Front office Stomper climbs the ladder

Anna Pier | Sonoma Sun —

 Sonoma Stompers is announcing the promotion of current General Manager Eduardo “Eddie” Mora-Loera to president of the organization. A Stomper himself in 2015-18,  Eddie was recruited at end of the season to be assistant manager of the team. He has been GM since 2020, and will continue in the role until a new GM is named.

Last fall Mora-Loera entered the MBA program for working professionals at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. At an assembly of the 290 new students, the dean of the school highlighted that this year’s class included someone from the sports industry. (The Sun interview with him June 2022 was published on UC’s Linked-in profile, resulting in lots of recognition.) 

In that story he said that pursuing his MBA would give him the opportunity to continue to grow the Stompers. The biggest challenge of last year was to stabilize the finances, to make a budget that  can be planned for. This year saw a 140% increase in season ticket holders, group events have grown from 40% to 65%, and single game ticket sales are up 25%. Also, last year the GM oversaw the change from professional players to undergrad players from universities and colleges around the country, as part of the CA Collegiate League.

Eddie has pursued many initiatives for the Stompers to be “entrenched in the community.” He has developed a strong intern program that is one of the community connections he wanted for the organization. It exposes local college students to tangible experiences, some of which have led to local jobs for last year’s interns. The GM’s hope is for the Stompers to become a self-sustainable organization the community will enjoy for decades to come.

As for the team itself, Eddie is “really big on developing team culture,” explaining that since baseball is such a mental game, where even the best fail more often than succeed, it is critical for team mates to support each other. Last in the division in 2022, the currently third place Stompers are at .500, and making a bid for the playoffs.

The young executive – he turned 30 last October– has had an unwavering commitment to baseball. First in his family to college, he attended Jacksonville State in Alabama on a full baseball scholarship, graduating with a degree in Applied Manufacturing Engineering. Three teammates were drafted, but not Eddie. “Still, I turned down a job with General Dynamics for a career in pro baseball.” 

Describing himself as “every bit a journeyman,” he spent four months moving from Alabama to Missouri to Michigan and Washington, making teams that all folded. Ending up at his home in Oakland where he grew up, he still wanted to play, so seized the opportunity when the Stompers called him. Mora-Loera is still listed on the team’s website for his hitting streak.

See the full team schedule.