Ruben Amaro Jr.’s polarizing tenure as Philadelphia Phillies general manager is over. The club announced Thursday that Amaro’s contract would not be renewed, with control over baseball operations ceasing immediately.
Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock will take over for the remainder of 2015 as interim GM.
Phillies president-in-waiting Andy MacPhail addressed the move in a statement, per ESPN.com:
It’s never an easy decision to make a change. Ruben has had a direct impact on some of the best years in the team’s history. He helped to create some great memories for Phillies fans with his accomplishments, but in order to return to a top-contending club, we believe this is the right thing to do as we continue the rebuilding process.
Amaro, 50, has been a member of the Phillies front office since his playing career ended in 1998. He served in the role of assistant general manager from 1998 to 2008, first under Ed Wade and then Pat Gillick, who retired after the club’s 2008 World Series championship (Gillick has since returned as the team’s president but will pass the title to MacPhail after this season).
Amaro took over as general manager following the 2008 season. Under his guidance, Philadelphia made the playoffs in each of the first three seasons, including a return to the World Series in 2009. Fans voted him MLB‘s Executive of the Year during that campaign, and it appeared Amaro would be making a seamless transition.
Unfortunately, that’s where things peaked. The Phillies performed progressively worse in each October after 2009 and are now heading toward their fourth straight missed postseason. Their roster in recent seasons has been littered with long, expensive contracts given to veterans who had peaked years earlier. That resulted in unceremonious exits for the likes of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.
It’s unclear whether Proefrock will have a chance to win the full-time job or will merely be a figurehead until the organization finds a permanent replacement this winter. Now, it’s time to see if the new regime can competently rebuild the team in the competitive NL East.
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