Fansided

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says fans ‘don’t understand the game’

By CM Towle

Jul 25, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. talks with reporters during batting practice before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 25, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. talks with reporters during batting practice before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says that the fans don’t understand the game or how the MLB works.

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The Philadelphia Phillies currently sit at 19-28, good for fourth in the NL East and the second lowest-scoring offense in the the league. At nine games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals, there are strong doubts that the Phillies will turn it around and even make a play for the Wild Card. This has fans calling for the team to bring up minor league players and give them extra playing time in the majors, presumably with the idea that it will help them next year.

Well, general manager Ruben Amaro has some scathing replies for those fans, according to a story by FTW. He told CSN Philadelphia that not only will the organization not rush young players from the minors, but that the fans calling for them to do so are basically uninformed and don’t understand the game.

"“They don’t understand the game,” Amaro said. “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.”"

Of course, as FTW points out, that plan, if there is one, hasn’t exactly been working. Since the Phillies won 102 games in 2011, they’ve gone 246-287. Even if the fans are barking up the wrong tree, you can hardly blame them for being upset or even calling for drastic action. No one wants to see their team lose that much or for years on end.

Amaro is remaining mum on whether the Phillies are looking to be hot sellers before the trade deadline. He offered a vague answer in that he’s been having “dialogue on a variety of things”, but that nothing is imminent. He’s likely referring to the players who are potential trade bait in Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon.

All of them are playing fairly well lately, only upping their value. Another year and more rumors will fly leading up to the trading deadline for all of Philadelphia’s best players. If recent years are any indication, nobody will be moved and fans will go insane. Good times.

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