Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the team announced Tuesday. He will be accompanied by hall-of-fame pitcher Greg Maddux.
The Dodgers have hired Greg Maddux and Raul Ibanez as special assistants to the president of baseball operations & baseball ops department.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 2, 2016
The team elaborated on what the role of Ibanez will be in 2016 on their website.
The Dodgers announced Tuesday that in their roles, Maddux and Ibanez will assist in all aspects of baseball operations, including scouting, player development and working with the club's players, both at the Major League and Minor League levels.
Ibanez played for the Phillies from 2009-2011, hitting 70 homeruns, including in 2009 when his 34-home run season propelled him to the lone All-Star game appearance in his 19-year career.
Ibanez rounded out his playing career in 2014, serving a similar role as Elton Brand currently is with the Sixers, as he was a leadership figure for the eventual American League champion Kansas City Royals.
In his first season out of the game, Ibanez served as a studio analyst for FS1’s MLB coverage. While he was quite good at that job, he probably longed to be back around the game and this position will give him that opportunity.
He was part of a trio of finalists for the Tampa Bay Rays manager job that eventually went to Kevin Cash prior to 2015, so it only seemed like a matter of time before he landed some sort of coaching or scouting role. Some had hoped that the Phillies would offer him a position like this or one on Pete Mackanin’s staff, but him returning to Philadelphia never came to fruition.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
