Philadelphia Phillies managing partner John Middleton ultimately made the call to fire Gabe Kapler as manager after two seasons. It appears Middleton – not president Andy MacPhail or general manager Matt Klentak – may be the deciding voice in the search for the 55th manager in franchise history.
With that in mind, Jon Heyman of RADIO.COM says that while MacPhail and Klentak may like Buck Showalter because of prior experience together in Baltimore, Middleton “is leaning towards” Joe Girardi. Since Middleton ultimately determined the fate of Kapler, there’s no reason to think he won’t make the final call on who Kapler’s replacement is.