PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Preston Mattingly, a son of former star first baseman and manager Don Mattingly, was promoted to general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
Sam Fuld, the GM since December 2020, will share the GM duties with Mattingly. But Fuld is studying for his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and will become the team’s president of business operations when he receives his degree in May 2026.
“Sam and Preston are two of the best young people in the game,” Dombrowski said. “They’re outstanding in every respect. We have a good relationship between all of us and really, you kind of look towards the future and say, ‘Well, how will this all work out?’”
Dombrowski, 68, is under contract with the Phillies through 2027, which means he will get to have Mattingly learn the trade under his tutelage for three seasons, and then if Dombrowski decides to retire, the Phillies would have his heir apparent already in place.
“I think he has the ability to be the general manager and the head of baseball operations for years to come,” Dombrowski said.
Mattingly, 37, played in the minor leagues from 2006-11, and then went to Lamar University, where he captained the basketball team and received a bachelor’s degree in 2016. He worked for the San Diego Padres from 2017-21, rising to coordinator of major league advance scouting and game planning.
He joined the Phillies as director of player development in September 2021 and was promoted to assistant general manager of player development last November.
“I’m very excited about the role,” Mattingly said. “Honestly, I just love baseball. It means so much to me. It’s been my life since I was born. ... I was very excited to get to work with the people we have in the organization. They challenge you every single day and we all share the same vision of helping the Philadelphia Phillies achieve their ultimate goal, which is to win the World Series."
Fuld will oversee business operations departments after his graduation. The current president of business operations, Dave Buck, is retiring in December. Fuld said that several people — including himself — will take on the responsibilities of the role for the 18 months until his graduation.
“I’ve always been interested in the business side of baseball,” Fuld said. “It’s always been compelling to me. This came out of a conversation I had with Dave and (managing partner John Middleton) in the spring and we talked about the short-term, the mid-term and the long-term implications of this opportunity. It wasn’t something I had given a ton of thought to at the time, but after I digested it and wrapped my head around it, it felt like a really compelling opportunity both professionally and personally.”
The Phillies also announced two other promotions in the baseball operations department. Luke Murton was promoted to director of player development and Edwar Gonzalez to director of hitting development.
Don Mattingly was a six-time All-Star for the New York Yankees from 1982-95, then managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Miami Marlins from 2016-22.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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