Sam Fuld promoted to Phillies general manager
After another losing season full of disappointment, the Philadelphia Phillies knew it was time to make some changes within the organization. The club finished with a 28-32 record last season, finishing third in the National League East despite having much higher expectations.
On Tuesday, the club revealed the man they believe will help them bolster their on-field product. Sam Fuld was promoted to general manager after serving as the team’s director of integrative baseball performance last year. In the role, he helped oversee aspects such as athletic training, nutrition, strength and conditioning. He has also worked as an outfield instructor and major league player information co-ordinator since joining Philadelphia in 2017.
Prior to his appointment as the Phillies general manager though, Fulton had interviewed to be the Boston Red Sox manager. A position he ultimately lost out on to Alex Cora.
“The interview process with Boston was an enlightening one,” Fuld said. “It (helped) me in appreciating what a manager’s role is, especially a modern manager and putting myself in those shoes and understanding how information can be integrated in an easily digestible way for players.”
Fuld spent several years playing in the MLB as an outfielder with the likes of the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. His last MLB appearance came back on October 4th, 2015 with Oakland. He wasn’t planning on retiring but had suffered a left shoulder rotator cuff injury that required surgery and essentially ended his playing career.
Fuld replaces Matt Klentak as Philadelphia’s general manager who had been with the organization since October, 2015. The never reached the playoffs once in the five seasons under Klentak. The last time they reached the postseason was back in 2011 when they were taken out by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Fulton being named general manager wasn’t the only news of the day though, with the team also announcing that they have also promoted Jorge Velandia to assistant general manager and Terry Ryan to special assistant to the general manager.
Ryan has a plethora of experience working as an executive, having spent 31 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He served as the club’s general manager for 19 seasons over the span of two separate terms.
The Phillies also hired Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations two weeks ago as well.
“The reality, as president of baseball operations, I’ll be the one that would make the decisions when it comes to trades,” Dombrowski said. “I’ll seek the input of everybody else, but ultimately that would be my decision, the final decision, working with everybody. But one thing I do believe in is delegation of responsibilities. People keep you informed on what’s taking place.”
It remains to be seen whether the changes made off the field will help the Phillies win on the field, but change was certainly needed in Philadelphia. The MLB hasn’t announced a start date or schedule for the upcoming 2021 campaign, but they are hoping it will be able to commence in March like usual. Similarly, no details regarding spring training have been released at this point.
