The Red Sox announced today what the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo first reported over the weekend: former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has been hired as the club’s new first base coach. He’ll also serve as Boston’s outfield instructor and assist in coaching the club on baserunning. Per the release announcing the move, Amaro signed a two-year contract.
“I was honored that Dave [Dombrowski] and John [Farrell] would consider me for this opportunity and add me to this dynamic coaching staff,” said Amaro in a press release announcing the unusual hire. “I am poised, focused, and ready to bring anything I can in terms of experience and knowledge to this position, and I look forward to being a part of the Boston Red Sox.”
Amaro’s transition from the top of a baseball operations hierarchy to a coaching staff is relatively unprecedented. Earlier this year, Marlins GM Dan Jennings moved from the front office to the dugout, although that was within his own organization after the club had fired skipper Mike Redmond. Amaro, on the other hand, leaves the only organization with which he’s ever been involved in the front office to join the coaching staff of an organization with which he’s never been affiliated. Amaro was a teammate of Farrell with the Indians in 1994, so the two men do have a preexisting connection.
Though Amaro doesn’t have prior coaching experience, he did spend parts of eight seasons in the Major Leagues as an outfielder. In 1051 plate appearances, Amaro batted .235/.310/.353 with the Angels, Phillies and Indians. He joined the Phillies’ front office the same year that he retired as a player, in 1998.
One would think that Amaro could have found a spot within a different front office as a special assistant or senior adviser to a different GM, as many previously fired GMs have done. For example, former Cubs GM Jim Hendry is currently in the Yankees’ front office, former D-Backs/Padres GM Kevin Towers is with the Reds, former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi is with the Mets and former Mets GM Omar Minaya spent several seasons as an assistant/adviser in the Padres’ front office before joining the MLBPA. (Those, of course, are just a few recent examples.) Amaro, though, clearly wants to go down a different path than peers who have found themselves in similar situations, and kudos to him for doing so even though it will likely open him up to come criticism.
The 50-year-old Amaro’s tenure as Phillies GM was littered with missteps that led to a widely expected dismissal in September, but his successor, former Angels’ GM Matt Klentak, thanked Amaro at today’s introductory press conference for the work he did in rebuilding the club’s farm system over the past year-plus. Amaro acquired prospects Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Jerad Eickhoff, Alec Asher, Ben Lively, Tom Windle, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Darnell Sweeney, John Richy and Joely Rodriguez in trades that sent Antonio Bastardo, Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd, Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon and Chase Utley to new teams over the final year of his tenure.
No reason he can’t be a value piece to a baseball team. Just keep him away from the business side.
Help me out. What made him so horrible. He unloaded Utley, Papelbum and Hamels. But I would love to know what brought about this obvious dislike for him in mgmt.
The team got progressively worse every year, and he unloaded those people way too late.
Well at least he’s not in the front office.
Red Sox doing everyone a favor by keeping Amaro in arguably the least influential position on a baseball team.
To make a rediculous statement like that would infer serious animus you have towards him. Did he not clean your litter box Karkat. What’s the deal. A great guy in a very important position. The O’s first base coach, Wayne Kirby, is not only the most popular coach on the team but keeps the defense aware on every play
What? The first base coach is keeping the defense aware on every play…? then the O’s have a problem….
I saw that coming. When the O’s are on D, Wayne Kirby is the man who controls the shifts, etc…
That’s not typical first base coach responsibility though. For the Sox, for example, third-party coach Brian Butterfield is the infield defense guy.
A+ cat joke though :3
I’m not so sure on that. As far as I have known, the base coaches have almost always also been the defense coaches — one does the OF and the other IF. Even in the case of the Red Sox hiring Amaro as the 1B Coach, he’s also going to be the OF Defense Coach.
The Tigers 1st base coach is Omar Vizquel… He is probably the MOST influential coach on the team (besides Ausmus).
The way the Sox throw $ around he’ll probably make more cash than in Philly and he’ll likely be much happier away from mgmt. Good for him. One of the nicer guys in the game! Good move for the Red Sox.
Miscasted as Gm at an early age , His career should develop nicely as a coach in Baseball , and someday has a manager.
Everyone even deserves a second chance, Even this arrogant , pompous, Fool !
A little harsh but maybe you’re more familiar with him. I met him a handful of times and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. I didn’t work for him but as a player, I know he was well liked.
Amaro got blamed for all the ownership decisions that kept the 2008/2009 WS teams core together too long. It is the Giles/Montgomery ownership team that decided to keep the aging players not Amaro/Gillick-just look at the ownership history(1983-2014). When given the chance to rebuild this year Amaro/Gillick really did quite well. Bill, your second sentence should have been removed by the moderators.
Is what William wrote close to as bad as anything pouring out of Citizen’s bank bleacher’s during every game toward either the hometown team, or towards Amaro whenever his name would come up during conversation? Don’t think so.
Bill spoke the truth and also explains (probably) why Amaro took any job he could find to stay in the game.. That of a coach. I doubt any type of FO job was available, sad when one sees that even the Jim Hendry’s and frank Wren’s of the world are still able to get gigs, even Omar Minaya has a title at least as VP with the padres.
Bill did not speak the truth as the history of the Giles/Montgomery ownership has a history of keeping core players too long in the case of the 1983, 1993 and 2008 Phillies teams. Yes Bill was out of line in his comments and everyone else in baseball knows their history also. Philadelphia fans outsmart themselves most of the time.
Man, these guys are brutal. Thanks for your comment. I certainly would be honored to be the first base coach for the Red Sox. It’s not a demotion, it’s a great job. I’m an O’s fan but as a baseball fan, he’s getting a very unfair rap.
“Arrogant, pompous fool !” Thank you for describing what you look like every time you comment.
Good for him, he loves the game and it shows.
I feel like the Red Sox are building a front office the way the Yankees build baseball teams… get a bunch of big name guys past their glory days and see what sticks. Henry seems to be hiring people based on a who you know basis.
How do you think most people are hired in baseball.
John Henry isn’t making these decisions. DD is pres of baseball operations
This is DD making these decisions, not John Henry.
Amaro made some questionable moves over his tenure but I think he did a dang fine job starting the rebuild. I’ve always gotten the sense that it was a directive from over his head to double down on Howard and co.
good for amaro.
Is this an early or late April Fools joke?
Are we talking about Reuben or Flacco?
Best of luck Amaro!
As a Rangers fan I keep picturing JD coaching first with high socks and stirrups and it’s quite amusing lol
Odd. Why?
I will say that it takes a lot of humbleness to downgrade from GM to 1st base coach. Good for him.