it's official: ruben amaro, jr.

Ruben Amaro, Jr. was announced this morning as the Phillies new general manager. Retiring GM Pat Gillick will stay on as a consultant, which is encouraging news. All I know about the new guy is that he is the former assistant-GM and a point man for contract negotiations. The Phillies have a boatload of those coming up in the offseason and Amaro will be busy. Of Cuban-Mexican descent, Amaro went to Stanford, where he majored in human biology and played on an NCAA championship team. He also played in the majors for about five years before joining the Phillies front office. His father was a successful major league player in the 1960's and his grandfather was a big name in Cuban baseball. Amaro, now 43, is bilingual. Several years ago I saw him on a street in San Francisco after a Phillies-Giants game as my friends and I were walking back to our parking lot. He doesn't sound all that comfortable talking in public but that doesn't mean much except to those unable to go below the surface of things. Pat Gillick says he's ready. And with that, Ruben Amaro, Jr. becomes the second Hispanic GM in the majors.