Phillies Front Office Changes

[flyers19rw]

I’m probably in the minority here but if the organization could create a decent player development program, they have some raw material with which to work. For example, Bohm, Hasely, Stott, and Kingery we’re all highly rated prospects going into their drafts. Hopefully they can be salvaged here before being cut loose and getting straightened out elsewhere.

[Squire]

I agree with this. There have been more than a handful of players who have experienced nearly immediate improvement upon leaving. The latest being Cole Irvin. I think there is a real chance guys like Kingery, Bohm and Haseley are turned around. Stott seems to be fine right now.

[andyb]

For example, Bohm, Hasely, Stott, and Kingery we’re all highly rated prospects going into their drafts. Hopefully they can be salvaged here before being cut loose and getting straightened out elsewhere.

I would hope so too. All of those players (and add Randolph) except maybe Kingery were seen as more polished than toolsy. Clearly with Barber the emphasis is more on the tools side to give the development system more to work with. I am more concerned with Bohm's offensive development where he clearly does not have the batspeed this year to contend with all the velocity out there. No idea if that is related to instruction or just his general approach since before he was drafted was effective against lower velocity pitchers which are more prevalent than in the minors/majors. Bohm's defense (or lack thereof) was always apparent. There just are not lots of 6'5" 3B since the levers and reactions are so long unless you are a superior athlete.

Stepping back a bit, I wonder if some of this change is directed at the extremely high injury rate this season. It is like we emailed all our prospects their driveline training instructions last year and then whatever everybody did in the offseason has contributed to a high injury rate. Maybe we shouldn't have pitchers work on spin rate in isolation at a really young age. Is the Phillies' injury rate higher than that of other organizations? I suspect it is and this might be part of the consequences.

[Philsmania]

Klentak spent his first three years working with Amaro's farm director (Jordan) and first four years working with Amaro's scouting director (Almaraz). Technically, Dombrowski is working with Klentak's scouting director (Barber) and seems happy with him. But, he didn't wait a year to cut bait on Klentak's farm director (Bonifay).

Thinking of what's been going wrong with Bohm, how much blame should the ML coaching staff shoulder? Speaking with a friend recently, looking at the ML team's recent offensive struggles and speculation that he may have been the one messing around with Bohm by trying to make him a power hitter (and, in the process, blowing a hole in his swing) make me think that Dillon might not be the guy for the hitting coach job (though he obviously wasn't a problem last year).

[nycphils]

Nick Pivetta, Curtis Mead are two others that quickly improved elsewhere in the last year alone

[zambonir]

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.

Matt Winkleman noted that too (and wasn't happy about it). I thought it was more of a throwaway observation myself, but it's hardly a surprise. Essentially Joe and DD both answer to Middleton, and yes, appear to be on the same page. The replacement theory is not uninteresting though.

I can't say I'm optimistic about any of it, tbh. It seems like they are heading for a classic overreaction despite the lip service being paid to multiple approaches/POVs. The short-term future - i.e. the possibility of actually playing in a World Series under Girardi in 2022 or 2023 - still does not seem bright, and the likelihood that Dombrowski leaves behind a Top 10 farm system and future contender also seems remote (especially if there's no active rebuild period).

I think hitting and pitching coaches are almost never really the problem. It rarely seems to help when changes are made. Nobody seems to be calling for Juan Castro's head either but hasn't his department been an even bigger failure?

That said, Girardi has also been coaching with Kapler's staff, for the most part, and I wonder if it's just time for a few new voices. The Phillies hired Thomson because they thought Kapler needed an experienced hand and he was Girardi's guy before that, but I'm not seeing where they are an especially distinguished game-management pair.

[andyb]

Curtis Mead was consistently good for the Phillies. 813 OPS as an 18-year-old in GCL and then .859 in 2019 and .951 in 2020 in Australia (while he was still Phillies property though he was traded during that latter season). Mead was always outhitting Rixon Wingrove for instance at the same levels.

One cannot fault the Phillies for development with Mead. One can fault them for including him in the minor trade (for Cristopher Sanchez). Sanchez had to be on the 40-man roster so he needed to be moved on the Rays end. We just did not value Mead highly enough.

[nycphils]

Have to say that I think this change in personnel gives me some comfort that thins might actually improve in a few years - I actually have faith in Dombrowski’s ability to lead an organization without totally f’ing it up. He may not be the cutting edge guy like Andrew Freedman, Farman Zaidi or Erik Neander, but he’s competent and can run a farm system in a non disasterous fashion (even though the players might all end up traded away).

[Squire]

Phillies fire Minor League Field Coordinator Chris Truby

[bkox]

Phils' minor-league shakeup continues, candidates to lead department emerge

[andyb]

Interesting that they have interviewed 3 internal candidates so far. That speaks to some major disagreements about the current staff and perhaps DD chose sides in the end.

Del Mathews is son of Sarge. Seems to have a varied background but never a top development job.

Black Baseball Is The Matthews Family Business - The Shadow League

[zambonir]

2 of those three candidates from the "department of integrated performance" which was Fuld's department. If I could place a bet....

An inside look at the creation of the Phillies' new sports science department

[andyb]

Phillies looking at another Yankee for farm director role:
https://twitter.com/JSalisburyNBCS/status/1442863629913579528

I suspect the Barber influence here is more important than the Girardi influence.

[Philsmania]

Phillies looking at another Yankee for farm director role:
https://twitter.com/JSalisburyNBCS/status/1442863629913579528

I suspect the Barber influence here is more important than the Girardi influence.

You could do worse than hire people from the Yankees. Arbuckle came with a Braves pedigree way-back-when while, conversely, McPhail, Klentak and Jordan all came with an Orioles pedigree.

Girardi is signed to be manager from one more year. I have a sneaking suspicion that the long-range plan is that he will step up to GM and ultimately replace Dombrowski. Guy went to Northwestern so he can't be stupid. But, then again, Klentak went to Dartmouth.

[zambonir]

Girardi would have to stick around longer as manager first. And maybe he will. But I don't know that he's looking to get out of the dugout. If things go well, Fuld probably still gets the job, and DD heads off into the Nashville sunset. If they don't go well, it won't be anyone who works here now.

[BostonRoss]

FWIW, Amaro went to Stanford.

[Patchmk88]

Well it sounds like me and my University of Louisville degree will never see a Front Office.

[andyb]

Dombrowski did start at Cornell, but finished his college at Western Michigan, so there is still hope.

[zambonir]

As did Fuld

I still think Ruben is gonna run the Phillies again someday.

[Austinfan]

Not sure that's a bad thing, Ruben's had a chance to see things from various perspectives, and learn from his mistakes.
Plus he'd be working for an owner who wouldn't squeeze every dime.