Today the Phillies announced that GM Matt Klentak has stepped down from his post as General Manager and will conclude service on the remaining two years of his contract in a re-assigned role.
Assistant GM Ned Rice will temporarily assume the GM duties till a replacement is hired.
Team owner John Middleton stated in a zoom conference ; “I've just been looking over time & the progress we made. I came to the conclusion we've made progress but not fast enough ... so I made a change.”
Middleton also stated that team President Andy MacPhail will stay as team president and will be involved in selecting the next General Manager.
In regards to future spending he said that with revenues being uncertain he expects that clubs will have to limit spending. He stated that re-signing free agent catcher JT Realmuto was a priority however revenue could determine what happens. It’s expected that Realmuto will test the free agency market. So ... there’s that.
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My thoughts ...
The team has made a heavy investment in updating their training, evaluation and teaching mechanisms ... it’s far too soon to state whether those methodologies have succeeded or failed. While there has been somewhat of a divide in the organization between “Old School” vs new methods it’s not insurmountable.
Every industry evolves ... to believe that never changing or incorporating new ideas is certainly not the way to be successful. Conversely to completely discount what has worked in times past and the value of experience is equally illogical. There has to be a melding of the two ... communication is the core and key element. People have to listen and learn from one another, if they can’t they need to be moved on from else stagnancy occurs and no advancement happens.
So ... to me the new GM has to be someone who’s the voice of reason, one who values experience as well as new methodology and learnings ... equally. This person needs to be respected and forceful and also requires the backing of senior management with the distinction that they are the process owner and empowered ... without feeling as if they are looking over their shoulder. I believe there’s been more of that as of late in the organization as well.
The person should be an experienced baseball person with an appreciation for new techniques ...
I believe that names like Jim Hendry and Tim Naehring of the Yankees are of that sort as are JJ Piccolo of the Royals and Billy Owens of the A’s.
The Rays have a long tradition of developing talent ... including in baseball operations management ... if Middleton wants to rob that bank of wealth then perhaps Bobby Heck is the guy or if aiming high then Erik Neander.
There is also a very unknown baseball amateur writer who lives in FLA and knows this system pretty well ... just sayin 😂
In any regards ... unlike the owner I don’t think the shelf is as barren as it may seem ... just needs retooling and a lot more communication both internally and externally ...
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
