Ruben Amaro is a Good Fit for the Phils

By Amy McCormick

In our lifetimes, we’ve seen General Managers come and go; some have been great, and some have left much to be desired.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. is quite popular in this city, and for good reason:  he fills the role well.

Amaro grew up in my neighborhood.  I’ve thought about just telling people that he was raised in my current house – it’s not as if anyone would know the difference, right?  Anyway, Amaro grew up here, served as a batboy for the Phillies, and worked in the front office as Assistant General Manager under Wade and Gillick.  Ed Wade hired Amaro immediately after his career as a player ended, and he kept the position of AGM for ten seasons.  On November 1, 2008 (many of us still had a parade hangover), Pat Gillick handed the reigns to Amaro, naming him the new Phillies General Manager. 

RAJ has other ties to this area, as well.  He co-founded the Richie Ashburn - Harry Kalas Foundation, which provides grants to schools and allows underprivileged youth to participate in baseball camps free of charge.  Additionally, he is on the board for the Philadelphia YMCA.  It is clear that he finds value in giving back to his community.  I like that his philanthropy benefits the Delaware Valley, because it shows that Amaro is proud to be a hometown boy.

Amaro’s seemingly genius business sense is no accident.  He attended Stanford, where he played in the College World Series.  Phillies President and CEO David Montgomery had this to say about Ruben’s background benefiting the organization:

"A big part of it is communications, and Ruben has great communications skills.  Ruben has a skill set where he's comfortable in that clubhouse, and he's comfortable in that coaches' room, and he's comfortable in a conversation with the manager. He can ride in a car with Dallas Green and Pat Gillick, and be very comfortable in that dialogue. And explaining any of our moves to the general public, our ownership or anybody else, he's gifted, from a communications standpoint."

So, with his unique skill set, Amaro is able to understand what it means to be a fan, a player, and a businessman.  He has the ability to use these skills in everyday operations, big moves that will affect the team for years, and everything in between.  We all know that Amaro has acquired Ibañez, Lee (twice), Halladay, Oswalt and Pence.  What we usually don’t know is what is going on in Amaro’s mind, as he has been known to keep us guessing until a deal is inked. 

Amaro is an ideal General Manager for the Phils because he calls Philadelphia home, he’s intelligent and educated, he has played the game at the professional level, and he has the desire to win.  He inherited a great team (thanks to Ed Wade) and has turned it into an outstanding team (thanks, in part, to Ed Wade).  In March, Amaro signed an extension to serve as the Phillies’ General Manager through 2015.  I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to see what RAJ has in store for next July 29^th.