Among the many activities that take place at the Baseball Winter Meetings every year is an awards ceremony that honors public relations excellence. In San Diego last December, the Robert O. Fishel Award — named after the longtime baseball executive who won the first award in 1981 — went to Kevin Gregg, the Phillies’ vice president of communications.
Gregg became the second African American executive to win the award (Astros communications VP Gene Dias was the first, in 2017). During an interview with MLB.com, celebrating this Black History Month, Gregg reflected on the moment when he found out he was the recipient of the prestigious award.
“From all the people I talked to that knew Bob Fishel, it was very humbling to be mentioned in the same sentence with him,” Gregg said. “It meant the world to me because the job can be very thankless, very difficult. We work a lot of hours, but it’s a vital job and it’s important work. Anytime you can be recognized for being a small part of the team or just contributing, it goes a long way.”
It could be said Gregg was born into baseball. His late father, Eric Gregg, was an umpire from 1975-99. Gregg passed away 16 years before his son won the prestigious Fishel award, but the latter feels his dad is with him in spirit.
“I think he would have been thrilled,” Gregg said. “Moreso than the award, I followed in his footsteps by having a career in baseball. That’s where it all comes from. I love baseball because he loved the sport. Being exposed to baseball at a young age, that’s paramount to me in what I’ve done in my life. That’s all I ever wanted to do.”
Prior to joining the Phillies in 2022, the team that first hired him as an intern in 2003, Gregg was the head of the PR staff for the Red Sox, from 2013-21. He was the first African American to hold that position for Boston.
Like the Red Sox, the Phillies are a high-profile team that generates a great deal of media attention, and it’s up to the head of the public-relations staff to handle the daily demands that accompany working for a large-market team. In his first season with the Phillies, Gregg didn’t flinch — even after his team marched all the way to the National League pennant.
Gregg is always organized and ready for the media when there is breaking news. Whether he was setting up a meeting between Bryce Harper and the local reporters who wanted the latest on Harper’s injured left thumb, or informing the media of manager Joe Girardi’s dismissal, Gregg was responsible for making sure these news items were handled properly and professionally.
That extended into the postseason, when the Phillies advanced to the World Series before losing in six games to the Astros. Gregg was cool, calm and collected during their run in October and early November, setting up interviews between the media and members of the team.
“I understand the fact that the media has a job to do, whether we agree with what’s being reported or how it’s being reported,” Gregg said. “It’s just knowing that we’re all in this together. We have a very popular product in baseball and individually with the Phillies, and fans care about baseball and the Phillies.
“I try to pride myself on reporters doing their jobs, but there is a fine line for us to walk to where we need to make sure that we are allowing our players and staff to operate the way they need to operate in order for [them] to be successful, too. It is very often that our interests [team and media] are not aligned. It’s a difficult line to walk at times. It’s just understanding that you need to be professional. Reporters and media have a job to do, but we have a job to do as well.”
A respected executive long before he was officially recognized with the Fishel Award honors, Gregg can also be considered a pioneer in his field. Though there has been progress in recent years, Gregg would like to see more African American people in baseball public relations.
“I look at it as a responsibility of mine to show young men and women of color that there is a place for them as an executive in Major League Baseball,” Gregg said. “My field — media relations or public relations — is severely underrepresented. So it’s great that I was given the Robert O. Fishel Award so that young people can see someone who looks like them. … Yeah, it’s a big deal.”