Strike Out the Stigma

Following an 18-year playing career (1992-2009) which ended in the Phillies minor league system, Jorge Velandia has spent the last 14 years working in various roles for the organization, including a stint on the major league coaching staff in 2015. He was promoted to assistant general manager in December 2020, becoming the first Venezuelan-born executive to hold that position in major league history. Jorge had previously spent four years as special assistant to the general manager.

After finishing his career with the Phillies' triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, Jorge spent two years (2010-11) as a coach for single-A Williamsport and one each as the assistant field coordinator (2012) and special assistant, player development (2013) before being named special assistant, player personnel, a role he held for three seasons (2014-16). He also helped construct Team Venezuela for the 2013 World Baseball Classic and served as the director of baseball operations for La Guaira of the Venezuelan Winter League for two years (2014-15) after a five-year run as general manager (2010-14).

A former infielder, Jorge was originally signed out of Venezuela by the Detroit Tigers in 1992 and played for 23 different professional teams in 11 organizations. He appeared in 174 career major league games from 1997-2008 with San Diego, Oakland, New York (NL), Tampa Bay, Toronto and Cleveland.

Jorge was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently resides in Moorestown, N.J., with his wife Ruth and their son George.

Antonio Cordero is a bilingual, Spanish-speaking licensed mental health psychotherapist and peak performance coach who joins Phillies Mental Health Department. Antonio - a former four-year college athlete - graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in counseling psychology and specialization in sport psychology.

Antonio's prior work settings include community clinics providing clinical psychology services and private practices focusing on performance optimization for athletes and professionals. Antonio has expertise providing psychological support to individuals, couples, families, groups, and teams.

As the newest staff member of Phillies CAPS (Counseling and Psychiatric Services), Antonio - who will be based out of Clearwater - will provide mental health services and consultation to players, coaches, staff, and families; enhance the psychological wellbeing of athletes and teams through skills training and wellness education; and help maintain protocols to respond to players’ psychological needs.

Sal Agostinelli has been part of the Phillies scouting staff since 1993. He was named to his current position in 2012 after serving as the international scouting supervisor since 1997. In 2015, he was the recipient of the Dallas Green Award for his achievements in scouting.

A former catcher, Sal was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 20th round of the June 1983 draft out of Slippery Rock University. He played six seasons (1983-88) in the Cardinals minor league system before being traded in 1989 to the Phillies, where he played for double-A Reading and triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1990-91) before retiring. In 1992, he was a player/coach for Reading prior to joining the scouting staff, for which he initially covered New York, New Jersey, Delaware and the New England region.

During his time as a scout, Sal has had a hand in the signings of Carlos Ruiz, Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis and César Hernández, among many others. At the 2018 Winter Meetings, Sal won the International Scout of the Year Award. Sal was born in Bronx, N.Y., and lives in Kings Park, N.Y., with his wife Sharon. He has three children: sons Danny and Anthony and daughter Toni-Ann