Executives

Hall of Famer Joe Torre was named a Special Assistant to Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. in February 2020. Torre serves as a liaison to the general managers and field managers of the 30 Major League Clubs and the Major League Umpires. From 2011-14, Torre was MLB’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. In 2014, he became MLB’s Chief Baseball Officer under Commissioner Manfred.

Torre, a manager for 29 seasons, ranks fifth all-time with 2,326 managerial wins. He led the New York Yankees to four World Series championships, six American League pennants and 12 Postseason appearances in his 12 years (1996-2007) as manager. The two-time AL Manager of the Year also led the New York Mets (1977-81), Atlanta Braves (1982-84), St. Louis Cardinals (1990-95) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-10), Torre made his managerial debut with the Mets on May 31, 1977, becoming the first player-manager in the Majors since 1959. In 2013, he managed Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. In 2017, he served as the general manager for WBC Champion Team USA.

During his 18-year playing career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960-68), the Cardinals (1969-74) and the Mets (1975-77), Torre compiled a .297 batting average, 2,342 hits and 252 home runs. In St. Louis, he was the National League’s 1971 Most Valuable Player, leading the Majors with a .363 batting average, 230 hits, 137 RBI and 352 total bases. Torre, who went on to manage all three teams he played for, is one of 11 individuals ever with at least 2,000 games played and 2,000 games managed. His 6,680 combined games are the most of all of them, as are his 4,471 games managed. Torre earned nine All-Star selections as a player and reached 15 Postseasons as a manager. No one else in baseball history has made five All-Star Games as a player and also reached the Postseason five times as a manager.

On December 9, 2013, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that its Expansion Era Committee had unanimously elected Torre to its Class of 2014. Torre was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, 2014, in Cooperstown. On August 23, 2014, Torre’s number six was retired by the Yankees, making him the 17th individual to receive such an honor. He was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame on August 27, 2016 and the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame on July 30, 2022. Torre earned Baseball Digest’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, following in the footsteps of his friends Willie Mays and Vin Scully, the two previous recipients.

Torre is the Chairman of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation (joetorre.org), which he and his wife Ali launched in 2002. Safe At Home’s mission is to end the cycle of domestic violence and abuse through education. Through its signature Margaret’s Place (MP) model, named in honor of Joe’s mother, Safe At Home creates a safe space in schools, offering both trauma informed intervention and prevention services for empowerment, education and understanding. Last school year, MP programs reached over 25,000 students, and since its inception, they have served more than 250,000 youth, their families and communities. In 2010, Joe was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women by President Barack Obama and participated along
with Ali in his Violence Against Women awareness event at The White House. In 2011, Torre served as Co-Chair of the Defending Childhood Task Force.

Torre is the co-author of three books: The Yankee Years (Doubleday 2009); Joe Torre’s Ground Rules for Winners (Hyperion 1999); and Chasing the Dream (Bantam 1997, 1998). Torre was born on July 18, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He and Ali live in New York.

Rich Rieker became Director of Umpire Development in Major League Baseball’s Umpiring Department prior to the 2011 season. In this capacity, Rieker coordinates a wide variety of training and educational initiatives and works closely with the Major League Umpires. A former Major League Umpire of nine seasons, Rieker joined the MLB staff in 2002 and celebrates his 25th year as an Umpire Supervisor in 2026.

Since 2006, Rieker has been responsible for administering Major League Baseball Umpire Camps (MLBUC.com), based at MLB’s Urban Youth Academy in California. He continues to serve as the coordinator of the camps, which resulted from a joint effort by MLB, the World Umpires Association, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation, the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and the Wendelstedt Umpire School. In recent years, a series of free, one-day camps have been held in various locations throughout the country, as well as Puerto Rico. More than 100 scholarship recipients from the camps have gone on to attend umpire school, allowing professional prospects to get exposure, and over 150 professional umpiring careers have been launched as a result of the camps. In 2017, 22 attendees of the eight free, one-day camps attended pro mini camp in Fort Myers, Florida, in December and 10 advanced into pro ball this year on MLB scholarship. In addition, the camps have trained more than 800 military members and 5,000 attendees overall. Rieker has served as MLB’s liaison to the United States Marine Corps and Columbia College of Missouri as the organizations collectively developed the U.S. Marine Corps Officiating Certification Program, which allowed Marines to take courses that culminate in an internship at the MLB Umpire Camp.

Rieker developed and managed the production of the “Virtual Umpire Camp” CD-ROM, a first-of-its-kind product that illustrates the proper mechanics for two-umpire, three-umpire and four-umpire crews with umpiring signals in 3-D. The disc, produced in conjunction with the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation and Immersion Media, was utilized by all professional umpires and is currently in distribution worldwide. The “Virtual Umpire Camp” CD-ROM version 3.0 was produced for release in 2015. Rieker also was responsible for the coordination of the training and assignments of both Major League and international umpires for the World Baseball Classic.

Rieker worked in the Midwest (1983-85), Eastern (1985-86), American Association (1986-95) and Dominican Winter (1987-88) Leagues prior to joining the National League staff in 1996. During his tenure as a Major League Umpire, Rieker worked one All-Star Game (1998) and two Division Series (1999-2000). He also was an instructor at the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School for 16 years.

A native of St. Louis, Rieker graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. Rieker, who was born in St. Louis in 1961, resides in Orlando. He has two children.

Michael Hill was hired in February 2021 as Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President, On-Field Operations. In his role, he oversees MLB’s umpiring and on-field discipline at both the Major and Minor League levels. In September of 2024, he was elevated to Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations and Workforce Development, where in addition to leadership over on-field operations, he serves as the key liaison between the Commissioner’s office and the Clubs with respect to the hiring of senior baseball operations personnel.

Hill’s 27-year front-office career includes 18 years with the Miami Marlins -- seven seasons (2014-20) as President of Baseball Operations following six seasons (2008-13) as General Manager. In 2020, the Marlins reached the Postseason for the first time since 2003 and won their Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs. In 2014, in his first season as President of Baseball Operations, Miami made a 15-win improvement and became one of only three teams in Major League history to win 77 or more games following a 100-loss season. In 2026, Hill served at the General Manager of Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.

Following his retirement as a Minor League player, Hill worked as an assistant for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1995-99 in the scouting and player development departments before joining the Colorado Rockies in 1999. Hill spent three seasons in Colorado, serving as the Club’s Director of Player Development before making his way to Miami. Hill was a 31st-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in the June 1993 Draft. He played two seasons (1993-94) in the Rangers’ system and one year (1995) in the Reds’ organization before joining the Devil Rays’ front office.

A 1993 graduate of Harvard University, Hill was elected senior class marshal (the equivalent of class president) while starring as the Crimson football team’s top rusher and the baseball team’s captain. Michael was born and raised in Cincinnati, where he played football, baseball and basketball at the city’s Country Day School.

During his time in Miami, Michael was quite active in the South Florida community, volunteering his time at several elementary and high schools, and serving as a mentor for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. In February 2016, the Hill Family Scholarship was launched as part of his commitment to philanthropy and education in South Florida. The scholarship is inspired by the core values of Michael’s family and looking to support a deserving student in the pursuit of a college career.

In addition, Hill has completed over 20 marathons and half marathons, the most recent being the World Marathon Challenge in 2018, in which he ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.

Mark Carlson joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2026 following more than 26 years as a Major League Umpire, including his final five seasons as a crew chief. He worked two All-Star Games (2002 and 2017), two Wild Card Rounds, nine Division Series and six League Championship Series in his career. Mark was also selected to work three World Series, including as the crew chief in 2024, and was behind the plate for Jered Weaver’s no-hitter on May 2, 2012.

Carlson, who was inducted into the Parkland College Hall of Fame as a catcher, attended the Brinkman-Froemming Umpire School in 1993. Prior to his Major League career, Mark served in the United States Marine Corps. The Illinois native and his wife, Marie, have two daughters.

Mike Everitt was named an MLB Umpire Supervisor in February 2020 following 21 years as a Major League Umpire, including his final three seasons as a crew chief. Everitt worked three World Series (2007, 2009 and 2015) and six League Championship Series in his career. Everitt was the home plate umpire for Kevin Millwood’s no-hitter on April 27, 2003.

