Let me start off by saying that just being able to write this article makes me happy.
The Phillies under the direction of Matt Klentak had no hope.
Now that he’s gone it feels like a little bit of that hope is restored and hopefully we can get this baseball team back on the correct path.
And that’s what I’m here to do-- set the Phillies on the right path. Let’s get into my top candidates to replace Matt Klentak.
The dream team president candidates:
Erik Neander: VP of Baseball Operations and GM Tampa Bay Rays
If you follow me on Twitter, (@JackFritzWIP by the way), you’ve probably seen a tweet or ten about Erik Neander.
It pretty much boils down to this. If John Middleton is as serious about winning as he says he is, Neander should be the choice. He’s turned the Rays into a machine with a payroll that doesn’t come close to $100 million. They scout extremely well, they develop extremely well and they unearth hidden gems from all around the sport every year. Now imagine what that dude could do with a $200 million payroll. Getting Neander here would be a bigger deal than getting Bryce Harper here, and it’s really not that close.
The Phillies have a golden opportunity with this hire. After listening to Middleton’s press conference, it seems like Andy Macphail only has a year left with the team. The Phillies would be wise to go for a home-run hire to assume the role of president of the team and let Macphail ride out the rest of this year before moving in another direction. Very rarely does a position like this become available. A president role with a big market team, that has shown a willingness to spend, doesn’t become available every day and this is part of the reason why Neander might even consider the Phillies offer should they present one.
My official position. Give Erik Neander a blank check and let’s get serious about winning some World Series’.
If that’s off the board…
Mike Chernoff: General Manager, Cleveland Indians
Chernoff fits the same kind of mold as Neander. He’s the GM of Indians and the Phillies would have to offer them the president’s role to lure him away from Cleveland.
Cleveland, much like the Rays, operate without a big budget and consistently form winning ballclubs. The thing that is so appealing about making Chernoff the teams new president is that he’s been a part of Cleveland’s rise as one of the smartest, forward-thinking front offices from the ground up with the now president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti.
He has turned down GM jobs elsewhere in the past, like with the Mets in 2018 and the Padres in 2015, so it might take offering him the president's job to lure him away from Cleveland. But, much like Neander, it would be a wise investment on Middleton’s part. Chernoff has been groomed for this role by Cleveland and it’s another example of imaging what a guy like him could do with this payroll.
Thad Levine: General Manager, Minnesota Twins
The last of my dream candidates to become the president of the Phillies is a guy that they incorrectly passed over in 2015. Levine was one of the finalists for the GM job that ultimately went to Klentak in 2015.
Now, the Phillies have a chance to right this wrong by making him their president of baseball ops.
The work Levine has done since taking over the GM’s position has been remarkable. The Twins have quietly developed into one of the most progressive organizations in baseball on both the pitching and hitting sides of the ball. Levine has prioritized slugging and strikeouts since taking over in Minnesota and really, I think the Phillies would be getting him in the ascent of his climb to one of the top president of baseball ops candidates in the sport. The Twins have a little more resources than Cleveland and the Rays, but still, one can’t help but wonder what Levine could do overseeing the Phillies payroll.
All three of the candidates above would be home run hires by John Middleton and would really set the Phillies on the right path for the rest of the 2020’s.
Now, let’s get to just the best general manager candidates for the team.
Bobby Owens: Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel, Oakland A’s
If the Phillies are just looking for a GM and not a president, Bobby Owens would be my first choice. He’s been regarded as an artist of the scouting report, and after listening to Middleton’s press conference, it really seems like he’s going to put a major emphasis on the draft and player development.
Simply put, Owens is one of the best scouts in the business and has been directly involved in drafts and player personnel with the A’s for the last 12 years. Year-in and year-out the A’s produce winning ballclubs through homegrown talent and small payrolls. If Middleton wants to put an emphasis on scouting and developing, Owens would be the obvious pick.
Matt Forman: Assistant GM, Cleveland Indians
Forman is viewed around the game as an ascending GM candidate and in this particular case…. Is #FromHere. Forman attended Malvern Prep for high school, which obviously vaults him right to the front for GM candidates. Forman would be a nice mix of analytics and scouting. Before working for the Indians, Forman wrote for Baseball America. He was hired by the team in 2013 and was in-charge of baseball operations prior to the 2016 season. Since that point, the Indians have drafted-- Shane Bieber, Nolan Jones, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, James Karinchak and have more in the pipeline. If the Phillies want to have waves of pitching, Forman would be a wise choice.
Amiel Sawdaye: Assistant GM and Senior VP, Arizona Diamondbacks
While the Red Sox were building homegrown championship level cores, Sawdaye was overseeing them as the team's head scout. He had a direct hand in helping build three World Series winners with the Red Sox and now he’s in his fourth season overseeing the Diamondbacks amateur and international scouting departments. Some of the players linked to Sawdaye are impressive: Andrew Benintiendi, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Travis Shaw, Yoan Moncada and Xander Bogaerts were all homegrown and all scouted by Sawdaye.
Now he’s with the Diamondbacks and they have really transformed themselves in the last couple of seasons with Sawdaye and GM Mike Hazen at the forefront. Poaching a guy who has seen a major market operate, like Boston, and help rebuild a team through homegrown players, like the D-backs should be enticing for John Middleton.
Peter Bendix: VP of Player Development, Tampa Bay Rays
If the Rays won’t give up Erik Neander, just take possibly the next Erik Neander, in Peter Bendix. Poaching from the Rays braintrust is never a bad idea. Again, I’m from the mindset of take smart dudes from smart organizations and see what they can do in a big market. Bendix has been with the Rays for 12 seasons, and has spent the last 4 as the director of baseball development while the Rays have transformed into one of the best teams in the sport.
I’ll take a shot on that dude.
Matt Arnold: VP and Assistant GM, Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are another one of the sneaky smart teams in baseball right now. Operating with low payrolls, Arnold and his boss, David Stearns have turned the Brewers into a pitching factory and one of the most progressive organizations in the sport.
Arnold could the best of both worlds for the Phillies. He comes from a smart organization, has had a direct hand in turning them around, and he was with the Rays from 2007-2015 and helped build them into the sustained winner they are now.
J.J Picollo: VP and assistant GM, Kansas City Royals
Picollo was one of the finalists for the job in 2015, and is from Cherry Hill. Much like Billy Owens, Picollo is one of the best scouts in the game and has had a direct hand in consistently finding homegrown talent. He and Dayton Moore helped build the team that won the World Series in 2015 and now 5 years later are in the process of building up their next contending core.
The one knock for Picollo in his past GM chances is that he is seemingly, “anti-analytics,” but added to his role with the Royals has been the director of player performance, which uses all the cutting edge player development tools running rampant throughout the sport to get the most out of their players.
Picollo would be a nice blend of the use of the analytics in player development, old school scouting and seeing what a small market guy can do with the powerful resources the Phillies can offer.
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As you can see by my list, I’m not in favor of the Phillies overcorrecting and getting away from an analytical mindset. Just because the Phillies got it wrong with Klentak doesn’t mean they should shy away from something that all the best organizations in baseball are doing.
Like I stated above, the Phillies have a golden opportunity here to make an impact hiring if they want to. Middleton pretty much stated that Macphail only really has a year left and will help guide in the right direction. If they have a chance to bring in one of the president of baseball ops guys that were laid out above, I would be shocked in Macphail stepped in the way of that becoming a reality.
It’s not very often that a job with a major market team, that has shown they are willing to spend, (to a certain extent), and a win-now roster becomes available.
Let’s hope they don’t mess it up.