Preston Mattingly, the son of former baseball star Don Mattingly, was promoted to general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. He will work alongside Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations.
Sam Fuld, who has been the Phillies’ GM since December 2020, will share the GM responsibilities with Mattingly. However, Fuld is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and will take on the role of president of business operations once he earns his degree in May 2026.
“Sam and Preston are two of the best young people in the game,” said Dombrowski. “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, who is under contract with the Phillies through 2027, will have Mattingly work under him for the next three years. If Dombrowski chooses to retire, Mattingly would already be prepared to take over the role.
“I think he has the ability to be the general manager and the head of baseball operations for years to come,” Dombrowski added.
Mattingly, 37, played minor league baseball from 2006 to 2011, then attended Lamar University, where he captained the basketball team and graduated in 2016. He worked with the San Diego Padres from 2017 to 2021, eventually becoming the 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 for player development in November 2022.
“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.”
After Fuld graduates, he will oversee the Phillies’ business operations. The current president of business operations, Dave Buck, will retire in December. Until Fuld completes his MBA, several people, including himself, will share the responsibilities of the role.
“I’ve always been interested in the business side of baseball,” Fuld explained. “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.
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 the promotion of two other staff members in the baseball operations department. Luke Murton has been named director of player development, and Edwar Gonzalez will become the director of hitting development.
Don Mattingly, the father of Preston, was a six-time All-Star for the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1995. He later managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 and the Miami Marlins from 2016 to 2022.
