A day after the Phillies lost their 12th game in the last 16, Andy Middleton has officially announced that Ruben Amaro Jr.'s contract as general manager will not be renewed. Here is the official release from the Phillies. Scott Proefrock will take over in the interim until a replacement is found.
The Phillies announced today that the club has elected not to extend the contract of Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. The team has named Assistant General Manager Scott Proefrock as Interim General Manager, effective immediately.
Amaro, 50, was named to his current position in November 2008, after serving as assistant GM for 10 years. Amaro became part of the Phillies organization as a batboy from 1980-83. As a Major League player, he spent five of his final seven big league seasons (1992-93, 1996-98) as an outfielder for the team.
“It’s never an easy decision to make a change,” said Andy MacPhail, Phillies incoming president. “Ruben has had a direct impact on some of the best years in the team’s history. He helped to create some great memories for Phillies fans with his accomplishments, but in order to return to a top-contending club, we believe this is the right thing to do as we continue the rebuilding process.”
“The Phillies ownership fully supports Andy’s decision not to extend Ruben Amaro’s contract,” said Partner John Middleton. “As a group, we have tremendous respect for Ruben, who has been a significant contributor to this organization. This decision is about taking the club in a new direction and that will be facilitated by new leadership.”
The team will immediately begin a search for Amaro’s permanent replacement.
While Amaro Jr. has been widely scrutinized for his moves, or lack there of, since becoming the general manager, he departs the Phillies organization after an extremely successful trade deadline that saw the team stock up on top prospects Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro.
This announcement comes hours after Pat Gillick said that a decision on Amaro Jr.'s future would be reached in the next 30 days.
The Phillies will hold a press conference at 3pm to discuss the removal of Amaro Jr. from his position.
