Back in my playing days coaches used to endlessly encourage us in the field to “make some noise” or “show some spirit” or voice the infamous “talk it up” 🙃 ... as a relatively quiet dude it’s one of the reasons I liked pitching ... never had to listen to that nonsense 😜.
Well now that I’m a older fella that writes about the game baseball “chatter” is my daily outlet ... whether it be on the phone with folks I never thought I’d have the honor to speak with else writing an article post ... little did I know back in the day that such a thing would come to fruition or be so important to my sanity ... different perspective eh 😎.
Here’s some Phillies “chatter” I’ve heard, read or learned about in recent days ...
The Baseball Operations group will have a much different look next season. Many of the coaches, scouts, trainers and support personnel I have gotten to know a bit ( and many I haven’t ) have decided to accept the severance package recently offered by the Phillies and will either terminate their time with the organization by year end else have already done so. From a fan’s view I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their efforts ... those jobs aren’t easy to do ... a lot of valuable experience has left the buildings ... hopefully it doesn’t come back to haunt the organization 🤦♂️
Recent rumblings about Thad Levine ( Twins GM ) having interest in the Phillies President of Baseball Operations position were perhaps misleading. While it’s true he spoke with team owner John Middleton it’s unclear how sincerely he was interested in the position. Similar to Eric Neander ( Rays ) in Tampa it seems Mr. Levine and his family truly likes his present job, the community they live in and had no real desire to start over in a different organization. To me that’s not a bad thing, it’s actually pretty cool to see folks happy in their positions and lives ... good for them! 👍
If I had my choice ... not that anyone has asked ... my external selection for the Phillies top Baseball Operations job ( President ) would be Michael Hill ... he’s a very respected baseball executive, did a tremendous job this past summer in a COVID roster crisis with the Marlins, is seemingly a class act and has experience dealing with “Interactive” ownership. Just sayin 🤷♂️.
I also believe there is an outstanding candidate for the full time GM position right under the team’s nose ... Brian Minnitti would do very well in the role and a Hill/Minnitti combination would be an outstanding combination for the club. Often times giving someone who knows the people internally is the best choice ... that was always my hiring practice anyways. 🧐
Ronald Torreyes re-signed with the organization on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Nice player who is fundamentally sound and well liked all around ... good guy to have !
The rumblings about Infielder Jean Segura potentially being traded may have some merit but folks should also realize that he has a full no-trade clause in his contract. It was my previous understanding that he didn’t want to move again to a different team ... things can change and assuredly if a trade were presented to his agents a financial sweetener also would be expected to waive such clause ... not saying it can’t happen ... just saying that Mr Segura has control over it.
The first ever “virtual winter meetings” start on Monday ... epic 2020 eh 🤦♂️. The winter meetings are usually hosted by Minor League Baseball ... given that there’s been no general announcement as to which teams are going to be affiliated next season how do the various minor league club representatives know whether to dial into the various Zoom conferences ??? Could be some awkward meetings 🥴.
I’ll continue on with my Minor League profiles and Winter League Updates going forward. My usual “chatter” 🤓
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
Комментарии