#CollegeSeries Baseball Analytics Night

Sam Drapeau joined the Phillies in 2021 as a research and development software engineer. He was promoted to his current position of staff software engineer in November 2023. In this role, he provides technical and strategic leadership for research and development application initiatives, leads API development and architects the design of our client-facing systems.

Before joining the Phillies, Sam worked for seven years at Accenture Federal Services as a technical lead and manager supporting government projects that spanned strategic initiatives, digital transformation, design thinking and application prototyping.

Born in Springfield, MA, Sam is a 2013 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science and a minor in economics. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Elizabeth, daughter Claire and dog Remy.

Pat McFarlane was promoted to director, predictive modeling in November 2023. In this role, he oversees the development of the organization’s forecasts of player performance, and their incorporation into the club’s decision-making processes.

He was originally hired in January 2018 as a quantitative analyst focused on in-game strategy and tactics research. Two years later, he was promoted to lead quantitative analyst and then was promoted to assistant director, quantitative analysis in January 2022. Before joining the Phillies, he held data science positions in various industries, including aviation, finance, consulting and sports, working for the Charlotte Hornets, Bloomberg LP and MITRE, a federally funded research and development center.

Born in Willingboro, N.J., and raised in Newtown, Pa., Pat attended Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Pa. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BS in aerospace engineering in 2014 and earned an MS in air transportation systems from MIT in 2016. He lives in the Graduate Hospital section of Philadelphia.

Lucy Parrington is a Sport Biomechanist working with the Philadelphia Phillies Foundational Research and Applied Biomechanics department.

Starting with Integrative Baseball Performance in 2021, she has played an integral role in developing the biomechanics modeling data pipelines.

Before engaging with the Phillies, Lucy worked in mild traumatic brain injury research at Oregon Health and Science University (Portland, Oregon) exploring the use of biofeedback in rehabilitation.

She holds a B.S. degree and honors in Sports Science from the University of South Australia, and a PhD in Biomechanics and Skill Acquisition from Victoria University (Melbourne, Australia).

Ben Werthan has served as director, baseball development since 2022. In this role, he oversees major league strategy, hitting and pitching development analysis and the video and technology department. Ben also supports Phillies player evaluation and player procurement processes while working closely with leadership to promote organizational alignment and guide future research and initiatives.

Originally hired by the Phillies in November 2017, Ben spent four years as the club’s minor league player information coordinator. In this uniformed role, he facilitated integration of analytics and technology into player development processes while supporting the refinement of advance scouting operations. He spent time with each minor league affiliate and the major league team, working closely with Phillies players, coaches, front office staff and the research and development department.

Before joining the Phillies, Ben spent seven seasons (2011-17) with the Baltimore Orioles, including six as the advance scouting coordinator. He also assisted with the team’s replay challenge operation. In addition to his duties with the Orioles, Ben served as Team Israel’s lead advance scout and uniformed strategy consultant throughout the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He began his career in baseball operations as an intern for the Cincinnati Reds (2008) and Tampa Bay Rays (2009-10).

Born in Washington, D.C., Ben is a 2008 graduate of Dickinson College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He lives in Philadelphia.

Kenny started with the Phillies while still in high school in 1999, serving as both an intern in the Outreach Department and a game day employee for the Phillies Fan Clubs. While attending Villanova University the following years, he continued his office internship at the Phillies during each of his summers off from school until graduating in 2004.

In 2007, Kenny joined the Outreach Department as a full time Representative. Along with his colleagues in his department, he has been involved in the planning and implementation of many programs during the season that are geared towards evolving baseball fans. These programs range from Phillies Coaches’ Clinics and the Phillies Baseball Academy for kids, to high school and collegiate showcase tournaments for teens and young adults, to Batting Challenges and mini-Fantasy Camps for corporate sponsors. He has also overseen the operations of the Phillies Fan Clubs and managed its staff of game day employees.

Kenny now works in conjunction with the Phillies Outreach, Events and Sales Departments to plan and promote outreach and community focused events at the Ballpark and around the city, as well as to keep the Phillies connected with Philadelphia’s diverse communities. He also assists with the Phillies front office recruitment efforts and manages the Phillies high school internship program. Kenny currently serves on the PHL Diversity Advisory Board, the Healthy NewsWorks Advisory Board and the UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball Committee.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Kenny continues to reside in his native region.

Mickey Morandini transitioned to his role as club ambassador in 2018. He had spent the previous two years with the team as first base coach and baserunning instructor.

Prior to joining the major league staff, Mickey spent five years in the Phillies minor league system as a coach for triple-A Lehigh Valley and double-A Reading and manager for single-A Lakewood and single-A Williamsport. He also spent four years as head coach for the Valparaiso High School varsity baseball team.

A 1995 National League All-Star, Mickey played nine of his 11 major league seasons (1990-2000) with the Phillies and was a member of the 1993 NL champions. He ranks fourth in Phillies history in most games played at second base (926) and was the recipient of the Paul Owens Award in 1989 as the best player in the Phillies minor league system. Mickey was originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the June 1988 draft out of Indiana University. As an amateur, he won a gold medal as a member of the 1988 Olympic baseball team.

Born in Leechburg, Pa., Mickey and his wife Peg currently live in Glen Mills, Pa. They have three sons: Jordan, Griffin and Braydon.

The 2024 season marks Dickie Noles’ 33rd with the organization after rejoining the Phillies in 1992. Prior to becoming a club ambassador, he spent 28 years as an employee assistance professional and, before that, four years in the community relations department.

Dickie pitched for parts of 11 major league seasons with the Phillies (1979-81; 1990), Chicago Cubs (1982-84; 1987), Texas Rangers (1984-85), Cleveland (1986), Detroit Tigers (1987) and Baltimore Orioles (1988) and finished his career at 36-53 with 11 saves and a 4.56 ERA in 277 games (96 starts). Selected by the Phillies in the fourth round of the June 1975 draft, Dickie was a member of the 1980 World Series champions, pitching in relief.

In 1989, Dickie won the Texas Rangers Community Service Award and in 1992 he was honored as the International Christian Athlete of the Year. Other awards he has won include the Humanitarian of the Year by the Sunshine Foundation in 1997 and the Humanitarian Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association in 2010. In 2019, he won the Richie Ashburn & David Montgomery Special Achievement Award, given annually to a Phillies employee who has demonstrated loyalty, dedication and passion for the game. Dickie was inducted into the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey in October 2021.

Dickie was born in Charlotte, N.C., and currently resides in Aston, Pa. He has one daughter, Brittany, twin sons, Christopher and Nicholas, and five grandchildren.

An outfielder for the 1993 National League champs and hitting coach for the 2008 World Series champions, Milt Thompson returned to the Phillies organization as a community club ambassador in March 2022. In this role, he serves as a club resource for community outreach with an emphasis on youth baseball and softball development, working with the Phillies RBI program and the Phillies Urban Youth Academy.

Milt previously served the Phillies as major league hitting coach (2005-10) following one season as first base coach (2004). From 2005-09, Milt guided Phillies hitters to the National League lead in home runs, RBI, runs, extra-base hits and total bases. He also served as a coach on the NL All-Star team in 2009.

Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of Howard University in 1979, Milt played 18 years of professional baseball, including 13 seasons in the majors with the Braves (1984-85), Phillies (1986, 1993-94), St. Louis Cardinals (1989-92), Houston Astros (1994-95), Los Angeles Dodgers (1996) and Colorado Rockies (1996). He hit .313 with six RBI in 1993 World Series and set a Phillies record with five RBI in Game 4 at Veterans Stadium.

Milt began his coaching career in 1997 as minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator for Tampa Bay before joining the Phillies minor league system as a coach at Reading (1998-99) and outfield/baserunning coordinator (2001-03).

Born in Washington, D.C., Milt lives in Sewell, N.J. with his wife Carole. He has four daughters: Torri, Jennifer, Courtney and Alyssa.