Amaro Added to Phillies Winter Banquet

Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has been added to the jam-packed guest list for the 2014 Phillies Winter Banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, January 21st at 6:30 p.m. The front office executive joins Phillies skipper and Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, Phillies third baseman Cody Asche, outfielder Darin Ruf, and pitcher Jonathan Pettibone at the annual event.

Seating and table reservations for the event in Reading are available by calling 610-370-BALL, visiting Fightins.com, or by stopping by the Fightins Ticket Office located at FirstEnergy Stadium. Individual reservations cost $65 for adults and $25 for children 14 and under. The children's price includes a chicken finger and fries meal while adults will be served a banquet-style meal.

The event will feature an autograph session, the crowning of the 2014 King of Baseballtown Charlie Flannery, and an auction featuring sports collectibles and other unique items.

Since he was named general manager and senior vice president 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). Before 2010, the Phillies had never posted the best record over the course of a major league season.

After his first year as GM, in which the Phillies made a trip to their second consecutive World Series, he was named Executive of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA). The Phillies were also honored as both the Team of the Year by the PSWA and Organization of the Year by Baseball America.

In his six-season tenure leading the Phillies, Amaro has acquired via trade and free agency bona fide aces Pedro Martinez, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt. 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.

Proceeds from the event benefit Baseballtown Charities, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded to keep baseball alive in Reading through programs that honor the city's rich baseball history and secure its future by giving more kids the opportunity to play and learn from the game's life lessons. Since being founded in 2006, the organization constructed Gordon Hoodak Stadium at Lauer's Park, a $900,000 youth ballpark that sits on the grounds of Lauer's Park Elementary, in 2006 and added $90,000 in renovations to Baer Park in 2013. 

Season tickets, mini-plans, and group tickets for the 2014 season at FirstEnergy Stadium are available by visiting Fightins.com, calling the Fightin Phils Ticket Office at 610-370-BALL, or by visiting the Fightin Phils Ticket Office in person at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins.