A former Phillies executive found work as a blackjack dealer after being fired. Now he’s back in the game.
PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies were thin on starting pitching in the summer of 2009 when they dispatched two members of their front office to watch Pedro Martinez pitch in the Dominican Republic. Martinez was 37, had struggled the year before, and was injured for most of the season before that. He was at home and practically retired. The scouting reports came back to Philadelphia: Martinez still had it. He joined the rotation in August, the Phillies won his first seven starts, and the future Hall of Famer turned back the clock with a 130-
pitch outing before starting three playoff games. It was a success. And it’s all because Scott Proefrock had an idea. “We were all just kind of sitting around,” said Ruben Amaro Jr., then the team’s general manager. “He said, ‘Hey, Pedro isn’t doing anything.’ I said ‘Call him.’ We were just trying to find guys. I think he had read something somewhere that he was throwing [batting practice] to kids in the Dominican.” Proefrock spent 13 seasons with the Phillies, joining them shortly after the 2008 World Series parade and staying on until he was fired in August of 2021. He thought up the idea to sign Martinez, handled the negotiations for pitcher Cliff Lee’s return, and was an assistant to three Phillies GMs. Proefrock specialized in knowing the ins and outs of the major league
rule book. He was integral to some of the best teams in franchise history, hung on during the team’s rebuilding process, and was there when Bryce Harper arrived. But after he was let go three years ago, the game rolled on without him. “It’s amazing how you fall off the face of the Earth,” Proefrock said. “It’s not anyone’s fault. The season and the year in baseball have a rhythm to it. You get busy doing the things you have to do, and it’s easy to just move on to the next person you have to deal with.” That’s how a former Phillies executive spent eight months as a blackjack dealer.
