The Braves hired Ben Sestanovich as an assistant general manager with emphasis on player development, the team announced Thursday.
Sestanovich spent the past 10 years with the Padres, most recently under a director of player development title. He also worked as an advance scout (2012-15) and assistant director of player development before he was promoted to the head role before the 2019 season.
The Braves have been redesigning their scouting staff under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, with Sestanovich the latest addition. Director of player development Dom Chiti was recently reassigned while assistant development of player personnel A.J. Scola will be let go. The team won’t hire anyone to an official farm director or director of player development title in the immediate future.
In recent years, the Padres have assembled arguably the best collection of minor-league talent in the majors. They’ve undergone a lengthy rebuild that’s begun bearing fruit in the last year, with budding star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. headlining a trove of talented youth.
Sestanovich graduated from Harvard University in 2011 with an economics degree. He’s a native of Washington, D.C.
