseball and will appear on ESPN’s studio show Baseball Tonight, and will appear more regularly on SportsCenter and Get Up!. Mendoza will also be a lead analyst for ESPN’s Women’s College World Series Coverage.
Her hiring with the Mets comes a day after the ballclub hired former players Al Leiter and John Franco in similar roles.
“Jessica is incredibly well-respected throughout the industry and we are excited to bring her into the organization,” said Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen. “She is a world-class athlete and experienced television analyst with an extremely high baseball IQ. We are confident that she will help us in our efforts to win now and in the future. This hire demonstrates the continued support from ownership to invest in the intellectual capital of the New York Mets.”
MLB.com previously reported Mendoza’s hiring. She will focus on "the areas of player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement and health and performance,” said the Mets.
“I am excited to work with Brodie and his team and am thrilled to be associated with the Mets and their storied history,” Mendoza said in a statement. “I’ve known Brodie and Jeff Wilpon for years now and I’m honored to be a small part of the organization. I would also like to thank ESPN and Disney for their understanding and confidence as I balance both tasks moving forward. Baseball is a passion of mine and I look forward to expanding on my love for the game.”
