Phillies' family culture may need to change
Scan the room and you could see some old and familiar faces. Always friendly Joe Giles, the Phillies' longtime director of ballpark enterprises and business development as well as the son of chairman emeritus Bill, had a front-row seat Monday for new general manager Matt Klentak's introductory news conference at Citizens Bank Park.
Scan the room and you could see some old and familiar faces.
Always friendly Joe Giles, the Phillies' longtime director of ballpark enterprises and business development as well as the son of chairman emeritus Bill, had a front-row seat Monday for new general manager Matt Klentak's introductory news conference at Citizens Bank Park.
Equally affable father Bill, now 81 and nearly two decades removed from his role as the franchise's chief decision-maker, was a few rows back. He sat next to Pat Gillick, whose time as team president officially expired earlier this month.
David Montgomery, the longtime president who succeeded Giles and is now the team chairman, was not in attendance, but he remains one of the most respected and beloved figures in the organization.
Up front, Andy MacPhail, the new team president, talked about how he felt Klentak would fit into a "unique" Phillies ball club.
"We need somebody that is compatible to the Phillies culture," MacPhail said as he laid out the qualities he looked for before hiring Klentak as the 11th general manager in franchise history. "The culture here with this club is unique and it's a huge asset that needs to be preserved. It was important to all of us that we bring someone in that was compatible with the culture that developed here."
What exactly does that mean?
"It's a very inclusive, family-oriented culture, which I think is very attractive not only to your players, but to any kind of talent you're trying to attract," MacPhail said. "I think the Phillies have an extraordinarily good reputation around the game for the quality of its organization. And I think that's important to preserve.
"There is a certain burden on the general manager here that goes beyond normal clubs. You are expected to share with the other disciplines in the front office: finance, HR, marketing. You have to invest some time and energy in a way that I think is uncommon at least in the five stops I've made prior to getting here that I think is important to this franchise. So that's what I think is part of the culture."
If MacPhail's point was that the Phillies are more loyal than most organizations, he was not wrong. Although there is no analytics department to consult for this kind of information, it had to be a first when three former general managers (Ed Wade, Gillick and Giles) and three former managers (Dallas Green, Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel) simultaneously roamed the fields as Phillies employees during spring training.
The Phillies now have three former team presidents - Giles, Montgomery and Gillick - working for them, too. Perhaps MacPhail knows if he plays his cards right, he, too, may one day receive an employee-for-life card.
Truth is, the makeup of the Phillies' family has never felt more different. For years, the majority owners were not just silent partners, they were invisible ones. Now John Middleton is the face and the voice of the franchise and his remaining high-stakes partners - cousins Jim and Pete Buck - are more involved than ever, too.
Perhaps the most revealing thing said by Klentak on Monday was that Middleton and the two Bucks had all been involved in his second interview. MacPhail and chief operating officer Mike Stiles were there, too.
As nice as the family atmosphere can be for the employees on and off the field, it can also be a detriment to the ultimate goal as stated succinctly by Middleton on Monday.
"We're here to support you," Middleton told Klentak. "But let's never forget our objective is to win."
Giles and Montgomery, the longtime fathers of the Phillies family, were too loyal at times and it led to some unwise long-term contracts - Lenny Dykstra in the Giles era and Ryan Howard in the Montgomery era - and tenures for general managers that likely would not have been as long with other organizations.
Does that change with Middleton, the Bucks and MacPhail calling the shots?
"I think you have to have a goal and you have to have a road map to achieve it," Middleton said. "You have to be disciplined to know where you are on that road and therefore use that to dictate your decisions. That's what I think is going to be the key to success. The other part is being objective about yourself and your performances."
The Phillies might still be a family, but it sure feels like they are about to be run more like a business than they ever have. That's probably a good thing for the bottom line of a franchise worth a billion dollars.
@brookob