October 26, 2015
Over the weekend, the news broke that Ruben Amaro, Jr. would make quite the transition in his professional life. General manager of the Phillies since 2008, Amaro is the new first base coach of the Boston Red Sox. This is the first time he has coached in any capacity.
Red Sox manager John Farrell played with Amaro for the Cleveland Indians, and he called his old teammate last week to gauge his interest in a position on his staff. Amaro was interested. From ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes:
“I guess it is unusual,’’ Amaro said in a conference call Monday, “but for me, I’ve always had kind of an itch to be back on the field."
…
“At the end of the day, I felt like this opportunity doesn’t arrive all that often. I’ve been thinking about getting back on the field in some capacity. My current goal is to help the Red Sox get to be where they need to be.’’
Amaro will also coach the Red Sox outfielders and serve as base-running instructor. And if you get to Fenway Park early next season to watch batting practice, Amaro will be serving pitches up to hitters. Again, from Edes’ story:
He said he already has lost 10 pounds this offseason and not only does he plan on throwing BP, he noted that he is ambidextrous, which came as a surprise to Farrell.
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