By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
This is where the fun part begins.
After the Philadelphia Phillies interviewed Jorge Velandia, Dusty Wathan and Juan Samuel – their three internal candidates – this week, multiple media reports have suggested that general manager Matt Klentak plans to begin interviewing external candidates early next week.
According to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, one of those candidates will be Cleveland Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway:
Two of their top pitching coaches could be headed elsewhere. Mickey Callaway, the Tribe's big-league pitching coach, has been rumored to be managerial candidate for a number of teams. The Phillies, it has been learned, have officially asked for permission to talk to Callaway and he's expected to interview with them in the near future.
Hoynes isn't the first person to link the Phillies to Callaway. The Indians, rather shockingly, were eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Thursday, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Phillies were 'taking a close look' at Callaway as a potential answer to their managerial vacancy. That same day, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports predicted that Callaway would be the next Phillies manager. So Callaway appears to be a serious candidate.
Callaway, who had a five-year major league career, is only 42, which probably works in his favor given that the Phillies appear to be seeking a younger manager. Given his age, Callaway actually has considerable experience, having spent the past five seasons on the same staff as Terry Francona and Brad Mills, two of the most respected figures in the sport.
It's unclear how much of a direct impact he had on the Indians starting staff, but Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco had levels of success under Callaway's tutelage that they hadn't previously had. Some of that probably has to do with them coming of age, but presumably, Callaway also deserves some credit. With a young pitching staff – including someone like Vince Velasquez, who has very good stuff but is yet to put things together as a major league pitcher – it's easy to see how Callaway could be of interest to the Phillies, among other reasons.
The MLB general manager's meetings begin on Nov. 13, a date when the Phillies likely hope to have their managerial search behind them.
