Mackanin done as Phillies’ manager
Staying with team in front office role
The Phillies will have a new manager next season.
Pete Mackanin, who has managed the Phils for more than two years, will be relieved of his duties after the final game of the season Sunday. He will transition to the front office, where he will serve as a special assistant to general manager Matt Klentak.
Since replacing Ryne Sandberg midway through the 2015 season, Mackanin was 172-237 as the Phillies manager prior to a Friday game against the visiting New York Mets. At 64-95, the Phillies had the second-worst record in baseball, behind only the San Francisco Giants.
Mackanin had hinted at a change earlier in the week when he stressed that he did not know whether he’d return in 2018. His new situation will include a contract extension designed to keep him in the organization beyond 2018.
Mackanin will continue to manage the Phillies through the weekend. The Phillies have not named a replacement. Dusty Wathan, who managed the Phillies’ Class AAA team in Allentown and who successfully helped prepare Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford for the major leagues, will be a candidate. Wathan has been with the Phillies since the Pigs were eliminated from the minor-league playoffs, though such additions to the late-season majorleague coaching staff are common.
Mackanin, who played briefly for the Phillies in 1978 and 1979, was an assistant to manager Charlie Manuel from 2009 through 2012. He returned in 2014 to coach third base, and was selected by Ruben Amaro Jr. as the interim manager upon the sudden resignation of Ryne Sandberg.
Mackanin quickly showed promise as a manager, publicly demanding improved play. With that, he had the interim designation removed. During this season, the Phillies picked up an option for Mackanin to be the 2018 manager, hoping that removing his lame-duck status would yield on-field results. That did not happen.
The Phillies had played better later in the season, largely due to the influx of Triple-A stars. Apparently, that was not sufficient for Mackanin to keep his job.
The Phillies did not make any immediate decisions on Mackanin’s coaching staff. Typically, such changes are made immediately after the season.