He might not be the first Howie you think of when it comes to Philadelphia sports executives, but Howie Kendrick, among a slew of others, will join the Phillies front office this winter.
Along with Kendrick are hirees Brian Kaplan, Jason Camilli, Morgan Gregory, Christian Bermudez and Furey Leva. Leva, Bermudez and Kendrick are the only three who had previously spent time within the Phillies organization.
Fans may remember Kendrick from his electric first half in 2017 in which hit .340 for the Phillies before being traded to the Nationals in July. Also notable for his postseason heroics with division rival Washington Nationals in 2019, few former players know more about hitting than the 2019 World Series champion. He will now serve as Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Brian Kaplan previously served as Vice President, co-founder, and pitching coordinator at Cressey Sports Performance in Jupiter, Florida. He joins the Phillies as Assistant Major League pitching coach and director of pitching development. Coming from the forefront of a budding industry, Kaplan is part of a growing youth movement among MLB front offices.
Jason Camilli had previously worked with the Cincinnati Reds where he was a Development Coach for their Arizona Rookie League affiliate. Camilli, 46, also worked in player development with the Diamondbacks as hitting coach throughout their minor league system. He will be assistant hitting coach with the Phillies, joining Kevin Long as the new duo seek to reform what was just the seventh-ranked National League offense in 2021.
Morgan Gregory is the Phillies new Director of Strength, Conditioning, and Nutrition. Gregory spent nine seasons with the Reds organization where he was assistant director of strength and conditioning and from 2018-2020 strength and condition coordinator. Gregory will be the first in Phillies club history to hold his title, though Paul Fornier formerly held the title of strength and conditioning coordinator.
Christian Bermudez will also be another Phillies first. Having spent 2021 as Athletic Trainer for the Iron Pigs at Lehigh Valley, Bermudez will fill the new position of Medical Operations Liaison, hopefully helping to facilitate better relationships between players, trainers and medical staff. Prior to his arrival with the Iron Pigs last year, he had worked in the Houston Astros organization for eight years at various levels fulfilling different roles throughout the club’s medical organization.
Furey Leva will be the Phillies new Assistant Major League Strength and Conditioning coach. Since January of 2017 Leva had served as minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. He had also spent time in the Pirates organization as a member of the player development staff. A Philly native, Leva graduated from Temple University in 2012.
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