Phillies Make a Change at the “Vice President and General Manager” Position

The Phillies sent out their yearly press release of offseason personnel moves:

Phillies Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer John Middleton and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski jointly made the announcement.

• Vice President and General Manager Sam Fuld is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and upon graduation in May 2026, he will transition to President of Business Operations.
• Preston Mattingly was promoted to Vice President and General Manager.
• Luke Murton was promoted to Director, Player Development.
• Edwar Gonzalez was promoted to Director, Hitting Development.

“The continued growth of Sam and Preston is remarkable,” Dombrowski said. “Both of them do a fantastic job, and these promotions provide continuity in the organization for years to come.  Additionally, Luke and Edwar are both quality baseball individuals that are deserving of their promotions. I feel that they are well prepared to lead our player development system.”

“I look forward to taking on this new challenge with the same passion, competitiveness and respect that I’ve applied throughout my professional career,” said Fuld. “The opportunity to collaborate across baseball and business operations is an exciting one, and I’m honored to be entrusted with helping to build upon the many great elements of this organization.”

Fuld, who served each of the last four seasons as Phillies vice president and general manager, will oversee all business operations departments upon his graduation in the spring of 2026. In the interim, to accommodate his academic workload and increasing business operations responsibilities, Fuld’s duties as general manager will be divided with Mattingly.

A 2004 graduate of Stanford University with a degree in economics, Fuld was originally hired by the Phillies in November 2017. Over a span of three seasons (2018-20), he worked as major league player information coordinator and director, integrative baseball performance. In those roles, Fuld worked closely with the major league coaching staff and helped integrate advance metrics. Following the 2020 season on Dec. 20, he was elevated to the position of general manager.

As a player, Fuld was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 10^th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. The former outfielder played parts of eight seasons in the major leagues for the Cubs (2007; 2009-10), Tampa Bay Rays (2011-13), Oakland Athletics (2014; 2015) and Minnesota Twins (2015).

A native of Durham, N.H., he and his wife, Sarah, live in Philadelphia with their four children.

Mattingly joined the Phillies organization as director of player development on Sept. 29, 2021, and served in that role through the 2023 season. He was elevated to the position of assistant general manager, player development on Nov. 8, 2023. 

Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Mattingly spent five seasons (2017-21) in scouting roles with the San Diego Padres. He worked his final year with the club as coordinator of major league advance scouting and game planning after serving as manager of scouting for three years. In those roles with the Padres, he coordinated the distribution of information to the pitchers and worked with both the research and development department and the major league coaching staff.

As a player, Mattingly was a first-round selection (31st overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 MLB Draft and spent six seasons (2006-11) in their minor league system.  Following his playing days, he enrolled at Lamar University in Texas, where he served as captain of the men’s basketball team.  Mattingly graduated from Lamar in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business.

Born in Englewood, N.J., Preston is the son of Don Mattingly, who played 14 years in the major leagues for the New York Yankees and is currently serving as bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Murton was hired by the Phillies in December 2022 as director, hitting development. For the last two seasons in that role, he oversaw the development of Phillies minor league hitters and assisted with the acquisition of amateur players for the MLB Draft.

Prior to joining the organization, Murton spent four years (2019-22) in the Padres organization as a scouting crosschecker and advisor to baseball operations and three years (2016-18) with the San Francisco Giants as a scout.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Murton graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019. He was selected by the New York Yankees in the 19^th round of the 2009 MLB Draft and spent five seasons in their minor league system (2009-13).

Gonzalez spent the 2024 season working as assistant director, hitting development. He was originally hired by the Phillies in 2023 as Latin American hitting coordinator and special advisor to international scouting. Prior to his time with the Phillies, Gonzalez worked three seasons in the Miami Marlins organization as major league assistant hitting coach (2022) and minor league hitting coordinator (2020-21).

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Gonzalez spent nine years as a position player in the Yankees minor league system (2002-10). He was originally selected in the 37^th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Cubs out of Seminole State College (OK).

So Mattingly is moving into Fuld’s role, and Fuld is moving to the business side. The Phillies do not currently have a “President of Business Operations,” but they do have a “Manager, Business Operations” in Justina Campana, who is part of executive management. What does it mean? We’ll find out when the press conference happens. You’d think Edwar Gonzalez has the significant role here as the Director of Hitting Development. Lesson #1: don’t swing at bullshit outside of the zone. Chicks dig the long ball but ladies love plate discipline. Remember that.

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