Phillies broadcaster Ruben Amaro Jr. receives GM interest

It did not take long for Ruben Amaro Jr. to find a new role in Major League Baseball once his seven-season stint as Philadelphia Phillies general manager ended after the 2015 season.

Amaro Jr. spent the next three seasons as first base coach and outfield instructor for the Boston Red Sox (2016-17) and New York Mets (2018). In 2019, he worked as a Mets scout, before joining the Phillies broadcast team the following year for select telecasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Amaro Jr. has an expanded color analyst role this season.

Also serving as an assistant general manager, player, and bat boy over the past four decades with the Phillies, Amaro Jr. could soon be leaving the organization again to return to another Major League Baseball club’s front office.

Former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. might soon return to a front office.

According to The Athletic’s Nick Broke, the Colorado Rockies have reached out to Amaro Jr. about his interest in their general manager opening. Amaro Jr. reportedly would have “some interest” in the position, albeit under the right circumstance. “I think they’re figuring out who would be a real candidate and who wouldn’t,” he said.

In his first year as general manager (2009), Amaro Jr. helped the Phillies to a National League pennant and just their seventh-ever World Series appearance. The first team the Phillies defeated that postseason was coincidentally the Rockies. That offseason, Amaro Jr. was named Executive of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA).

Over the next two years, the Stanford University alumnus assembled a Phillies roster that earned the most wins among all MLB teams, 97 and 102 respectively in 2010 and 2011. The Phillies never had the best record across any Major League season prior.

The Rockies are still early in their search to replace Jeff Bridich, especially with Amaro Jr. being the first name publicly mentioned. Amaro Jr. has become an enjoyable color analyst to gain insight from, so his departure would surely be a sad one. However, the longtime Phils organization member has always kept one eye on possibly managing one day.

A move to the Rockies would be a step closer to his dream becoming a reality.