Phillies manager search down to final three candidates
The Phillies manager search is finally moving into its next phase, with the team conducting second interviews with three candidates.
The Phillies have been without a manager for a month now, but the pieces are starting to fall in place as the team nears the end of the hiring process.
The team now has three finalists for the position in Triple-A manager Dusty Wathan, former Red Sox manager John Farrell, and Dodgers player development director Gabe Kapler according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Zolecki pointed out that if Farrell or Kapler is hired, it would be the first time an outsider is hired by the team as a manager since hiring Terry Francona in 1996.
Zolecki also added that is unlikely former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was fired on Thursday, will become a late-minute candidate. However, Zolecki said the team is content with the finalists they have now.
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Wathan was the first finalist to emerge a couple days ago. He is the familiar candidate after managing in Philadelphia’s minor-league system for several years. Wathan is Double-A Reading’s all-time wins leader for managers. He spent 2017 managing Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Throughout his time in the farm system, Wathan made a strong impression on many of the young players that are now in the major-leagues.
It would make the transition to a new manager much easier for the team.
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Meanwhile, Farrell was just fired by the Red Sox earlier this month after they lost in the American League Division Series to the Astros. He led Boston to a World Series title in 2013 and a division title in each of the last two seasons with 93-69 records after the team was below .500 in 2014 and 2015. He easily has the most major-league experience of Philadelphia’s finalists.
Kapler barely has any managerial experience at all, managing one year in the minors in 2007. Despite that, he is a finalist thanks to his strong interest in analytics, sports pyschology, nutrition, and fitness, all of which are priorities to a new, forward-thinking front office.
Kapler is a product of Dodgers president Andrew Friedman, which is about as good of a background as anyone could have.
Next: Philadelphia loses hitting coach Matt Stairs to Padres
The Phils have three very different finalists for their manager position. Hopefully, we soon get to see who it will be.