In a rather shocking move, the Philadelphia Phillies fired hitting coach John Mallee Tuesday, and replaced him with Wall of Famer Charlie Manuel, the winningest manager in franchise history.
Manuel, 75, wasn’t at the Phillies press conference this afternoon addressing the move, and won’t be with the team tonight as they open a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. But general manager Matt Klentak and manager Gabe Kapler sounded excited about the impact Manuel can make as the Phillies attempt to reach the postseason for the first time since 2011, with Klentak preaching that the Phillies aren’t changing the message, just the messenger.