Former Phillies Dick Allen and Mickey Morandini have been named club ambassadors, Executive Vice President David Buck announced today.
Allen has been part of the Phillies front office since 1994 as a fan development and community representative. In his role, he makes numerous public appearances on behalf of the Phillies and has taken part in community outreach endeavors. A member of the club's Wall of Fame, Allen batted .290 with 204 doubles, 204 home runs, 655 RBI, 517 walks, a .371 on-base percentage and a .902 OPS in 1,070 games as a Phillie. He was selected to seven All-Star Games, including three as a Phillie, and ranks second in club history with a .530 slugging percentage and 10th in home runs.
Morandini spent the past two seasons as the Phillies' major league first base coach and baserunning instructor. He was previously a minor league coach and manager for the Phillies for five seasons. The former second baseman was a member of the 1993 National League championship team and represented the Phillies at the 1995 All-Star Game. Morandini played parts of nine seasons in Philadelphia and batted .267 with 169 doubles, 44 triples and 103 stolen bases in 965 games.
In 2014, the Phillies began the club ambassador program with Gary Matthews and Chris Wheeler. Matthews, who played in 395 games as a Phillie and batted .279 with 38 home runs and 200 RBI, will continue his role into the 2018 season. Wheeler has opted to take a reduced role with the club, primarily assisting the Phillies during spring training in Clearwater, Fla.
"Whether they are appearing at community events, interacting with fans at the ballpark, or speaking to young athletes, the role of our ambassadors is to maintain the Phillies' ongoing efforts to connect with our fan base on an intimate level," said Buck. "Dick, Mickey and Gary are well-suited to serve in these roles. We anticipate adding additional ambassadors over the next several years, giving us an opportunity to connect with a different generation of fans."