I recently reconnected with Kevin Gregg, the Phillies’ Vice President of Baseball Communications, at Temple’s “Dialogue on the Diamond” event, where he, other representatives from the team (including former shortstop Jimmy Rollins and outfield legend Doug Glanville), and famed baseball columnist-turned-Temple professor Claire Smith spoke with youth coaches and others interested in getting more kids from North Philly — especially Black kids — involved in baseball. The event was officially pegged to 2026, when Philadelphia hosts MLB’s All-Star game and weekend for the first time since 1996. But really, it got to the heart of something I care about a lot: changing the paradigm to bring Black baseball back to Philly.
Listen to the interview edition here:
Kevin Gregg cares about that too. It’s in his blood. His late dad Eric Gregg, the legendary MLB umpire, himself was from West Philadelphia and raised his four kids there. Years ago — back in 2002 — Eric Gregg called a contact at the 76ers, to see if they’d have room for a young James Madison University student with an interest in sports public relations. The team offered Kevin Gregg an internship. After he graduated, he crossed Pattison Avenue to Veteran’s Stadium to drop off his resume for the Phillies.
“Baseball is my first love,” he says.
Although the Phils didn’t have any openings in PR, they did have something in merchandise marketing. Gregg worked at the Vet during the stadium’s last six months. By the time Citizens Bank Park opened, he’d become the Phillies PR intern, which led to a full-time PR role at the Sixers, then the Red Sox. In 2022, he finally got his dream job and came home to work for the Phillies — he’s been back ever since.
One thing I love about Kevin Gregg’s story is that he knocked on the doors himself. He comes from a baseball legacy — Eric Gregg was one of the very first Black umpires in the MLB — but apart from that very first boost his father dad gave him, and the baseball knowledge he gained growing up, he’s done it on all his own.
“I credit my parents for giving me the opportunities and the support and the background to get to where I’m at, but I knew that I would have to take matters in my own hands and show people my worth and my skill,” he says.
Gregg is the man to talk to if you’re a member of the media and want to report on a game, or interview a player, manager, or the Phils president of baseball operations. He makes sure someone from his department is with the team at all times. “It’s a lot to do,” he explains, “because baseball season — spring training — starts Valentine’s Day, and you don’t finish, if you’re good, until the end of October.”
From his lips to God’s ears. Go Phillies.
Corrections: Kevin Gregg is Vice President of Baseball Communications; he’s been in his current role with the Phillies since 2022 and a total of 10 years with the team.
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