Yankees to Hold Moment of Silence for Scout Kelly Rodman After Tragic Passing Prior to Wednesday Night's Game
By Jackson Thompson
The New York Yankees lost a trusted member of their scouting department Wednesday when area scout Kelly Rodman passed away.
The organization will honor Rodman with a moment of silence prior to Wednesday night's Spring Training game against the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.
#Yankees will have a moment of silence before the game tonight for Kelly Rodman, one of their amateur scouts. She passed away this morning. A very, very nice woman who was one of the few women in scouting. #RIP
— Kristie Ackert (@ByKristieAckert) March 4, 2020
Rodman was one of the few female scouts in baseball, and was so well-thought-of that she was chosen to represent the Yankees at the 2019 MLB Draft, alongside Nick Swisher.
“The New York Yankees organization has been wonderful to me,” Rodman said in an interview with the YES Network last fall. “I really enjoy working for them and I just can’t say enough good things ... That’s what I’m most proud of. I’m very thankful for that. I have a sign down in my baseball room that says I’m very proud to be a New York Yankee. As a little girl, I always wanted to play baseball and be around the game.”
#Yankees: #RIP Kelly Rodman.https://t.co/AdCLTCGt8J
— Jan (@Jeanette607) March 4, 2020
The players she touched throughout her Yankees tenure were quick to share their positive thoughts Wednesday afternoon, like Double-A Yankee and New Jersey native Ben Ruta.
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
Rodman joined the Yankees as an associate scout in 2014. She played softball through middle school, high school and college. She battled cancer throughout her time with the Yankees, and tragically lost that battle this week.