Everitt played in the 1982 Connie Mack World Series and was a two-time All-State Music trumpet player in 1981-82. He is involved with the Hope Lutheran Church and is an active supporter of Umps Care and Calling for Christ, fellow Umpire Ted Barrett’s professional umpire ministry. The New Mexico native and product of New Mexico State University now resides in Iowa.

Cris Jones joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2005. In addition to evaluating games at the Major League level, he serves as the Umpiring Department’s Triple-A coordinator, assigning call-up umpires, overseeing and staffing the Arizona Fall League and assigning Spring Training invitees. Jones also is part of the core staff for MLB’s Umpire Camps as curriculum coordinator and heads the scholarship program.

The 2026 season marks the 40th year in professional baseball for Cris. He umpired in the Gulf Coast League, Midwest League, Texas League and the American Association. Upon leaving the field in 1997, Jones became an Umpire Supervisor with the MLB Umpire Development Program, which reorganized in 1998 as the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC).

Jones played college basketball for Lincoln College and Quincy College in Illinois. He resides in Colorado.

Jeff Kellogg was named an MLB Umpire Supervisor in February 2020 following more than 27 years as a Major League Umpire, including the last 10 seasons as a crew chief. Kellogg worked five World Series (2000, 2003, 2008, 2010 and 2014) and six League Championship Series in his career. He was behind home plate for the no-hitters thrown by the Marlins’ Aníbal Sánchez in 2006 and the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jiménez in 2010. Kellogg was one of the Major League Umpires selected to represent MLB during the 2018 Japan All-Star Series with Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Michigan native received a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University.

Following 20 years of umpiring in the Major Leagues, Charlie Reliford joined Major League Baseball as an Umpire Supervisor in 2010. He is one of Major League Baseball’s key liaisons to the Major League Umpires, particularly on rules interpretations and applications.

Reliford, who joined the Major League staff in 1991, began umpiring professionally in 1982. He has worked two All-Star Games (1996, 2007), four Division Series, three League Championship Series and two World Series (2000, 2004). He was the Crew Chief for the first Major League game in history to use instant replay on a home run boundary call in a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sept. 3, 2008.

Reliford, who attended the University of Kentucky and Ohio University, is a former chief instructor at the Wendelstedt Umpire School. He also serves as a spokesperson for King’s Daughter’s Hospital Hospitality House Fund in Ashland, Ky. Reliford has one child.

Jim Reynolds became an Umpire Supervisor during the 2023 season following more than 23 years as a Major League Umpire. In this capacity, he serves as a liaison to the Major League Umpires.

The Massachusetts-born Reynolds became a Major League Umpire in 1999 after beginning his Minor League career in 1992. During his career, he worked three Wild Card rounds, eight Division Series, five League Championship Series, two World Series and two All-Star Games. He was on the field for the Fall Classic in 2014 and 2018.

Jim graduated from South Catholic High School in Hartford, Conn., and then received a B.A. in Communications Journalism from the University of Connecticut in 1991. He began umpiring while at UConn under former baseball coach Andy Baylock. Jim long served as Treasurer/Secretary of Umps Care Charities. The Arizona resident and his wife have one child.

A veteran of more than 23 years of Major League umpiring, Larry Young became one of Major League Baseball’s Umpire Supervisors in 2008, serving as a liaison to MLB’s active umpires.

Young joined the Major League staff in 1985 in the American League. He worked two All-Star Games (1991, 2003), six Division Series, three League Championship Series and two World Series (1996, 2003). Prior to his Major League career, Young worked at the Minor League level from 1978-82.

Young has served as the coordinator of umpires for the World Baseball Classic, which included the training of all international umpires for the WBC and the WBC Qualifiers. He has trained umpires in 21 countries and six continents, including the United States, Aruba, Australia, Canada, Cuba, Czechia, the Dominican Republic, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Venezuela. Young was the first active umpire to be a part of the game’s Playing Rules Committee. Young has worked as an instructor at many of Major League Baseball’s Umpire Camps held annually at MLB’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., and around the country.

Young graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1976 with a B.A. in education. He is President of Larry Young and Friends Charities, which raises money for various organizations like Special Olympics, Hospice and the American Heart Association. He has been the recipient of the JC Penny Golden Rule Award, the Special Olympics Volunteer of the Year, Florida Diamond Club Umpire of the Year, the Goodwill Abilities Center Distinguished Service Award and the 2002 Gold Whistle Award, presented by the National Association of Sports Officials.

