Major League Baseball announced today the hiring of Del Matthews as Senior Director of Baseball Development. In this capacity, he will play a key role in a number of MLB's Youth Programs initiatives and will report directly to Tony Reagins, Senior Vice President of Youth Programs. Matthews most recently was a member of the front office of the Chicago White Sox.
Matthews' responsibilities will include overseeing day-to-day operations of the MLB Urban Youth Academies in Compton, California and New Orleans, as well as the coordination of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Matthews also will manage two MLB initiatives designed to provide professional-level instruction and exposure to diverse youth ballplayers from around the country: the Breakthrough Series and the Elite Development Invitational.
Reagins said: "We are very pleased to bring Del on board as we believe his previous experiences at MLB, with the White Sox and as a Minor League player will bring invaluable insight to the future success of our programs. He will strongly complement our efforts to provide young people with impactful, high-caliber opportunities in our game."
Matthews is rejoining Major League Baseball after serving in his most current role as Assistant Director of Player Development & Scouting with the White Sox. Matthews was the Director of Baseball Operations for the Arizona Fall League and is a product of MLB's Executive Development Program from June 2005-September 2008. Matthews, who played in the minor league system of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-2001, is the son of former All-Star outfielder Gary Matthews and the brother of former All-Star outfielder Gary Matthews, Jr.