Despite questions about the organizational power structure, it appears that all Phillies brass was in agreement on one thing at the conclusion of their managerial search – Joe Girardi, announced as the team’s new manager Thursday, was the best choice.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Matt Breen, general manager Matt Klentak told baseball operations employees that Joe Girardi was his first choice to replace Gabe Kapler as Phillies manager.
In an Oct. 11 press conference addressing Kapler firing, Klentak stressed that the process of evaluating Kapler was collaborative, but as Phillies Nation Editorial Director Tim Kelly pointed out, it appeared “Middleton asserted himself as the dominant figure in the brass of the organization.