MIAMI — Deep down inside, Juan Samuel knew the odds were against him becoming the Phillies manager.
But he was happy for the opportunity to interview and hopes it leads to more.
“I didn’t see where they could tell Pete, ‘Thank you very much, now Sammy is taking over,’" Samuel said Wednesday, a day after the Phillies removed the interim label from Pete Mackanin and announced he would be the club’s manager for 2016.
“But it was a great experience. We talked about the club and I offered my opinions based on the five years I’ve been here. I think I did OK.”
Club president Andy MacPhail, who interviewed Samuel along with interim general manager Scott Proefrock over the weekend in Atlanta, said Samuel did better than OK in the 90-minute interview. MacPhail also admitted Mackanin had “a leg up” because he had served as the interim skipper since late June and made a positive impression on club officials.
MacPhail revealed that he interviewed Samuel. He said Samuel deserved to be heard. Samuel served as an interim manager between Dave Tremblay and Buck Showalter with the 2010 Baltimore Orioles when MacPhail ran that club. He also interviewed for the Tigers job that went to Jim Leyland in 2006.
Samuel, 54, probably would not have admitted to interviewing for the Phillies job if MacPhail hadn’t disclosed it.
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“I’ve been cautious not trying to put my name out there because I just don’t want to (interview) for the sake of it,” he said. “If I feel like I have a shot and I think I could be the right guy then, of course, I would do it.”
Samuel has coached first base for three seasons for the Phillies. He was the team’s third base coach two seasons before that.
He aspires to manage and believes he’s worthy of chance.
“I think that I’m capable of doing it, I’m prepared and I’m ready to do it,” he said. “I got a taste of it in Baltimore and I enjoyed it. It’s something that is my ultimate goal. Before I hang it up I would like to get a shot whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Samuel’s contract is up at the end of October. It’s likely he will be asked to return to the coaching staff in 2016 and he’s open to that.
But he is also eager to see what happens on the managerial front this offseason.
“I would like to see what things open up out there and see if I get a chance,” he said. “My ultimate goal is not to finish my career coaching first base.
“I know I could offer more. But there are guys that have been in the game longer than me that haven’t gotten a chance. Some haven’t even gotten an interview. So I think just interviewing here will put my name out there a little more and hopefully people now know he wants to do it because I haven’t really been vocal about it because I don’t want to interview for the sake of interviewing. But if somebody thinks I deserve a shot, then, of course, I will do it.”