After nearly five years away from Philadelphia, former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is set to return to the team. More specifically, Amaro is coming back to cover his former team.
The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Bob Brookover reports that Amaro is close to taking a position with NBC Sports Philadelphia. He would provide studio analysis for the network’s pregame and postgame shows for Phillies telecasts, bringing experience as a player, executive, and coach.
Since being dismissed as Phillies GM, Amaro has worked as a coach and special adviser in baseball. During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, he was a first-base coach for the Boston Red Sox under then-manager John Farrell. Amaro then took the same position on Mickey Callaway’s staff with the New York Mets in 2018. Following that season, he moved back to the front office, serving as a special adviser to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
Amaro was offered the opportunity to stay in the Mets’ front office, but told Brookover in November that he preferred to move on and considered the Phillies organization “home.”
“I have had conversations with folks from the Phillies and I think they know how I feel about the organization, which will always be in my blood,” Amaro said. “I’d be lying to you if I told you I didn’t want to work in the organization in some capacity again. I would love to come back. It’s home for me.”
Amaro played for the Phillies in five of his eight major league seasons. (His father, Ruben Amaro Sr., played in Philadelphia for six seasons from 1960 through 1965.) His best year was 1996, during which he hit .316 with 10 doubles and two home runs in 130 plate appearances.
But he made much more of an impact in the Phillies front office. Amaro was an assistant general manager for 10 seasons, including when Philadelphia won the 2008 World Series. He took over as GM the following season when the Phillies returned to the World Series, but lost to the New York Yankees. During his tenure, Amaro made several flashy deals, acquiring stars like Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, and Roy Halladay, but a veteran roster soon became an aging one and the Phillies declined. Amaro was dismissed toward the end of the 2015 season.
In addition to his work on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Amaro is also expected to appear weekly on SportsRadio 94WIP (94.1 FM) to provide Phillies analysis.
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.