Pat Gillick is wasting no time shifting to his new/old role with the Phillies.
On the day he passed the baton as club president to Andy MacPhail, Gillick on Wednesday told CSNPhilly.com that he will stay with the club for the foreseeable future and is eager to return to his scouting roots as the team prepares to pick first overall in the 2016 draft.
“It’s an interesting area and this is a very, very important draft for us,” Gillick said.
Before overseeing a transitional period for the franchise and serving as club president for the past 14 months, Gillick served as a front office adviser under former club president David Montgomery and former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. One of Gillick’s passions during that time was helping out with the scouting of amateur players, both domestically and internationally.
“I’m looking forward to working with (scouting director) Johnny Almaraz and (international scouting boss) Sal Agostinelli, sort of working at the entry level as we try to bring talent into the system,” Gillick said.
Gillick’s first assignment will come this weekend. He said he will travel to Gainesville, Florida to watch University of Florida lefty A.J. Puk throw. Puk is one of the top prospects in the coming draft and a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall. He is projected to be a quick riser, much like Aaron Nola, who was selected by the Phils in the first round of the 2014 draft, No. 7 overall, and debuted in the majors less than 14 months later.
MacPhail has already identified pitching as the Phillies’ top organizational need. Gillick concurred.
“At this point we probably need pitching,” Gillick said. “Ultimately it’s up to Johnny and his group, but if there’s someone out there that could advance quickly and be in the big leagues in a short period of time, we should take a look at it.
“I think we can advance the organizational timetable if we get the right pick and individual. We had a good pick in Nola. He came up and I think did better than expected. You look at (Kyle) Schwarber with the Cubs — first-rounders are advancing more quickly. You don’t like to finish in last place, but at the same time it gives you the opportunity to get the guy you want. Consequently, it’s an important time for us.”
Schwarber went three picks ahead of Nola in the 2014 draft.
Gillick, 78, led four teams — Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore and Philadelphia — to the postseason during his time as a major league general manager. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011. His Toronto clubs won the World Series in 1992 and 1993. He helped lead the Phillies to a World Series title in 2008 then handed off to Amaro.
MacPhail, former leader of all things baseball with the Twins, Cubs and Orioles, was hired by the Phillies in late June. The plan was for him to assume the club presidency shortly after the season, but he has acted in that role for weeks. He made the decision to let Amaro go last month.
MacPhail’s main task the last month has been to hire a replacement for Amaro and he’s been quietly engaged in that process.
MacPhail won’t comment on potential candidates for the position. According to a report, he has interviewed former Miami GM Larry Beinfest. Former Dodgers and Yankees executive Kim Ng, who currently holds a high-ranking position in the commissioner’s office, is another candidate. Ross Atkins of the Indians’ front office has also been connected to the Phils in some reports. Other possibilities include Matt Klentak of the Angels, Thad Levine of the Rangers, J.J. Picollo of the Royals and Ben Cherington, formerly GM of the Red Sox.
The Phillies begin a key period in their offseason with the start of their annual organizational meetings on Oct. 26. MacPhail has said it would be possible, but “ambitious”, to have a GM in place by then.
Could Wednesday’s passing of the torch from Gillick to MacPhail be a sign that MacPhail is ready to name a GM soon? One has to wonder. After all, Gillick said a month ago that he planned to stay on as club president for 45 more days, a timeframe that would have taken him to the organizational meetings. Wednesday’s change in title came about two weeks sooner than expected.
Gillick downplayed the timing.
“We just felt it was time,” he said. “Andy’s been here over three months, he’s got a handle and a feel for everything. It could have been a week or two from now. I just thought it better to do it prior to organizational meetings, to move aside. That sends the right message to our company.”
Gillick has talked to MacPhail about the GM search. He would not say who the candidates were nor would he say whether he favored a GM with an analytics background or one with a more traditional scouting background.
“Let me put it this way,” Gillick said, “all information is good no matter where you get it and the more information the better. You use it all. There’s nothing wrong with having plenty of information on your plate, metrics, scouting reports, information from contacts in the game. You need as much information as you can get in free agency, the domestic draft and international dealings.”
Ng’s name has been a hot one ever since the Phillies GM job opened. She has interviewed for several openings in recent years and is believed to be getting serious consideration from MacPhail. There has never been a female GM in major league baseball.
“If they’re qualified, gender shouldn’t matter,” Gillick said. “She certainly has all the qualifications, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
As Gillick moves on from the club presidency, he assumes the title of front office adviser. He still owns a small piece of the team.
Gillick is always eager for new challenges and there always seems to be speculation that he could one day move into a leadership role with another club. (That would require him selling his stake in the team.) He did not rule that out and would not say he intended to retire as a Phillie.
“Right now I’m a Phillie,” he said with a laugh.
He added, “I do like challenges and I think working with Johnny and his staff for the upcoming draft will be a good one.”