RALEIGH, N.C. _ A 30-year-old ex-Minor League shortstop in North Carolina has filed a federal lawsuit against the Cincinnati Reds, arguing that age discrimination kept him from trying out for the team.
In his lawsuit, filed Monday in Greensboro, Garrison Lassiter argues that the Reds' rules requiring hopeful players to be between the ages of 16 to 22 are "clearly age preferential," noting that he was turned away for three straight years.
A former high school star from High Point, Lassiter cites the example of notable Major League stars who played past the age of 40, notably pitcher Bartolo Colon, who became the oldest player in the league in 2018 at 45.
Lassiter seeks $1.6 million.
"Mr. Garrison Lassiter has been turned away from three years of Cincinnati Reds tryouts by age," he wrote in the suit. "Mr. Lassiter sat with all players in the bleachers and listened to the introduction ... filled out the Cincinnati Reds player info card, and handed his player info card to the scouts. ... Mr. Garrison Lassiter was not allowed by instruction of scouts and did not participate in the tryout."
Lassiter ranked as a top prospect in 2008, having played on the USA Junior National team and gaining notice from scouts. He figured to be drafted to the Majors in the fourth or fifth round. Instead, he fell to the 25th.
"Baseball's draft is far more complex than its NFL and NBA counterparts," the Winston-Salem Journal reported at the time. "It's a cat-and-mouse game, especially concerning players drafted straight out of high school."
The Journal described Lassiter's "hard decision" on signing a contract to play Minor League ball with the New York Yankees or at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he had signed a letter of intent.
"As a parent who cares about children's education, I kind of wish there was a rule that required kids two years of education in college," the paper quoted his father, Cliff Lassiter, saying. "And I wonder, if he signs for the kind of money that's being thrown around, is he mature enough to live on his own? Is he mature enough to handle the pressure? Can he handle the adversity of failing, because baseball's a failing game."
Lassiter played five years in the Minor Leagues, finishing with an overall batting average of .244, according to baseball-reference.com. The Yankees released him in 2012.
The High Point player also sued the Yankees in federal court last year, arguing that the team had thwarted his career both on the field and off, seeking $17.6 million as the equivalent of a Los Angeles Dodger player's salary.
In that suit, which a federal judge dismissed in 2018, he argued that the Yankees tried to deter other teams from signing him and violated his contract by playing him at a different position. He insisted in the lawsuit that the Yankees were being controlled by now-retired shortstop Derek Jeter.
He included a letter to Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels, describing his experience at a Rangers tryout: "I was the first guy to the park. I was actually so early you guys had security surround me and make calls to see if I was OK to be there. That's a joke. I still managed to go 1-for-3."
Attempts by The News & Observer to reach Lassiter were unsuccessful Tuesday.
The Reds public relations office did not respond to a request from The N & O for comment.
