Phillies Front Office Changes

[Squire]

Woohoo....the more they fire, the better.

Proefrock, Bonifay, Minnitti all gone (or demoted/reassigned)

https://twitter.com/Phillies/status/1430258747386089475/photo/1

[zambonir]

We were just discussing, weren't we!

Tried to upload the graphic but it was too big. Short version:

Proefrock and Minnitti out (staying as consultants, I guess maybe they actually did have their contracts extended when DD and Fuld got hired?)

Bonifay demoted to scout.

Velandia interim development director. Sal reporting to him.

Barber reports directly to DD.

(Barber and Sal previously reported to Minnitti).

Rice was always more the contracts/salary cap/arbitration guy so I guess he's staying.

So now the question is, will Bonifay's replacement be another Driveline type who keeps the two minor league coordinators, or will it be another full reset (not that one doesn't seem to be needed).

[Squire]

Why can't we just fire guys? We have a thousand bleeping consultants and assistants. Anyway, I'm glad to see them doing something. By keeping Sal, you are essentially saying that the problem has been development and not identification because our Latin American program has been a lot of money and no above average ML players, let alone a star.

[zambonir]

I think with this group (including Klentak) it is mostly a paper move. And maybe they actually don't want them going to work for other teams immediately. But you would think if there's an opportunity that takes the Phillies off the hook for any salary, they'd let it happen.

As Matt W noted on Twitter, mildly interesting that Barber doesn't report to Fuld even on paper. I reckon Girardi doesn't either!

[andyb]

That is really quick for Bonifay and Minnitti. Clearly Dombrowski putting his people in charge.

A little curious that Fuld is not mentioned at all in the chain of command but maybe he is more on the major league side. Could be Velandia has an expanded role. We have heard good things about his but I have no idea whose "guy" he is if anything.

[zambonir]

I'd say it was five months too slow, really, impractical as that might have been. And Minnitti's been here almost two years longer than Bonifay, though he didn't get a title until his second season. He really was the guy running everything as assistant GM, whereas in prior regimes the scouting and development directors were assistant GMs (Wolever and Chuck Lamar). So if you think Bonfiay was a disaster you don't want to keep the guy who hired/supervised him either.

Probably true that Fuld (as well as Rice) is more focused on the major league club.

And yet, none of these guys are Dombrowski's people! Velandia dates back to Amaro. Barber to Klentak. Fuld as well.

Perhaps Bonifay's replacement will actually have an assistant GM title (plus Velandia already does).

[andyb]

I'd say it was five months too slow, really, impractical as that might have been.

Hard to make a decision after last season when there was almost no development. This is really Bonifay's 2nd season to show results. Now those results have been bad, but it really would have been a quick trigger to do this off of 2019 alone.

Now maybe DD is going to dump all the Driveline types and just start over. Which worries me as much as trying to fix the problem with these changes.

[allentown]

On the one hand, churn isn't good. On the other hand, the organization still wasn't working to produce plus major league talent and change was mandatory. The 'on the other hand' needed to prevail. This is sort of starting over again on the rebuild structure, and it still leaves the troubled international scouting organization in place. It's tough to conclude too much, because our problems were with the big $ amateur signees either lacking sufficient talent or not being developed properly, and we don't know how big the thumbs the higher-ups stuck in those pies. This organization has had a long time to rebuild post-2012 and just hasn't pulled it off. Many management faces in and out during that time, lots of $ spent. All of which suggest problems high up in the organization.

[andyb]

I think we should put the year on the subject heading. This is kind of a yearly event after all.

[fish]

I’m trying to figure if that was a PO’d move by dombrowski or a practical move to make changes with enough time before instructs.

[Squire]

Timing is definitely interesting. Makes sense to do it before instructs to me.

[Philsmania]

Says to me that Fuld is just a nuts and bolts GM.

[andyb]

Or what most organizations would just call the assistant GM (if we did not already have like 6 of them).

[zambonir]

I think that's probably true in at least half the teams that have a President of Baseball ops though. The Dodgers still don't have a GM, and I couldn't tell you who the Giants GM is. Conversely Hoyer obviously had a lot of power with the Cubs, and eventually took the top job. Ng is in charge of the Marlins but only has the GM title (reporting directly to Jeter).

And of course the Phillies were just the opposite before, they had President who didn't really get involved in baseball at all, and gave his GM free rein.

If all goes well Fuld eventually replaces Dombrowski - but who can say whether things will go well or what that would even look like in 2024.

[flyers19rw]

AIR, Dombrowski said when he was hired that he needed time to evaluate the entire system. He didn’t look to be making any serious changes until he had a season to check over things. It looks like he has done his diligence and is ready to move forward with his plan. From his time with the Tigers and Marlins, I’d venture that he’ll be digging into the LA market with people that he knows in the region so there may be additional changes there.

[Philsmania]

AIR, Dombrowski said when he was hired that he needed time to evaluate the entire system. He didn’t look to be making any serious changes until he had a season to check over things. It looks like he has done his diligence and is ready to move forward with his plan. From his time with the Tigers and Marlins, I’d venture that he’ll be digging into the LA market with people that he knows in the region so there may be additional changes there.

I wouldn't be surprised if this offseason, Agostinelli joins the ranks of senior or special advisors.

[andyb]

I wouldn't be surprised if this offseason, Agostinelli joins the ranks of senior or special advisors.

If Sal just served out the rest of his years as a scout that would be fine. I think he is pretty good at that and has even helped us with Long Island in recent years. I just think he is behind the curve on cutting deals and getting value out of his top LA signings. Our problem has often been overpaying for guys like Ortiz and Luis Garcia that are likely decent prospects but not worth the bonus we gave them. A new voice with some experience navigating the minefield that is Latin American development would probably be good. Asia too. Our last few signings from over there seem pretty disappointing though we have not seen the Taiwanese 3B yet. Australia is our recent bright spot and we have traded the best two we have signed out of there (Mead, Gessner).

[zambonir]

Why not do it now then? Seems like Sal is in good stead with Velandia and has consolidated his status (with, as Squire noted, the blame going to the cooks in development rather than with Sal's grocery-shopping).

There's just nothing good about any of this, and with COVID on top of everything else I'm not sure how much you can fault the development staff either (unless you want to blame them for not getting everyone in Florida vaxxed). But it has to be done.

[zambonir]

Other news in here: Andy Galdi - who certainly did not have a distinguished reign building analytics - left in July.

Phillies shake up player development amid changes in analytics department as...

[Philsmania]

Other news in here: Andy Galdi - who certainly did not have a distinguished reign building analytics - left in July.

Phillies shake up player development amid changes in analytics department as...

Here's my biggest takeaway from the article:

As Dombrowski and manager Joe Girardi wield more and more influence on the organization’s direction, every vestige of the failed previous regime is subject to change.

Sounds like Dombrowski and Girardi are on the same page and Joe isn't going anywhere. Makes me wonder if Dave will be grooming Joe to be his ultimate replacement.