The Philadelphia Phillies are once again one of the worst teams in baseball, and their general manager has apparently grown tired of the fans for getting on his case about it.
When asked on Monday if the team is planning to trade any of its veterans and potentially bring up pitching prospects Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin, Ruben Amaro Jr. was quick to point out that the Phillies are not going to rush either player. He then expressed frustration with the fans.
“They don’t understand the game,” Amaro said, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. “They don’t understand the process. There’s a process. And then they bitch and complain because we don’t have a plan. There’s a plan in place and we’re sticking with the plan. We can’t do what’s best for the fan. We have to do what’s best for the organization so the fan can reap the benefit of it later on. That’s the truth.”
Amaro’s overall point was that the team will not be making rash decisions during what is sure to be a third consecutive losing season. However, it is pretty rare for front office executives — especially ones in demanding cities like Philadelphia — to call out fans like that.
On Tuesday, Amaro backpedaled a bit during an interview with Howard Eskin on the 94WIP Morning Show.
“I didn’t say they don’t understand,” he explained. “Some fans don’t understand, it’s not all Philadelphia fans. That was not the purpose of it. It is some fans who think that bringing Efflin and Nola, for instance, to the major leagues at this time is the right thing for the organization. It’s those fans that really quite, don’t know — or bringing young minor league players to the major leagues before it’s time for them to really be ready to reap the benefits of being in the Major League. It’s those fans that really don’t understand.”
Amaro has been known to say things in the heat of the moment that he regrets — just ask Ryan Howard. He should know by now that the fans are not going to stop complaining until the Phillies start winning games. If Amaro can’t handle that, he’s working in the wrong city.
H/T Big League Stew
