Phillies Press Release :
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
The Phillies have promoted Brian Barber to assistant general manager, amateur scouting and Preston Mattingly to assistant general manager, player development today.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski made the announcement.
“Brian and Preston have done a tremendous job for us in leading our amateur scouting and player development departments, respectively,” said Dombrowski. “Our minor league talent has continued to progress because of the hard work of Brian and Preston and their staffs. Both Brian and Preston will continue to lead their respective departments while growing within our organization.”
Barber joined the Phillies in October 2019 and since then has overseen the amateur draft that has brought four of the top 100 prospects in Minor League Baseball (MLB Pipeline) into the Phillies system: right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter (No. 28), right-handed pitcher Mick Abel (No. 45), outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 77) and infielder Aidan Miller (No. 90).
Prior to being hired by the Phillies, Barber spent 18 years with the New York Yankees as an area scout (2002-06), East Coast crosschecker (2007-09) and national crosschecker (2010-19). A first-round selection (No. 22 overall) in the June 1991 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Dr. Phillips High School, Barber appeared in 186 games (183 starts) over nine minor league seasons and totaled 1,041.2 innings pitched. He spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the Cardinals (1995-96) and Kansas City Royals (1998-99).
Mattingly was hired by the Phillies in September 2021 and in his three seasons in the organization, he has overseen the club’s player development system. Under Mattingly’s watch, the Phillies graduated center fielder Johan Rojas and right-handed pitcher Orion Kerkering to the majors this season. In 59 games for the Phillies, Rojas posted a 111 OPS+ at the plate and was credited with 15 Defensive Runs Saved. Kerkering began the season with single-A Clearwater before making his major league debut on Sept. 24 against the New York Mets. Both players appeared in the postseason for the Phillies this year.
Prior to joining the Phillies, Mattingly spent five seasons (2017-21) with the San Diego Padres, where he served as coordinator of major league advance scouting and game planning after serving as manager of scouting for three years. A first-round selection (No. 31 overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the June 2006 draft, Mattingly spent six seasons in their minor league system as an infielder and outfielder. He is the son of Don Mattingly, who played 14 years in the major leagues for the Yankees and is currently serving as bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays after 12 seasons as manager of the Dodgers (2011-15) and Miami Marlins (2016-22).
The Phillies have also promoted Derrick Chung to director of international scouting, Edwin Soto to assistant director of player development and Connor Betbeze to assistant director, amateur scouting.
Following his playing career in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system, Chung got his start in international scouting with the Phillies in 2017. Since joining the organization, he has been an integral member of the department in various roles. Going forward, he will oversee all aspects of the Phillies’ international scouting efforts.
Soto began his baseball career with the Phillies in 2018 working in minor league administration. He moved into the club’s player development department for the start of the 2022 season and in this role, Soto continues to assist in player evaluation, affiliate relations and administration.
Betbeze joined the Phillies organization in 2018 as an area scout after internships with the Washington Nationals in advance scouting in 2016 and the Texas Rangers in baseball operations in 2017. In his new role, Betbeze will continue to be involved in player evaluation while also helping advance the department’s use of video, research, technology and analytics.
Additionally, Sal Agostinelli has transitioned to an advisory role as senior advisor, international scouting. A recipient of the Dallas Green Award in 2015 and Major League Baseball’s Scout of the Year Award in 2018, Agostinelli served as Director of International Scouting for the Phillies from 1997 through last season. In his new position, Agostinelli will continue to serve in a leadership role and will be instrumental in various facets of international scouting with a focus on evaluation and the development of international players.
