Michael Hill an option if Phillies will still pursue new GM

Will the Phillies still pursue GM candidates, such as Michael Hill, after the Dave Dombrowski hire?

Prior to the recent hire of Dave Dombrowski, the Philadelphia Phillies had been on the hunt for a new face of their front office — whether it be a president or general manager — for more at least more than two months now.

Thad Levine and Josh Byrnes of the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, withdrew their names from consideration — which led to Phillies brass reaching out once more to Dombrowski.

The two-time World Series champion would not have considered the offer, had he not learned the timeline of his effort to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville would be delayed due to COVID-19. Nonetheless, the Phillies have a notable name with a lot of pedigree at the helm of their front office now to work under Managing Partner John Middleton.

Dombrowski said during his introductory press conference on Friday that he will want to get to know current members of the front office before determining responsibilities — essentially, this means whether if a new general manager is necessary. Currently, Ned Rice is serving in the interim role, and Dombrowski is also willing to allocate responsibilities to the club’s former general manager (still employed), Matt Klentak.

If Dombrowski determines to pursue general manager candidates not already in the Phillies organization, Michael Hill could be his guy.

Hill, Major League Baseball’s first and only Cuban-American President of Baseball Operations, would make a great General Manager to serve under Dombrowski; he reportedly was a rumored candidate for the position before the Dombrowski hire, and may still be on the Phillies’ radar.

Hill played college baseball at Harvard University in the early 1990s and has been in multiple front offices, most notably the Florida/Miami Marlins front office since 2002 prior to his recent parting ways.

At only 37, he was named the Marlins GM in 2007, and later President of Baseball Operations in 2013. Hill drafted and developed several stars during his tenure with the Marlins, among them:

• Brad Hand, All-Star Closing Pitcher, 2008 MLB Draft
• AJ Ramos, All-Star Relief Pitcher, 2009 MLB Draft
• Christian Yelich, MVP, 2010 MLB Draft
• J.T. Realmuto, All-Star Catcher, 2010 MLB Draft
• Jose Fernandez, Rookie of the Year Pitcher, 2011 MLB Draft

Along with those All-Stars, Hill has drafted many other solid players, such as 3B Brian Anderson, SP Chris Paddack, OF Mark Canha, World Series Champion catcher Austin Barnes, and utility player (primarily catcher) Austin Nola — Aaron Nola‘s brother.

Hill also built a promising farm system, ranked fifth in all of baseball midway through 2020, clearly demonstrating his knack for talent. During his tenure, Hill acquired the following prospects, among others, in trades and signings:

• Marcell Ozuna, All-Star Outfielder, 2008 Amateur Signing
• Andrew Miller, All-Star Relief Pitcher, 2008 Trade
• Donovan Solano, Silver Slugger Second Baseman, 2011 Signing
• Henderson Alvarez, All-Star Starting Pitcher, 2012 Trade
• Sandy Alcantara, All-Star Starting Pitcher, 2017 Trade

Other non-drafted players include World Series Champions Nathan Eovaldi, Enrique Hernandez, Cameron Maybin, as well as Domingo German.

Hill has quite the resume in pursuit of young and upcoming talent, whether through the draft or in trades. If he’s the next Phillies General Manager under Dombrowski, fans should be pretty excited about the hire.