Young and his wife, Joan, have two children and two grandsons. He is a pancreatic cancer survivor and is an advocate for those fighting the disease.

Matt McKendry, who has been with Major League Baseball since 2000, was first named MLB’s Director of Umpire Administration in 2012. In his current role as Vice President, Umpire Operations, Matt is responsible for administering day-to-day umpire operations and facilitating communication between MLB’s Umpiring Department, the Major League Umpires, and Minor League Baseball. McKendry also assists in the scheduling of umpire assignments and maintaining records of information related to the Umpiring Department’s programs and initiatives.

McKendry served in MLB’s On-Field Operations Department from 2002 through 2011, working first under the direction of Bob Watson and then Joe Garagiola Jr. His duties included investigating all on-field incidents and situations, assisting with disciplinary action decisions, monitoring pace of game issues, supporting the Uniform and Protective Equipment Regulations programs and administering his department’s stadium operations and groundskeeping projects. In that capacity McKendry assisted the Umpiring Department throughout the year with a number of administrative and research issues.

His first duties with MLB started in November 2000, working in the Club Relations Department under Phyllis Merhige after being a part of the New York Yankees’ Media Relations Department during the 2000 season.

Justin Klemm is Major League Baseball’s Vice President, Replay. Klemm was hired shortly after the approval of the system’s expansion for the 2014 season and was promoted to his current position before the 2020 season.

In his role, Klemm is responsible for the management of umpire involvement at MLB’s Replay Operations Center. Among his duties, Klemm handles supervisor staffing at the facility, and along with technical personnel, helps to coordinate the procedural configuration with the 30 Clubs.

In 2008, he became Executive Director of Minor League Baseball’s Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC). Klemm joined PBUC in 2004 as a Field Evaluator/Instructor before being named Executive Director, a capacity in which he worked closely with MLB’s Umpiring Department on a variety of issues, including mechanics, rule interpretations, Arizona Fall League assignments and new hires. In addition to being responsible for all personnel moves for 220 Minor League Umpires, Klemm guided a staff of six field evaluators and a medical coordinator while ensuring that qualified officials were in place for all 16 domestic Minor Leagues.

Prior to his administrative experience with PBUC, Klemm spent nine seasons as an umpire in the minor leagues, including four years in the Triple-A International League. As a call-up umpire, the native of Cataumet, Mass., worked numerous regular-season games at the Major League level, and he was invited to work the Arizona Fall League on two occasions. He spent two offseasons umpiring in China and Australia in an effort to develop officials there. Klemm graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in management.

Jeff Moody currently serves as the manager of instant replay for Major League Baseball. In this role, he is responsible for managing operations, assisting with the facilitation of the replay process and overseeing several key administrative functions.

Prior to joining MLB, Moody honorably served in the United States Navy for more than nine years as an active duty Intelligence Officer. During his military career, LT Moody deployed twice with US Navy Fighter-Squadron 37 Ragin' Bulls onboard aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in direct support of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM. Following his operational tour, LT Moody served as a Team Chief in the Iran Branch at United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Fla. In this role, he led an 18-person analytical division and delivered weekly Intelligence briefings to the Commanding General and support staff on strategic level threats impacting the CENTCOM area of responsibility. During his final tour in the military, Moody served as a senior watch officer at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Quantico, Virginia where he was responsible for providing global indications and warning of terrorist, foreign intelligence, cyber and criminal threats to the Department of the Navy.

Moody's military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and numerous campaign and unit level medals and citations. In December 2015, Jeff transitioned from the Navy and shortly thereafter began working at Capital One Financial Corporation. Leveraging his military experience, he successfully established the operations and procedures for a global cyber threat intelligence watch center at a Fortune 500 Company.

A native of Franklin, Tenn., Moody graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in history. He also completed his Master's degree in security and safety leadership from the George Washington University in May 2016.

