The Arizona Diamondbacks Authentics team puts its trust in Ben Kleiman to securely retrieve game-used merchandise, such as the base used when Shohei Ohtani stole his 44th base at Chase Field, auctioned for an astounding $38,210.
Kleiman, a senior studying sports and entertainment management at Grand Canyon University, has quickly gained added responsibility as he enters his second year with the team.
“Ben is hard-working and wants to do what’s best for the store,” said GCU alumnus Ben Laffoon, senior coordinator for Authentics and youth sports programs for the Diamondbacks. “It’s satisfying to see him want to do well for himself but also (to want) the programs that he’s working for to do well.”
After serving last summer as an intern, Kleiman will return as the Authentics gameday supervisor for the D-backs.
That title reflects his reliability in fulfilling his duties, such as communicating with the team’s clubhouse staff and communications department, as well as alerting game-day authenticators and grounds crew workers to look for milestone mementos that could be used for the D-backs' online auction and team store.
All net proceeds go to charity, and the value of merchandise can’t be underestimated, especially when it involves a megastar like the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ohtani.
The ball used when Ohtani stole his 45th and 46th bases in the same game fetched $10,890. That price, however, paled in comparison to the price paid for Ohtani’s 50th home run – $4.392 million via private auction. The home run anointed Ohtani as the only player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Each of the 30 teams has its own Authentics department under Major League Baseball’s Authentication Program. Kleiman deals mostly with Diamondbacks merchandise, and his previous experience as a guest services representative with the Colorado Rockies, where his father also works, helped him become familiar with that team's Authentics program.
“I knew to become an authenticator, you had to be a retired (or off-duty) cop,” Kleiman said. “I saw it as a way of getting into the front end of business because I applied last year to about 50 jobs and multiple Authentics (positions). So I knew kind of what it was, and I knew that it would be an interesting way to see the sport.”
Laffoon acknowledged that Kleiman’s knowledge of the Authentics program before his interview with the Diamondbacks gave him more responsibilities and enabled the department to create new ways to generate revenue for the store and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation.
Last year, Kleiman asked if the catcher's gear designed for Armed Forces Day could be pulled. After receiving permission, the chest protector and shin guards worn by Gabriel Moreno garnered $650 through an auction.
Despite his work with the Rockies, Kleiman admits last summer’s experience was “crazy” because he had witnessed the memorabilia authentication program from only the view of a fan and as a guest services representative.
His first duties with the Diamondbacks included meeting the authenticators throughout spring training and introducing himself to the players during autograph day to build a rapport designed to last throughout the season.
Some players, such as venerable third baseman Eugenio Suarez, will merely look at an authenticator during a game to see if Kleiman wants a ball.
But Kleiman’s game-day duties start well before each series, when he meets and presents the authenticators with a list of players they seek items from, such as baseballs or bats.
Opposing teams have dibs on merchandise from their team. The exception is major events, such as Ohtani’s bases or the ball used to commemorate his milestones.
The communications department for the Diamondbacks keeps Kleiman abreast of any players approaching milestones before each series and even during games.
Kleiman watches the game from the press level but will make visits to the camera well, where the authenticators are located, in the third and sixth innings to talk to the authenticators and collect baseballs they can deliver to the D-backs Team Shop for sale.
If there is a jersey in demand, Kleiman will contact clubhouse manager Roger Riley or assistants Chad Chiffin, Jimmy Garrett, Shawn Moore or Lupe Uribe to retrieve it after the game.
The Diamondbacks didn’t advance to the postseason, so Kleiman spent three weeks in October getting every jersey authenticated for action and online sales.
In addition to his Diamondbacks duties, Kleiman – who played baseball briefly at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts – is entering his third season as assistant director of analytics for GCU’s baseball team.
He has gained immense experience learning the types of technology that has become widespread in Major League Baseball. But he prefers working in an office and inside a stadium collecting merchandise.
“I don’t really want to be on a bus,” said Kleiman, recalling that one of his friends was performing baseball duties in the remote town of Timberland in northwest Wisconsin.
Laffoon, meanwhile, hopes that more GCU students will take advantage of the Colangelo College of Business’ resources.
“I was a sports management major, but now it’s transition to a sports and entertainment (program) since I got out of school,” Laffoon said. “We have a lot of volunteers come out for our Evening on the Diamond or whatever fundraiser we might have. It’s all hands on deck. We just had our golf tournament this past week. It's nice to see (the students) getting out and involved.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at Mark.Gonzales@gcu.edu
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