HOUSTON, TX – Astros President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jeff Luhnow announced today the following promotions and changes to the Baseball Operations Department:

Ehsan Bokhari has been promoted to Senior Director of Player Evaluation. In his role, Bokhari will report to Luhnow and contribute towards amateur, professional and international player evaluation. Bokhari joined the Astros in November of 2018 and served as the club’s Director of Research and Development last season. Prior to joining the Astros, he spent the previous four seasons (2015-18) with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a Senior Analyst in their research and development team. Bokhari owns a PhD in quantitative psychology and a MS in statistics, both from the University of Illinois. He earned undergraduate degrees in psychology and mathematics at the University of Arizona.

Sarah Gelles has been promoted to Director of Research and Development and will also report directly to Luhnow. Gelles joined the Astros in November of 2018, serving as a Research and Development Program Manager in 2019. Prior to joining the Astros, Gelles spent eight seasons working for the Baltimore Orioles, including three seasons as Director of Analytics & Major League contracts. With the Orioles, Gelles oversaw the club’s analytics department, led the development of internal baseball operations systems, handled Major League roster management and rules compliance, and assisted with player acquisitions and negotiations. Before her time with the Orioles, Gelles worked for the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball’s Labor Relations Department.

Catherine Cage has been promoted to Program Manager and will report to Gelles. Cage has been with the Astros for three seasons, serving as the club’s Manager of Research in 2019 and as an Analyst for two seasons (2017-18). She received her master’s degree in statistics from the University of Florida and her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Texas Tech University. Prior to working in baseball, Cage worked for the MD Anderson Cancer Center and was a statistical analyst at BioStat Solutions, Inc.

Adam Brodie has been promoted to Manager of Research and will also report to Gelles. Brodie has served as an Analyst on the Astros research and development team for the last three seasons (2017-19). Prior to joining the Astros, Brodie earned a PhD in logic, computation and methodology and an MS in machine learning from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pa. Brodie earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Arizona State University.

Will Sharp has been promoted to Manager of Major League Strategy and will report to Senior Director of Baseball Strategy, Bill Firkus. Sharp is entering his eighth season with the Astros, as he joined the club in December of 2012 as a pro scout. He was promoted to Scouting Operations Supervisor in 2016, before becoming an Analyst in pro scouting in November of 2017. Sharp got his start in baseball as a baseball operations intern with the Dodgers in 2007, before joining the club on a full-time basis as a pro scouting and baseball operations assistant in 2009. Sharp graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in economics and religion.

Brendan Fournie has been promoted to Senior Manager of Player Valuation and Economics and will report to Firkus. Fournie joined the Astros in 2016 as a Baseball Operations apprentice, and has since been promoted to Coordinator of Baseball Operations and Manager of Baseball Operations. Fournie graduated from the University of Missouri with a dual degree in sport management and finance & banking. He earned his master’s degree in sport management with a minor in entrepreneurship and statistics from the University of Florida.