Dr. Steven Erickson is the Chief of Primary Care Sports Medicine for Banner Health and program director for the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship. He currently serves as a team physician for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and the Major/Minor League Baseball Umpires. In the past, he has served as the head team physician at Arizona State University and the program director of the Arizona State University Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship for more than a decade. A native of Tucson, he completed his undergraduate and medical school education at the University of Arizona. He completed his internal medicine residency in Phoenix at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. After his residency, he spent 18 months in the sports medicine fellowship at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind. He returned to Phoenix to work as part-time faculty at ASU and assistant team physician for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the fall of 2000, he was promoted to serve as the head team physician at ASU and in July 2003, he founded his first primary care sports medicine fellowship.

In addition to his teaching and patient care responsibilities, Dr. Erickson is involved with numerous research projects primarily focusing on sports related concussions. He co-authored the chapter on martial arts injuries in the first edition of Netter's Sports Medicine. Additionally, he is one of the members of the Major League Baseball Medical Advisory Committee and the Major League Baseball Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. He is one of the original certified ImPACT consultants credentialed to interpret and manage patients using ImPACT computerized neurocognitive testing.

He is the proud father of triplet girls and one son. His wife, Laurie, is the previous program director of the Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix OB/GYN residency program. He holds a third-degree black belt in Tang Soo. In 2010, he published his
first book Ki Inspiring Thoughts - Developing a Generation of Honorable Warriors, which utilizes Zen stories and draws on ancient wisdom to teach character development and leadership.

Marc Harwood, MD is a board certified non-operative sports medicine specialist. He served as Chief of the Non-Operative Sports Medicine Service at Rothman Orthopaedics from 2010 through 2021. Prior to his appointment as an Umpire Health Consultant, he served as the team physician for the Philadelphia Phillies for 16 seasons—from 2005 through 2021. He is a past president of the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association and is an active member of the Medical Advisory Committee and Research Committee for Major League Baseball. He also serves as a team physician for the St. Joseph’s University NCAA Division 1 athletic program. He is a sports medicine consultant for several local high schools, in addition to caring for elite level dancers at the Rock School of Dance Education, University of the Arts, BalletX and the Philadelphia Ballet. He is a consultant to Athletes and the Arts and has been an active member on the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science’s research committee.

He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Lisa, who is a veterinarian, and their two children. In his spare time, he is a rhythm guitarist for a local cover band.

Scott Sheridan joined Major League Baseball as Director, Umpire Medical Services in January 2020, succeeding Mark Letendre. Scott spent 17 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he served as head athletic trainer since the 2007 season. A graduate of West Chester University and Neumann University, Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from West Chester in 1991 and a master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Neumann in 1998. He is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (1991) and American Physical Therapy Association (1998). In 2005, he attained certified strength and conditioning credentials from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. With the Phillies, Sheridan served on PBATS’ Electronic Medical Records and Medical Advisory Committees.

Freddie Hernandez joined Major League Baseball’s Umpiring Department in 2003 after working at Betelgeuse Productions. In his current post, Hernandez is responsible for all umpire-related video operations, including shooting game action video for umpires to review their mechanics, maintaining a database of umpire-related footage, and providing umpires, supervisors and other personnel with specific video requests.

A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Hernandez currently resides in Manhattan.

Raquel joined Major League Baseball’s Umpire Operations staff prior to the 2012 season after working for Major League Baseball Productions. She is responsible for overseeing the performance of the Major League Umpires using various evaluation systems and compiling data used in feedback. Raquel also assists the Umpiring Department with various other duties, including the editing of the Official Rule Book and Umpire Manual, providing continued training and education to the Major League Umpires, and assisting with free MLB Umpire Camps where individuals interested in careers in umpiring can learn from a highly experienced staff and earn scholarships to professional umpire school.

Raquel, a St. Louis native, graduated from the University of Missouri and currently resides in New Jersey.

Chris Romanello serves as Senior Coordinator, Umpire Operations for Major League Baseball. In his role, Romanello works closely with the Major League Umpires and provides support on a wide range of logistics. Romanello began his baseball career as the assistant to Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, first with the New York Yankees and then with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Romanello joined the Office of the Commissioner as Executive Assistant to Torre in 2011.

Evie Weinstock joined Major League Baseball's Umpiring Department during the 2025 season. In her role, Evie assists with various umpire evaluation systems and provides administrative support across both the Major and Minor League levels. Following her graduation from the University of Virginia, Evie worked at the NFL League Office as a part of the Game Statistics and Information Services Support team.