NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Former Central Washington University softball standout Amanda Hopkins, the daughter of Pirates assistant to the general manager Ron Hopkins, has been hired by the Mariners as an area scout.
The move will be seen by many as a trailblazing event as Hopkins is believed to be the first full-time female scout hired by a Major League team since the 1950s, according to Baseball America. But Mariners scouting director Tom McNamara wants one thing to be clear: Hopkins was hired because she's an excellent scout, not because she's female.
Hopkins, 22, was officially hired several weeks ago, but the news is just getting out as she begins her career as the Mariners' area scout in the "four corners" area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.