Phillies Managing Partner John Middleton during a Friday news conference to discuss the firing of manager Gabe Kapler "made clear that he's the most influential voice in the organization," according to Scott Lauber of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. If there was "any doubt that the Phillies are a business" -- a $1.85B business -- "run primarily by John Middleton, it was wiped away." Although flanked by President Andy MacPhail and VP & GM Matt Klentak, Middleton "dominated the conversation with long, winding answers about the organizational structure and what comes next for a team that still hasn't had a winning season" since '11. Middleton, who refers to himself as CEO, said, "Why do you think there's a CEO? We're paid to make the big decisions. We get paid to ensure our organization meets its strategical objectives." Lauber noted the "choice to dump Kapler belonged solely to Middleton." While Middleton "sought the opinions of his front office and several players in face-to-face meetings over the last two weeks, he said he couldn't get beyond the Phillies' record in the final month of each of the last two seasons" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/12). In Philadelphia, Bob Brookover wrote if the news conference had been a "rock show, it would have been billed as John Middleton and the Potted Plants because he was clearly the lead singer with backup vocals" from MacPhail and Klentak (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/12). The INQUIRER's Lauber wrote under the header, "If John Middleton Still Trusts Matt Klentak To Be The Phillies' GM, He Must Allow Him To Pick The New Manager" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/12).
CHANGING OF THE GUARD? In N.Y., Bill Madden wondered, "Is the worm beginning to turn a little on analytics in baseball?" In the case of "at least three" of the manager firings this offseason -- the Padres, Angels and Phillies -- there is a "common thread: The team owner usurping his analytics-oriented GM by firing the manager and making it clear that he, the owner, will have the final call on the next manager." This is "shaping up as the offseason in which the geezers overtake the geeks." What is "particularly interesting" is that Middleton, Angels Owner Arte Moreno and Padres Exec Chair Ron Fowler "made no bones about the fact that they were disappointed in the managers hired by their GMs -- as well they should be." Given the owners' "very public dismay about the state of affairs of their teams, it would seem" the jobs of Klentak, Angels GM Billy Eppler and Padres Exec VP & GM A.J. Preller are "all on the line next year" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/13). A top official from an AL team said shortly after Kapler was fired, "This year the managers, next year the GM purge" (N.Y. POST, 10/13).
