Ruf, Amaro Among Winter Banquet Guest List

(Reading, Pa.)---2012 Eastern League MVP and Rookie of the Year Darin Ruf will be returning to Reading on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel for the 2013 Phillies Winter Banquet. Along with Ruf, Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Assistant General Manager of Amateur Scouting Marti Wolever, Director of Player Development Joe Jordan, Assistant Director of Player Development Steve Noworyta and Phillies television play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy will appear at the event.

In his 2012 campaign, Ruf hit .317 (155-for-489) with 32 doubles and 104 RBIs in addition to a single-season franchise record 38 home runs, breaking Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard's mark of 37 set in 2004. His 20 home runs in August tied Chicago Cubs great Sammy Sosa's professional baseball record of home runs hit in a single month.  For his efforts, Ruf was presented with the Joe Bauman Award in November as the minor league player with the most homers in the 2012 season.

The Omaha, Nebraska native also set two more Reading franchise records during his historical 2012 season. Ruf eclipsed Greg Luzinski's 42-year old record of 287 total bases with 303 last year. He also became the first player in the 46-year history of the Reading Fightin Phils to knock in 30 home runs and 30 doubles in a single-season. He was named the recipient of the 2012 Paul Owens Award as the best player in the Phillies minor league system.

His play earned him a promotion to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 10. In his first start with the team on Sept. 25, Ruf hit his first major league home run against the Washington Nationals. Through 12 games with Philadelphia, Ruf hit .333 (11-for-33) with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Since he was named general manager of the Phillies in November of 2008, Amaro has made a handful of acquisitions that has resulted in the Phillies winning three NL East division titles, one NL pennant, and capturing the best record in the majors in both 2010 and 2011 (97-65 and 102-60, respectively). Prior to his career as a baseball executive, Amaro spent five seasons with the Phillies as a player (1992-93, 1996-98) in his eight seasons in the majors.

Wolever was named the team's assistant general manager of amateur scouting in February of 2012. The Omaha, Nebraska native has overseen the drafts that brought the Phillies Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, and fellow banquet guest Ruf.

Jordan is entering his second season as the director of player development after spending seven years as the director of scouting with the Baltimore Orioles.  Among the players he selected with Baltimore were left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz, catcher Matt Wieters, and outfielder Nolan Reimold.

Noworyta joined the Phillies on October 26, 1988 after spending 16 years in the Chicago White Sox organization. He oversees the Phillies affiliates in the Gulf Coast, New York-Penn, South Atlantic, Florida State, Eastern, and International Leagues.

McCarthy, who will serve as the event's Master of Ceremonies, is entering his sixth year doing Phillies television play-by-play. In his first run with the club, he spent five seasons (2001-05) as the host of the pre- and post-game radio shows, while also doing radio play-by-play. A native of Jersey City, New Jersey, McCarthy also hosted his own weekday afternoon-drive show on ESPN Radio 920 AM, which concentrated on local sports. He spent the 2006-07 seasons as a radio broadcaster with the New York Mets on WFAN before returning to the Phillies in November of 2007.

The banquet begins with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a 6:30 p.m. dinner. The event will feature prizes, auction items, highlight videos, dinner, and more. As in the past, the 2013 King of Baseballtown will be crowned at the event.

Tickets for the banquet cost $65 each or $600 for a 10-person table and can currently be purchased in-person at the Fightins Ticket Office, online at Fightins.com, or by phone at 610-370-BALL. Proceeds from the event benefit Baseballtown Charities, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded to keep baseball alive in Reading so the youth can benefit from the many life lessons the game teaches.

The Fightin Phils will kick off their home schedule on Friday, April 12 at FirstEnergy Stadium when the team takes on the Erie SeaWolves. Season ticket plans, mini-plans, and group tickets for 2013 can be purchased online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person by visiting the Fightins Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium.