Chuck LaMar resigns

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All of the beat guys tweet the news within 15 seconds of each other, but I’ll link to David Hale’s tweet, since he’s probably my favorite of the bunch. No word on why yet, but Ruben Amaro is quoted as saying it was a “disappointment”. My guess? He’s going to interview for Scouting Director jobs this winter, and possibly even GM jobs. But we’ll see. It is relevant news here, as he does scouting work, though more on the pro side. Just passing it on.

66 thoughts on “Chuck LaMar resigns”

  2. Maybe he was “let go” because of those Dom Brown comments. We all know how much the Phils liked Davey Lopes saying what he did about Utley’s health, and other things, last week.

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    1. I am sure that came up in the meeting he had with Looper and RAJ…and LaMar probably told them that it was time for Brown to get a sack and it was time for the Phils to stop coddling the kid. He probably wanted Brown to play more this fall than RAJ and Looper did…one thing led to another…and “bah-bye”.

      This is clearly RAJ’s ship…you either get in line, eat the gruel with a smile on your face…or walk the plank.

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      1. Should be that way. He’s the boss.

        They probably had a difference of opinion. It could be that Lamar talking in the media (talking about not trading for Beltran on DNL a few weeks ago, Brown, etc) upset the Phillies.

        Ruben doesn’t talk to the media and he probably doesn’t like his staff doing it either. Which is his right. He’s the boss.

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        1. I totally agree. Whether RAJ was right or not – he’s the boss and LaMarr isn’t. But Lamarr is a well respected and classy guy, I can’t believe he’d resign b/c his views weren’t being followed with regards to Brown. I hope its just due to his pursuit of other opportunities.

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        2. I think you’re talking about Scott Proefrock. Proefrock did a quick six on DNL and said the best trade he never made was for Beltran.

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        3. Ruben does talk to the media. I’m not sure what you mean. He is very disciplined, though, and doesn’t reveal many secrets when he talks.

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          1. When he has too. He doesn’t come out and give his opinions on players unless its necessary or he just wants to say something.

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  3. Why do I have a funny feeling that he may be the new Cubs GM?

    Just a guess, but I could see the Cubs making a move to try and bring in some guy or guy’s from the Phillies organization hoping to turn around the teams fortunes.

    Really sucks to lose LaMar regardless, and i’m hoping there aren’t too many noticeable negative effects of his leaving.

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    2. He probably isn’t. He may be interested in becoming a part of the front office but there are better, more qualified guys to turn that franchise around. (Rick Hann, Josh Byrnes, Jerry Dipoto, etc)

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  4. Ruben calls a meeting, the three meet—- him, Looper and Lamar—-and then Chuck resigns. He is not going to change at this stage of his life.

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    1. Let’s just pray LaMar doesn’t go somewhere and then raid the scouting department of our scouts which are still the guys finding quality players in rounds above 5 ala Dallas Green when he went to the Cubs. Moreover we have to have faith that as one of the 3 elite organizations RAJ will be beseiged by quality candidates…albeit somewhat unknown. It would also be interesting to imagine what Pat Gillick thought of this change ? LaMar is contraversial and always has been….

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  5. Chuck LaMar was assistant GM in charge of the minor league system, so , in fact he determined the placement of players in the minor league system. numerous articles stated as much. LaMar, through his own words stated he placed certain players too low in the system, though some might consider them the College veteran, bit too high for their current level type, but a correct placement might have changed that. And what good is it for such players to tear it up at a lower level, than to see what they can do at a higher level. The 1B, always a College veteran type, looks to continue on with the good year of Christopher Duffy to move up to Lakewood in all likelihood, giving 4 levels of that again next season, pending resolving the “no LaMar” situation. Don’t know if that was LaMar or scouting department, but hope it changes. Also other curious moves as to promotions, or lack thereof, of players. So, no sob-fest for LaMar’s ouster, and don;t see as GM candidate. Alot of the silver spoon billionaire team owners and those who made their bucks through Internet scams like E-Trade or something, wish to hire statistical “adepts” according to their biases. Also the past of LaMar is suspect, as I believe he was more of a low level cog in Atlanta, and rather than building the Tampa Bay talent pool, I believe the great bulk of it came after he left as Tampa Bay GM. So I say LaMar was bounced.

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    1. I’m not exactly sure what all this meant, but I do think it’s worth noting that there have been some pretty clear mistakes in player development over the past few years (See Aumont, Philippe), such that the organization itself has acknowledged them. One might feel Brown’s handling falls into that category as well, though I’m not so sure.

      It might have been that LaMar wouldn’t “eat the gruel” per the commenter above, or this might be a pure performance-based decision. Is anybody here ecstatic about the strides made by the system this year? I’m not.

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    3. CSNPhilly.com: “After some discussion, it seemed like for Chuck it would be the best situation to go ahead and resign,” Amaro said. Amaro was asked why it was best that LaMar resign “You’ll have to ask Chuck,” Amaro said. “I guess the feeling was it was an opportunity to have other pursuits, either inside or outside the game.” Amaro was asked if there was unhappiness on either side. “That’s a question you’ll have to ask Chuck,” Amaro said….—-.apparently does appear that he was ‘bounced’ since he wouldn’t change. Chuck told it like it was and very approachable…Dom Brown evaluations and comments were harsh and RAJ probably did not like them.

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      1. Or Maybe Lamar wanted a bigger role and Amaro wouldn’t give him one? Or maybe Lamar’s going to be elected pope and needed to give up his day job.

        A lot of wild speculation going on without any supporting evidence. Over the next couple of days the story will probably come out.

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      2. You can’t bad mouth the organizations golden child – unless your Dallas Green and that Golden Child is Scott Rolen…. then its okay apparently.

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      3. How were Brown evaluations harsh? All I remember is Lamar saying that Brown has had a tough year, which he has, and he can’t stick his head in the sand- that is, just forget about this year and keep playing- but he needs to reflect on this year to see what went wrong and use it to become a better ballplayer. I don’t see anything wrong with this.

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    4. Your review and summation of Lamar couldn’t be further from the truth. He built the farm system in Tampa and had a significant impact on the Phils system during the years he was here.

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  6. Yeah its all wild speculation.

    The reality is, Amaro runs a tight ship, and it seems information only leaks out if he wants it to. Maybe LaMar is angling for a GM job. Maybe the Phillies aren’t happy with the job he did (which goes above and beyond what we all speculate he did as assistant GM) and gave him a chance to resign instead of getting canned.

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    1. If LaMar is angling for a GM job, I don’t think he would leave his current job willingly during the season, as that would limit his negotiating leverage with prospective new employers. If it were performance-based, I think the usual thing would be for the Phillies to wait until after the season is over and quietly announce that LaMar is moving on. And while there have been disappointments within the system this year, it’s not like it’s been some kind of disaster–quite the contrary, if you take into account the graduation of Worley, Stutes and Bastardo, and the won-loss performance of the various affiliates, which I realize is not the real yardstick, but still a very rough measure of the system’s overall performance. I think all signs point to some kind of personal/philosophical/power conflict, which will be difficult to ferret out unless LaMar talks (which he very well might). But I agree that the timing of this, coming after his tough-love comments directed toward Domonic Brown, along with vague reports of differing opinions within the organization about whether he should be called up for the playoffs, suggest that the issue may have been LaMar’s habit of speaking out of turn.

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  8. To me the question is now about draft strategy. We’ve all seen, and debated the “high risk/high reward” draft strategy (I personally like it). My question is, was that LaMar, and now does that change? Or is that RAJ down and it’s not going anywhere?

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    1. Don’t that LaMar would be determining the organization’s draft philosophy. That would be done above his pay grade by the Ownership /GM.

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    2. They were like that with Gillick, no? I’ve got to think they’ll keep that approach unless the draft system changes.

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  9. This seems like the green to cubs years ago. watch sandberg go to chicago with chuck.and scouts follow him.could happen hope it doesnt

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  10. Wolever runs the draft. The Phillies philosophy hasn’t really changed in the last 5-6 years, and LaMar had been here for less time than that. This should have very little, if any, effect on the organization’s structure.

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  11. Don’t forget that Arbuckle had glossier credentials (than LaMar) before he came to the Phils and seemed to do a good job while he was here. The organization has survived OK w/out Mike and he didn’t raid the scouting ranks. One would think that since Arbuckle was here longer–and conceivably had more time to build relationships–the danger of scouts being hired away was greater with him than LaMar. So, while anything can happen, the odds would seem to be good that LaMar’s exodus won’t lead to a long line of people wanting to follow him.

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    1. Wrong…….Arbuckle’s highest posotion before he came to the Phillies was National Cross-Checker for Atlanta.

      LaMar was Director of Minor League Operations for Pittsburgh, Director of Player Development and Scouting/Asst. GM/Director of Player Personnel for Atlanta, and GM for Tampa before coming to the Phillies.

      Seems that LaMar’s credentials were much “glossier”

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  12. Since Galvis and May were just announced as minor league award winners, my guess is Lamar had a different opinion, and felt snubbed… Just a guess.

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    1. With all due respect, that’s not a very good guess. Seriously, almost nobody cares about who the Phillies’ minor league player and pitcher of the year are. It’s a minor ceremonial achievement and one that could not conceivably generate controversy within the organization.

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    1. I was wondering when this comment would show up. My first thought was this must be Hewitt’s fault. Maybe LaMar thought Hewitt should be patrolling the OF in Philly next year?

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      1. He was upset that Hewitt hasn’t received a September call-up already. RA said he would bring him up Saturday, but that wasn’t good enough for LaMar. He had wanted September 1 and now insisted upon immediate. Didn’t want to have Hewitt’s performance eroded by idleness.

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      2. Bellman that is the most ridiculous thing I have heard…..the OF is too crowded, Hewitt has to go to 3rd base!

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  14. This news is disappointing but for the outsider it is really difficult to predict what it means going forward. I’m sure we’ll continue to hear rumors about what happened — it doesn’t sound amicable, but what do I know.

    Regardless, of what happened, I’m not overly concerned. One of the strengths of our GM is his ability to listen to his people and gather many points of view. It isn’t easy to build a genuine consensus without losing command of the ship. It can be a delicate balancing act, giving people room to have strong opinions while maintaining the chain of command. I think Reuben Amaro Jr. has done a tremendous job. He gets the benefit of the doubt. The bottom line is, our GM is one of the best in the game and he has my full support and confidence. If Chuck LaMar felt he had to resign, oh well, that’s on him.

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    1. “listen to his people and gather many points of view”? Isn’t the GM who refuses to incorporate advanced statistical analyses in any of his player evaluations?

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      2. I think that his method works better than the method that I saw in the movie ad where Brad Pitt (as Billy Beane) says that he never watches a game!

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        1. Never been a more overated GM than Billy Beane. He won with players he inherited from his Sandy Alderson. He has managed to oversee 5 straight seasons without a winning record with his own players.

          He is a hell of a self promoter though!!!

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  15. Paul Holmgren is in the hospital and there is a need for someone to help the Flyers.

    I think LaMar is going over there…

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    1. Not sure I buy it as a reason for his departure. I don’t doubt the conversation could have happened as stated in the article but it seems a bit over the top to resign because of it.

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      1. Ditto that 3up3kkk………Bill Conlin’s FOTW may have bad hearing. Granted, Chuck is an out-spoken guy, who holds back no punches, and though he may not agree with the money that was allocated to signing prospects, he did work in Tamp Bay where thriftiness was a annual topic of discussion.

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      2. Also, its it silly to irresponsible to compare what the Phillies have spent on the draft compared to the Pirates or Nationals? We are picking at the end of the 1st round (or even supplemental), while the Pirates and Nats have to sign a top 5 pick every year. Those teams have to spend $6M-10M on their top pick alone! Posting that info in the story only fires up the fan base who don’t follow the draft or understand the draft!

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    2. MLL, not sure if this article is one of Conlin’s best as it gives the impression that LaMar was running the draft and the draft budget. First, from reading PP’s responses I got the feeling that Marti Wolever was running the draft not LaMar. Secondly, the Phillies are not finishing last every year like the Nationals, Pirates and Royals and usually don’t get to pick no brainers like Steven Strasburg and Gerrit Cole. The Phillies mode of operation is to scout players better than the other teams and find hidden gems in the draft like Tyler Greene who sign for half of what everyone thought he would. The Phillies view draft picks like mutual funds which diversify intead of putting all their eggs in one basket.

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  17. On Keith Law’s chat yesterday he mentioned that the industry speculation was that he was going to get fired or demoted.

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    1. Which is what makes this difficult to really understand.

      Conlin’s story is obviously fueled by LaMar’s take on things and the way he wants to be portrayed, which makes sense because he’s surely looking for another job in baseball.
      Law’s take comes from an outsider, and presumably he’s speaking to people who aren’t in the Phillies front office directly, but have spoken to those people. The reasoning given for him resigning seems odd, and I don’t totally buy it.

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    2. He also mentioned that this, along with some other front office moves, implies that RAJ isn’t very easy to work with/ for. That certainly caught my eye and could be an issue in the upcoming season(s).

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  18. I totally buy this story, we all have said they dont spend enough in latin market and draft, what is different from what most of us have said?. The argument that they draft late is bull. no one is saying to spend 10 million on one player but they have taken a hit, and this draft had some nice catching prospect and they wouldnt meet there demands, overbay,garvey is a potential power bat would have been nice to add. greene sign cheap and early, but this system should have spent more and bought in some more kids from high school with a chance to develop. they are not keeping up with the other teams and it will bite them . not being able to develop any infielders right now is putting them in a bind with rollins this year and polanco next year. and utley going down.

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    1. Very rarely do two sides of a story totally match-up, and the parts that do are usually the truth. I doubt this is the whole story. So Lamar was fired because he cared too much about the farm system??? Really, that’s his take??? Don’t buy it.

      It’s possible he wanted a change in philosophy and was at odds with Amaro but to believe he was simply trying to improve the farm and was quickly dispatched seems a bit naive to me. Lamar’s been around and he’ll find a job, but I don’t think he was the key cog in this machine.

      Furthermore, if the new CBA restructures the draft, as many believe it might, spending will be down all over the league and this matter may become pointless…or at least not as important.

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  20. a lot of if in your comments i meant and according to conlin if i am not mistaken he did run the draft sorry for the posted mispelled words.

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  21. Does it matter? I guess many of you care enough to post. All I know is the big club is whooping ass and forgetting names. I’ll take another WS and let this other BS sort itself out down the road.

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  23. that was funny i know i can’t spell. I knew phillies would get some one out there to knock down the story. look they are successful but still believe the story. and a matt gelb isnt going to change my mind. he is a phillies lackey

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