Detroit Tigers hire Mark Conner from San Diego Padres as new amateur scouting director

The Detroit Tigers have a new scouting director.

Mark Conner, who has worked for the San Diego Padres since 2010, has been hired as the Tigers' amateur scouting director under new assistant general manager Rob Metzler, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on Saturday.

Conner served as the Padres' scouting director for seven seasons, from 2015-21, before being reassigned to the role of special assistant to general manager A.J. Preller in September 2021. The Tigers hired Metzler from the Tampa Bay Rays' scouting department on Tuesday morning. He was in charge of making the final pick for scouting director.

On Sunday, the Tigers confirmed Conner's hire.

"I couldn't be happier to join a historic organization like the Tigers," Conner said in a statement, "and I'm looking forward to working with Scott (Harris), Rob and the entire baseball operations department. 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."

Before hiring Conner, the Tigers interviewed Milwaukee Brewers special assistant to scouting Chip Lawrence. Lawrence, who previously worked for the Padres, was informed by the Tigers on Tuesday night that he did not receive the job. On Wednesday, the Tigers interviewed Conner and discussed the future of the department.

In San Diego, Conner crossed paths with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.

Hinch became the Padres' vice president of pro scouting in September 2010 and resigned in August 2014.

Conner, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, joined the Padres in 2010 as an amateur scout and was promoted to northeast regional supervisor prior to the 2014 season. In November 2014, the Padres elevated Conner to scouting director as Billy Gasparino's replacement. He most recently used top picks to select Robert Hassell, CJ Abrams, Ryan Weathers, MacKenzie Gore and Luis Campusano, along with Cal Quantrill and Eric Lauer.

Of those players, Campusano and Weathers are the only remaining members of the Padres. The others were traded, with Abrams, Gore and Hassell forming the bulk of the prospect haul sent to the Washington Nationals for slugger Juan Soto at the 2022 trade deadline.

Before the 2022 season, Preller reassigned Conner as his special assistant. He also took on the role of field coordinator. As special assistant to the general manager, Conner was challenged with evaluating every player in San Diego's farm system.

The Tigers began shuffling their amateur scouting department in early October, when new president of baseball operations Scott Harris fired amateur scouting director Scott Pleis after 15 seasons with the organization.

Harris offered to reassign assistant general manager David Chadd, but on Monday, the Tigers officially parted ways with the longtime scout after 18 seasons together. The next day, the Tigers hired Metzler as an assistant general manager with a vice president tag. He is responsible for overseeing the amateur and international scouting departments.

Now, Conner is the newest addition to Harris' regime.

He will serve as Metzler's right-hand man in the amateur scouting department.

"I'm excited to welcome another highly talented baseball operations executive to our front office," 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."

Before joining the Padres, Conner served as the pitching coach at the University of South Carolina Aiken for five seasons, from 2005-09. He also has coaching experience at Indian Hills Community College and Cumberland University.

Conner played catcher from 1996-99 at Cumberland University, where he won four Mid-South Conference championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1999 and his master's degree in 2002, both in education.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers hire Mark Conner from Padres as scouting director