A report over the weekend indicated the Philadelphia Phillies had named Matt Klentak as their new general manager. That news has been confirmed on Monday and the team will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET, which can be seen on MLB.com.
Klentak, the former assistant GM of the Los Angeles Angels, has been considered one of the frontrunners for the position in Philadelphia for a good while. Today he officially became the 11th general manager in Phillies history and is the youngest at age 35 to hold the position.
#Phillies have hired major league executive Matt Klentak as vice president & general manager.
— Phillies (@Phillies) October 26, 2015
"In Matt we found an executive with the keen ability to understand cutting-edge baseball analytics, coupled with superior scouting, player development and leadership skills," team president Andy MacPhail said in a statement. "Additionally, his commitment and resolve to build the foundation for a championship-caliber team was evident every step of the way through the process. I trust Matt to lead the Phillies as we all rededicate ourselves to return championship baseball to Philadelphia."
Klentak previously worked under MacPhail when the two were with the Baltimore Orioles. Both left the organization after the 2011 season with MacPhail being out of baseball until the Phillies hired him during the 2015 season and Klentak moving on to the Angels' front office.
MacPhail previously said he'd be looking for an experienced executive with a good balance of knowledge between analytics and scouting. Klentak as well as Tampa Bay Rays VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom and Oakland Athletics assistant general manager Dan Kantrovitz were finalists for the position.
The Phillies also interviewed Kim Ng, who works for the MLB and is striving to become the first female GM in history. Other candidates at some point in the interview process also included Larry Beinfest (former MIA exec), Ross Atkins (CLE), Matt Slater (STL), J.J. Piccolo (KC) and Jim Hendry (NYY).
Click here to watch Klentak's introductory press conference.
