Philadelphia Phillies: 3 potential President candidates to consider
By David Esser
Tim Naehring: New York Yankees, VP of Baseball Operations
In a tweet put out following his initial report, Jayson Stark cited some sources saying that the Philadelphia Phillies are looking for a “front-office equivalent of Joe Girardi.” What better place to do that than the New York Yankees themselves?
"What the Phillies appear to be looking for, said one industry source...is the front-office equivalent of Joe Girardi ... So as the names at the top of their front-office list begin to surface, almost anyone who has ever led a team to a World Series is likely to be on it." https://t.co/HEf1xpoSBt
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 14, 2020
The current Vice President of Baseball Operations, Tim Naehring has long been viewed as a future general manager in the MLB. His name popped up quite a bit following Klentak stepping down, and he could be in line for a bigger job proposal should the Phillies value his Yankees experience to that level.
Naehring has been praised the most for his work scouting for the Yankees, but he does appear to have a firm grasp on the role that analytics need to play in modern day baseball. His tenure in New York would also provide an instant connection between him and Girardi, and his experience as a former player gives him a special level of insight.
I would argue that Naehring isn’t as good of a hire as Neander or Chernoff, but he’s without question more qualified for a President job than Andy MacPhail.
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The Phillies reported interest in hiring a front office executive by no means signals that a hiring is imminent. In fact, I would expect this thing to be dragged out for quite some time. Middleton and crew have often cited the pandemic as a reason for non-action, and I doubt that train of thought just magically changed overnight.
Whatever the case is, it’s good to hear that at least some gears are turning in Middleton’s head.