A former batboy for the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate), who has autism, is suing former All-Star Omar Vizquel for sexual harassment, according to The Athletic’s Katie Strang and James Fegan.
The complaint states that in 2019, Vizquel, who was the Barons manager at the time, repeatedly exposed his privates to the boy and “forced him to wash his back in the shower.”
The batboy also says his supervisors and Vizquel’s former coaches “laughed at the sexual harassment, further compounding the trauma and humiliation” he experienced. He adds that he was “constructively discharged” from employment following the harassment.
According to The Athletic, the White Sox said in a statement that they had conducted an internal investigation into the incident that resulted in the termination of Vizquel in September 2019.
The former batboy, who is 25 years old, has “substantial impairments” in processing information, handling stressful situations and maintaining relationships. The complaint says he was often teased for his disability as a child, and when he was selected to work for the Barons, he “felt for one of the first times in his life that he was part of a team.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the White Sox had knowledge of similar situations in Vizquel’s coaching history, including a 2015 incident with a Detroit Tigers batboy who tweeted, “Omar Vizquel told me first day batboys have to clean the coaches backs in the showers.”
Vizquel’s wife, Blanca, accused him of domestic violence in December 2020. She previously told The Athletic that he had abused her in 2011 and in 2016.
The shortstop played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, spending most of his career with Cleveland. He was a three-time All-Star and 11-time Gold Glover. He also played for the White Sox, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.
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