Andy MacPhail Named Phillies’ Next President

The Phillies announced Andy MacPhail as the organization’s next president in a press conference on Monday afternoon. MacPhail will officially take the reins as team president after the season, which for the Phillies is all but assured to end on October 4.

MacPhail will serve as an adviser to current President Pat Gillick until the end of the season, and said during his introductory press conference that he will use the remainder of the season  "to read, to watch and listen,” adding that “hopefully within the three months I'll have a clear idea of what I think is appropriate and needs to be done.”

With MacPhail not officially making calls until the end of the season, it is unlikely that General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will be shown the door before then, at which point his contract will expire anyway, (though I know we were all hoping to see something like this from McPhail to Amaro today):

“I think it's way premature to make personnel decisions,” MacPhail said in his news conference. “I don't need to have people I know around me. I don't think the record shows that I'm a guy that, four people get let go the minute that I'm in there. But they are case-by-case decisions. Once you get a feel on how your club needs to proceed, then you get a better idea of who you think can execute what you think you have to execute.”

MacPhail also noted that the Phillies will increase their usage of sabermetrics, something the organization has been reluctant to utilize in the past. FINALLY.

MacPhail has a history of success, having served as general manager of the Twins during their 1987 and 1991 World Series wins and recently serving as the president of baseball operations for the Orioles during their rebuilding phase that brought the organization back to the playoffs.

Overall, this appears to be a good move for the Phillies, and could lead to quite a few shakeups within a struggling organization.

By: Kyle Babcock
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