MLB Promotes Noah Garden and Chris Marinak
Press release Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball announced the promotions of Noah Garden to Chief Revenue Officer and Chris Marinak to Chief Operations and Strategy Officer. With the recent departure of Tony Petitti, Garden and Marinak will have oversight of additional departments that previously reported to the former Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media. Both executives will continue to report directly to Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
“Noah and Chris are talented, smart and creative executives who I have relied on to effectively lead areas that are important for the continued growth of Major League Baseball,” said Manfred. “Their additional responsibilities complement the areas that were already in their purview, build upon their strengths, and increase organizational efficiencies.”
Previously Executive Vice President, Business and Sales, Garden will oversee all MLB revenue-generating departments in his new role. In addition to Ticketing, Sponsorship, Corporate Sales, and Sports Wagering, Garden also will now be responsible for Consumer Products, Video Games, National Media, Broadcasting, MLB Network, and International.
As Executive Vice President, Strategy, Technology & Innovation, Marinak oversaw Technology, Product, Scheduling and Game Operations. In his new role, Marinak also will lead departments focused on digital content and fan engagement including Marketing and Social Media, Web Content, Special Events, and Design Services. In addition, he will supervise a new Strategy and Analytics group.
Garden joined MLB Advanced Media in January 2001 and eventually oversaw MLBAM’s ticketing, sponsorship, and advertising departments before being named an MLB Executive Vice President in December 2014. Under Commissioner Manfred’s “One Baseball” approach, Garden has led MLB to reach all-time highs in number of sponsorships and sponsorship revenue. Garden’s department has formed new relationships and expanded long-term partnerships with prominent brands including Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, Chevrolet, GEICO, MGM Resorts and T-Mobile.
Marinak, a former pitcher at the University of Virginia and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, joined MLB in 2008 and is a member of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame. His department oversees relationships with the world’s leading technology companies, including Apple, Google, Mitel and Sony’s Hawk-Eye, for functions including ball and player tracking for Statcast, data, analytics, and MLB’s Replay Review system. During the 2020 season, Marinak has overseen the creation and ongoing management of the MLB schedule, the incorporation of audio from MLB The Show into ballpark game presentation and the development of Cheer at the Ballpark, which provides fans the ability to support their favorite team remotely and has registered more than 45 million fan reactions to date this season.
