Phillies Area Scout Zach Friedman has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Dallas Green Award, the club announced today.
Friedman was the signing scout for three of the Phillies’ first nine selections in the 2022 MLB Draft, including outfielder Justin Crawford, the club’s first-round pick. He also was the signing scout for their first-round pick in 2020, right-hander Mick Abel. Abel and Crawford are the No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in the Phillies system, respectively, as currently ranked by MLB Pipeline. Friedman’s influence has also extended to post-draft signings, including two this past summer (outfielder Ezra Farmer and third baseman Otto Kemp). His tenure with the Phillies began in October 2018 as a northwest area scout after spending four years with the Milwaukee Brewers as an associate scout (2014-16) and minor league video associate (2017). His area of coverage with the Phillies has since moved to the Southern California and Southern Nevada territories.
“I am truly humbled and honored to have my name associated with this award and the man for which it was named,” Friedman said. “I know how special Dallas Green was to this organization and I am so thankful for both this recognition and for the opportunity to do this job every day.”
The 2022 Dallas Green Award will be presented on the field on Thursday, Sept. 22, prior to the 7:15 p.m. game against the Atlanta Braves. The award was established in 2011 to honor the accomplishments of Green, who spent 62 years in professional baseball, 46 of which were with the Phillies. Green passed away in March 2017 at the age of 82.
The award is presented annually to an amateur or professional scout who best exemplifies the Phillies’ standard for scouting while demonstrating the same loyalty, work ethic, dedication and passion as the award’s namesake. It is also recognition of the scout’s ability to judge not only a player’s talent, but also his character and heart.
“From the moment I joined the Phillies, it was overwhelmingly apparent that Zach embodied all of those traits, and more,” said Brian Barber, Phillies director of amateur scouting. “Zach’s desire to be the best scout he can be is a joy to see, and I couldn’t be happier for him to earn the well-deserved recognition that comes with this prestigious award.”
Past winners of the Dallas Green Award have been Dick Lawlor (2011), Bill Harper (2012), Eddie Bockman (2013), Gordon Lakey (2014), Sal Agostinelli (2015), Roy Tanner (2016), Joey Davis (2017),
Jesús “Chalao” Méndez (2018), Mike Stauffer (2019) and Darrell Conner (2021). The award was not given in 2020.