Phillies Reportedly Interview Former D’Backs Manager Hale

I spoke to soon.  Earlier Thursday I noted that the Phillies manager rumor mill was pretty quiet as of late.   However, by Thursday afternoon, the Phillies were connected to another name, one who has yet to surface in the media.  The lack of noise would be because the Phillies reportedly have tried to keep their manager search quiet.

Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports reports that the Phillies have interviewed former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale:

The Phillies have tried to keep everything quiet, but a few names have leaked out. Here’s a new one: Chip Hale, the former Diamondbacks manager and current A’s coach, went for an interview. Other names that have surfaced include Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway, Phillies special assistant Jorge Velandia, Phillies minor-league manager Dusty Wathan, and Red Sox bench coach Gary DiSarcina.

The other names have been pretty much known at this point, though it is unclear if DiSarciana has interviewed or is even being considered.

Earlier today, the Athletics announced Hale would be returning to the role of third base coach, a position he has held in a few of his coaching stints.  Hale joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as third base coach under Bob Melvin, a spot he held until becoming the Diamondbacks' Triple-A manager in 2008.  In that role, Hale won Pacific Coast manager of the year.

Hale then became Jerry Manuel's third base coach in New York in 2009 and became bench coach of the Oakland Athletics in 2012.  Hale stayed through 2014 and was named manager of the Diamondbacks for the 2015 season.  Hale was manager for two seasons, going 148–176.  After the 2016 season, Hale returned to the Oakland Athletics coaching staff.

The "keep it quiet" model is very different from the last time the Phillies had a managerial search.  Before the club hired Charlie Manuel, they very publicly brought to town Don Baylor, Buddy Bell, Jim Fregosi, Jim Leyland and Manuel, holding a press conference each time and opening themselves up to questions from the media.  Since Ryne Sandberg and Pete Mackanin were internal, interim candidates who ended up staying on, there was not much of a search either time.