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Phillies Hire Howie Kendrick As Special Assistant

By Anthony Franco | November 16, 2021 at 3:42pm CDT

The Phillies announced a series of hirings in the front office and on the coaching staff this afternoon. Perhaps most notably, longtime big leaguer Howie Kendrick has joined the club as a special assistant to general manager Sam Fuld. The Phils also hired Brian Kaplan as assistant pitching coach and director of pitching development, while Jason Camilli has joined the staff as assistant hitting coach.

Kendrick played in the majors for fifteen seasons, breaking in with the Angels in 2006. The right-handed hitting second baseman spent the next eight seasons in Anaheim, regularly offering above-average production on both sides of the ball. His .285/.338/.464 showing earned him an All-Star nod in 2011, and Kendrick picked up some down ballot MVP support after posting a .293/.347/.397 mark with plus defensive ratings in 2014.

While Kendrick spent the bulk of his career as a regular with the Halos, he adapted with aplomb to more of a situational role later in his career. After a pair of solid seasons with the Dodgers, Kendrick landed with the Phillies in November 2016 via trade. His playing tenure in Philly lasted only a few months, as the eventual last place Phils sent him to the Nationals just before the ensuing trade deadline. While Kendrick’s stint in Philadelphia was brief, he clearly garnered the respect of those within the organization.

Productive as Kendrick was in Anaheim, he might wind up being best remembered for his final few seasons in Washington. While the Nats cut back on his playing time over his final few years, Kendrick was as effective as ever from 2018-19. After mashing at a .344/.395/.572 clip during the 2019 regular season, he had a stellar postseason that helped the franchise to its first World Series title. Kendrick was named the 2019 NLCS MVP after a .333/.412/.600 showing during the Nats’ sweep of the Cardinals. He returned for a final season in 2020 and announced his retirement last December.

While Kendrick is certainly the most famous of the Phillies’ recent hires, Kaplan and Camilli figure to be more involved in the organization on a day-to-day basis as members of the coaching staff. Kaplan comes over from the private ranks, as he’d previously been the vice president and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance, an independent training facility in Florida. One of CSP’s other co-founders, Eric Cressey, also works in strength and conditioning with the Yankees.

Camilli comes over from the Reds, where he spent the 2021 season coaching their Arizona Complex League affiliate. The 46-year-old had previously spent time as an instructor in the Nationals and D-Backs farm systems. He’ll pair with new Philadelphia hitting coach Kevin Long, whom the club hired away from the Nats last month.

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Philadelphia Phillies Brian Kaplan Howie Kendrick Jason Camilli

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30 Comments

  1. prov356

    4 years ago

    Howie is a good man. Good for him.

    11
    Reply
    • SoCalADRL

      4 years ago

      Great man

      6
      Reply
    • Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher

      4 years ago

      Lifetime BA of .294. Make him the hitting coach.

      1
      Reply
  2. Robrock30

    4 years ago

    I am a huge Fan of Howie Kendrick from Day 1.

    6
    Reply
  3. VonPurpleHayes

    4 years ago

    He’s better than some of their active roster. It’s a pretty cool hire though.

    19
    Reply
    • Orel Saxhiser

      4 years ago

      Yep, this just about clinches the Phillies outcooling the Mets this off-season. Granted, the bar has been set kinda low.

      7
      Reply
  4. DarkSide830

    4 years ago

    HOWIE! Love this dude, happy to have him back.

    9
    Reply
  5. Vizionaire

    4 years ago

    angels should have extended howie, bengie molina and erik aybar.

    2
    Reply
  6. shane

    4 years ago

    I always wondered what the special assistant job pays.

    4
    Reply
    • giantsphan12

      4 years ago

      I’ve always wondered what the special assistant job does? Does anyone know? Is there a difference b/w “special” assistant and just plain old, assistant? If so, what is it? Either way, stoked for Howie!!

      4
      Reply
      • bobtillman

        4 years ago

        Let’s just say he’ll know how Fuld and DD take their morning coffee…

        Nah. HK’s a bright guy; thought he’d wind up in a FO some where. Good training atmosphere with the highly innovative Fuld and the (even if he is a bit “old school”) Dombrowski.

        4
        Reply
      • YankeesBleacherCreature

        4 years ago

        Andrew Dawson and Tony Perez $85k each per year before Jeter and Co. took over the team and fired them both. They were pretty much present through ST and home games and acted as sounding boards.

        Reply
      • Gothamcityriddler

        4 years ago

        It’s really pretty self explanatory, first let’s look at “Special” now say someone starts complaining about the preferential treatment Howie gets, “Why does Howie get to come in late, why does Howie never have to bring in the donuts , why does Howie get to park in front, etc”. Management just looks at said complainer & says, “What are you an idiot, he’s special!”
        Now, “Assistant” on the other hand is little bit trickier, it’s from the French -which btw is never a good thing- and it basically means arrivederci baby.
        So there you have it, hope that clears it up for you. Carry on. Ahahahahaha!

        2
        Reply
        • gbs42

          4 years ago

          Hilarious

          Reply
        • giantsphan12

          4 years ago

          But, when I was in third grade, I was having a hard time keeping up. They sent me to some lady who faces me all these tests….she said I was “special.” I’ve been special ever since. No one gives me good parking or let’s me come in late.

          1
          Reply
        • giantsphan12

          4 years ago

          Also, you got a problem with French maids, French Fries and French bread? How about French dressing? I like all those things!

          Reply
        • gbs42

          4 years ago

          And to drink…Peru.

          Reply
  7. Orel Saxhiser

    4 years ago

    He’ll be the first special assistant to have his own bobblehead day.

    6
    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      4 years ago

      id be down for that

      Reply
  8. Veejh

    4 years ago

    Mike Rizzo, you missed the boat on this one. *sigh*

    3
    Reply
    • CDKinNoVA

      4 years ago

      Zakly…another missed opportunity by the Nationals to build a winning culture…

      Reply
  9. HalosHeavenJJ

    4 years ago

    Great for Howie. Always seemed like a great guy.

    3
    Reply
  10. bucketbrew35

    4 years ago

    I have to say I’m very pleased with all of their front office and coaching staff hires this offseason. It really paints a picture of a positive culture change and an environment of fresh ideas. Let’s hope that now translates into on field performance.

    5
    Reply
  11. Doral Silverthorn

    4 years ago

    Professional hitter. Good man.

    1
    Reply
  12. nukeg

    4 years ago

    “Atta boy Howard”. – Mike Scioscia

    Reply
  13. dclivejazz

    4 years ago

    Happy for Howie and sorry the Nats didn’t make this hire.

    Reply
  14. ham77

    4 years ago

    Maybe they can activate him mid season when they need another utility guy.

    1
    Reply
  15. Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher

    4 years ago

    At the very least, Howie is one more voice in the room to drown out whatever idiotic proposals Klentak may make. BTW, why is Klentak still around? Guy effed up big time over five years as the GM. Kick him to the curb and be done with him.

    2
    Reply
  16. Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher

    4 years ago

    Howie Kendrick just became the most liked front office guy in Philly named, Howie.

    2
    Reply
  17. Bob333

    4 years ago

    He may be Girardi’s replacement if they go 500 again and don’t reach the playoffs.That is what special asst to gm means.

    1
    Reply

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