Friday, December 1, 2017
PHILLIES ANNOUNCE PROMOTIONS, NEW HIRES IN BASEBALL OPERATIONS
The Phillies today announced a series of promotions and hires within the Baseball Operations department.
Bryan Minniti has been promoted to assistant general manager after spending the last year as special assistant to the general manager. In his new role, Minniti will oversee player development, amateur and international scouting.
Chris Cashman has been promoted to manager, player procurement after spending the last two seasons as advance scouting analyst. Furthermore, Mike Calitri was hired as manager, advance scouting, a position in which he will assist the major league coaching staff and report directly to Gabe Kapler. Calitri worked for the Cleveland Indians from 2009-16, most recently as a professional scout.
Frank Coppenbarger has been promoted to special assistant, ballpark projects. Coppenbarger has been with the Phillies since 1989 and previously served as the club’s equipment manager from 1989-2016 and traveling secretary from 1989-2017. The 2018 season will mark Coppenbarger’s 30th year with the club. Additionally, Keith Rudolf has been hired to the full-time position of team chef.
Dana Parks was hired as coordinator, player development after spending last season as an assistant in the Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Operations department. Parks graduated from Vineland High School and St. Joseph’s University where she was a four-year member of the softball team. She finished her collegiate career second on the university’s all-time hits list (231). Corinne Landrey has been hired as analyst, baseball research & development after spending the 2017 season as an intern within the same department. A 2008 graduate of Ithaca College, Landrey wrote for MLB.com and FanGraphs before joining the Phillies.
Former major league pitcher Mike Koplove was hired as a special assignment scout. Koplove spent the last six seasons working for the Los Angeles Angels, first as a professional scout and then as national crosschecker. Prior to that, Koplove pitched in the major leagues for seven seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-06) and Cleveland Indians (2007). A native of Philadelphia, Koplove graduated from Chestnut Hill Academy in 1995 and later attended the University of Delaware. He appeared in 21 games (15 starts) for Philadelphia’s triple-A affiliate during the 2009 season. Further, both Erick Dalton, formerly the director of advance scouting for the Washington Nationals, and Todd Donovan, the former assistant director of player personnel for the Seattle Mariners, were hired as professional scouts.
In amateur scouting, Greg Schilz has been promoted to assistant director, amateur scouting and Brad Holland has been promoted to southwest regional supervisor. Additionally, the following scouts have been hired: Buddy Hernandez (southeast regional supervisor), Stewart Smothers (northeast regional supervisor), Jeff Zona Jr. (area scout), Connor Betbeze (area scout), Chris Duffy (area scout) and Kellan McKeon (area scout).
In international scouting, Jesús Méndez has been promoted to international coordinator and Carlos Salas has been promoted to Latin American coordinator. Additionally, Oneri Fleita has been named supervisor, Mexico. Fleita most recently worked for the Detroit Tigers after previously serving as vice president of player personnel for the Chicago Cubs from 2007-12. Other additions include Roberto Aquino (Dominican Republic crosschecker), Juan Feliciano de Castro (Dominican Republic area scout), Franklin Felida (Dominican Republic area scout), Ubaldo Heredia (Latin American crosschecker), Andrés Hiraldo (Dominican Republic area scout), Dargello Lodowica (international scout, Antilles), William Mota (Venezuela area scout), Isao O’Jimi (international scout, Japan), Romulo Oliveros (Venezuela area scout), Bernardo Pérez (Dominican Republic area scout) and Ebert Velásquez (Venezuela area scout). Finally, Derrick Chung was hired as an international pro scout after serving as the club’s Korean interpreter last season.
Lastly, Benny Looper and Del Unser have both announced their retirements. Looper joined the Phillies following the 2008 season and served as an assistant general manager before transitioning to the role of senior advisor, international operations in 2016. Unser, a 1980 World Series champion, spent more than 30 years working for the Phillies, first in player development and more recently as a member of the professional scouting staff.
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Press Releases provided courtesy of the Phillies, Media Relations. Thanks, guys!
