Pete Mackanin to serve as Phillies manager for the rest of the year
The Philadelphia Phillies are about to undergo some major changes. Some of that turnover has already begun.
Manager Ryne Sandberg resigned, leaving the club because he was tired of losing. Just a few days later, Andy MacPhail agreed to become the team’s next president. Based on MacPhail’s press conference Monday, many other changes seem to be in the cards for Philadelphia.
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One person whose job is safe, at least for now, is interim manager Pete Mackanin. The club announced Tuesday that Mackanin would serve as the team’s manager for the rest of the season.
While Mackanin will see out the rest of the year, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. didn’t exactly give Mackanin the biggest vote of confidence moving forward, according to Nick Suss of MLB.com.
“I think it’s pretty clear, this does not necessarily mean that he’s a candidate to take the job beyond the year by any stretch of the imagination,” Amaro said. “I think we’re going to have basically a clean slate to make that decision. Pete may or may not be part of that decision-making process, and Pete understands that.”
It’s unclear if Amaro is unsure about his new manager, or if that’s his way of acknowledging he’ll have no control over the situation.
With MacPhail in tow, Amaro’s job security is at an all-time low. It’s assumed he probably won’t be the club’s general manager next season once MacPhail starts making changes. That will probably be the case with Mackanin as well. MacPhail inherited both of them, and will likely bring in people he’s familiar with to fill their roles.
For Mackanin, this is more of an opportunity to prove himself to other clubs. If he does well over the rest of the year, he could be in consideration for a managerial job with another team. At the very least, he could possibly become a bench coach, or second in command, with a different club.
That’s probably not what Mackanin wants to hear right now, but it’s probably the most likely outcome. The Phillies are in a weird place with MacPhail around. He’ll be making all the important decisions soon, and it’s assumed he’ll be bringing in a whole new staff. That means the current front office, including the coaching staff, is in limbo for the rest of the year. Everyone is playing for their next job, which will probably come with a different organization.
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Given the lack of talent on the current club, it’s going to be tough for Mackanin to really impress. He’s not going to win many games, so he’ll have to excel in other areas. If he can show he’s willing to nurture young talent, and prove that he’s a good communicator, that could open doors for him elsewhere.
Mackanin was probably given his dream job when Sandberg resigned. Now, he’s got to find a way to keep it.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
