At every stop he’s ever made, Dave Dombrowski has won and won powerfully, leaving very little behind in his wake.
It’s difficult to shrug off the “winning” aspect of his ruthlessness, though, as far too few teams these days seem as focused on that end results as the ones he steers.
Phillies fans certainly hope Dombrowski has a method behind his current madness in Philadelphia. There’s a good deal of major league talent on this roster, but no evidence yet that he’s assembled or inherited a title-winning core. There’s very little minor-league talent to gut in pursuit of a championship, and there’s no bullpen foundation of which to speak.
Developmentally, the Phillies remain in a weakened position, which is why the sweeping changes implemented by Dombrowski on Tuesday should bring about at least an initial burst of optimism.
According to a midday press release before a crucial series against the contending Rays, assistant general managers Bryan Minniti and Scott Proefrock have been dismissed from their positions and reassigned to lesser roles in 2022. Director of Player Development Josh Bonifay has also been relieved of his duty and turned into a scout next season, if he accepts the transformation.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 24, 2021
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has cleaned house.
“Consultants”. Sure thing, boss.
All reassigned personnel are long-time Phillies employees. Minniti has reigned supreme in player development and amateur scouting since Sept. 2017, and Proefrock joined the ranks back in November of 2008, as the franchise basked in its World Series glow. Bonifay has been in red-and-white pinstripes since Oct. 2018.
By all accounts, all three men have very few success stories to hang their hats on.
The Phils’ farm system is consensus ranked in the bottom 10 throughout the game; a recent Bleacher Report assessment pegged them at 27th post-draft. Meanwhile, there’ve been far more examples of failures among top prospects and high-profile draft selections than there have been of notable pleasant surprises. This season, former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak — the one selection you’re not really allowed to botch — has continued to tred water. These dismissals also come on the heels of the demotion of Alec Bohm, an emblematic example of a top prospect with a clear deficiency who cannot seem to make any progress in overcoming it.
If the next era of Phillies baseball is to be successful, that success will likely be predicated on Dombrowski taking major swings at a few quick fixes with little regard for the future. Thanks to the men dismissed today, though, the Phillies have precious little future to fret about anyway.
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