Phillies interim manager has impressed plenty of people since becoming the Phillies interim manager. While the Phillies continue to be near the bottom of Major League Baseball in win totals, it is not wins and losses that have people impressed. It is the atmosphere around the Phillies clubhouse. One person who has noticed is Mets manager Terry Collins.
In a CSN Philly piece by Jim Salisbury, Collins sung praise for Mackanin:
“The energy level they have right now is completely different than it was a month ago, two months ago when we played them,” Collins said. “Pete is certainly the right man for the job, in my opinion, and I hope he gets that opportunity.
“He has a tremendous sense of humor. He’s a people person. I’ve known him for years, and the first time I met him, we just meshed. He’s an upbeat guy. He’s funny. He’s got the players’ attention. I hope he gets the chance. I hope when they sit down at the end of the year, they realize what they’ve got. He’s done it with young players.”
What happens in the manager's position, of course, could depend on what happens with the Phillies front office.
Yesterday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com wrote that the Phillies have yet to make a decision on the fate of general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr.
"No decision has been made on Ruben at this point," Phillies president Pat Gillick told MLB.com in a telephone interview Tuesday evening. "We just got by the Trade Deadline. Consequently, we're moving a lot of people in the Minor Leagues from [Jerad] Eickhoff to [Alec] Asher and others. We've had our hands full. It's a decision that will be made in the next 30 days or so."
Gillick is stepping down after the season and Andy MacPhail is taking his place. MacPhail is not granting interviews, so he did not comment for this story. But certainly MacPhail, Gillick and the rest of Phillies ownership, including the very visible John Middleton, will be involved in the final assessment.
"It's going to be an organizational decision," Gillick said.
A lot could depend on how much control MacPhail maintains.
The current trend in baseball is to have a president of baseball operations who oversees even the final product on the field. The general manager does a lot of the legwork, but the president will have the final say. This is a model currently employed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and soon the Boston Red Sox.
So – MacPhail could hire a manager that he likes, or if he has that power, whoever the general manager is could hire a manager that he likes. Ruben Amaro Jr. is the one who liked Pete Mackanin enough to hire him back in 2009. Ruben Amaro Sr. was general manager of the Venezuelan team Mackanin managed back in 1989. Amaro Jr. later played for that team, too.
But it is not just Amaro who is in Mackanin's corner. With the praise from Collins, it is clear that the rest of the game is noticing. It was why Mackanin was a top candidate for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox jobs in 2012. It is why Mackanin should be a top candidate for the Phillies.
