Phillies Fire Ruben Amaro Jr.

The Phillies announced today that the club has elected not to extend the contract of Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr.  The team has named Assistant General Manager Scott Proefrock as Interim General Manager, effective immediately.

Amaro, 50, was named to his current position in November 2008, after serving as assistant GM for 10 years.  Amaro became part of the Phillies organization as a batboy from 1980-83.  As a Major League player, he spent five of his final seven big league seasons (1992-93, 1996-98) as an outfielder for the team.

“It’s never an easy decision to make a change,” said Andy MacPhail, Phillies incoming president. “Ruben has had a direct impact on some of the best years in the team’s history. He helped to create some great memories for Phillies fans with his accomplishments, but in order to return to a top-contending club, we believe this is the right thing to do as we continue the rebuilding process.”

“The Phillies ownership fully supports Andy’s decision not to extend Ruben Amaro’s contract,” said Partner John Middleton.  “As a group, we have tremendous respect for Ruben, who has been a significant contributor to this organization. This decision is about taking the club in a new direction and that will be facilitated by new leadership.”

The team will immediately begin a search for Amaro’s permanent replacement.