D-backs’ Josh Rawitch to become president of Baseball Hall of Fame
Jun 28, 2021, 10:04 AM
Josh Rawitch will become president of baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 9 after spending 27 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
Rawitch will be the eighth president in the Hall’s 82-year history. He is currently in his 10th season with the Diamondbacks, his sixth as senior vice president of content and communications.
We are pleased to announce that Josh Rawitch has been named the next President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Welcome to Cooperstown, Josh! https://t.co/oITJYvXdO8 pic.twitter.com/oWDbhGm4FI
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) June 28, 2021
“I am truly honored to join the team at the Hall of Fame, a revered institution that is fundamental to the preservation of the history of our game and its legends,” Rawitch said in the Hall of Fame’s press release. “Cooperstown is a special place and every baseball fan who has set foot in the village knows how powerful that experience can be, while those who haven’t visited undoubtedly have it on their bucket list. My family is looking forward to being a part of the community for many years to come.”
“I am also humbled by the trust placed in me by Jane Forbes Clark to help carry out a vision established more than 80 years ago, and I am proud to follow in the footsteps of two great friends in Jeff Idelson and Tim Mead. I will forever be thankful for the support of Ken Kendrick, Derrick Hall and everyone at the D-backs who have made the last decade unforgettable both personally and professionally.”
While in the Valley, Rawitch has served on the board of directors for the Greater Phoenix Chamber, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, according to the press release.
He taught classes on strategic sports communications at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and was also on the university’s sports business advisory board.
Former Baseball Hall of Fame president Tim Mead announced on April 16 he was quitting in mid-May. Jeff Idelson returned as interim president May 15 and will stay on the job until Rawitch starts, the Hall said Monday.
The 44-year-old Rawitch was hired by the Dodgers in 1995, worked in the marketing department for five years and switched to the public relations department.
He worked for BAM from 2001-02, returned to the Dodgers and was vice president of communications.
Rawitch was the 2018 winner of MLB’s 2018 Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
