Detroit — From 2017 through 2021, the San Diego Padres could boast a farm system that was ranked in the top 10 by industry experts. The man in charge of those drafts, Mark Conner, is now the Tigers’ director of amateur scouting.
The Tigers announced the hiring of Conner on Sunday. He’d been with the Padres for 13 seasons and last year served as special assistant to general manager A.J. Preller and field coordinator. Conner will work under assistant general manager and director of scouting Rob Metzler.
“I’m excited to welcome another highly talented baseball operations executive to our front office,” Tigers president Scott Harris said in a statement. “Rob and Mark have each led some of the most successful drafts of the last decade and I am confident they will form a dynamic partnership atop our amateur scouting department.
“Mark’s track record of success and vision for the department made him the perfect fit for this role. He will be a great complement to Rob and an excellent leader for our area scouts, cross-checkers, and analysts moving forward.”
Among the talent Conner helped bring into the Padres organization was CJ Abrams, David Bednar, Ty France, MacKenzie Gore and Cal Quantrill.
“I couldn’t be happier to join a historic organization like the Tigers and I’m looking forward to working with Scott, Rob and the entire baseball operations group,” Conner said in a statement. “During the interview process with Scott and Rob it was clear that all our philosophies, and perhaps more importantly passions to win, were very much aligned.
“I’ve seen firsthand over the last seven seasons what an impact sound yet progressive amateur draft decisions can have on an organization’s path to success, and I’m excited to get started.”
Connor, who started his career with San Diego as a scout in 2010 and was promoted to regional supervisor by 2014, replaces Scott Pleis, who had been running the Tigers’ drafts the past 12 seasons.
Connor’s resume includes a stint as the pitching coach at the University of South Carolina-Aiken (2005-09) and as an assistant coach at Indian Hills Community College (Iowa). Before that he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Cumberland University (Tennessee), where he played and helped get into three NAIA World Series.
A native of Cleveland, he and his wife Jennifer live in Nashville with their daughter, Claire, and son, Caleb.
cmccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky