5 keys of new GM Klentak's plan for Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies general manager Matt Klentak and the rest of the baseball operations department are in Clearwater, Fla., this week for their organizational meetings.
Klentak is likely to discuss his five elements to rebuilding the Phillies, who finished this season with the worst record in baseball. He laid out those elements in his introductory news conference Monday morning at Citizens Bank Park:
1. Discipline. "We have to understand who we are, who we want to be and how we are going to get there. Once we set that road map, we are going to follow it and be disciplined on how we follow it," he said.
2. Connectivity. "In process of all areas of baseball operations, we will be connected," he said. "We will work together. We will have a process for everything that we do. And we will not veer off course."
Video: Klentak introduced as Phillies' general manager
3. Information. "I know this is an important one," he said. "We want to be the best at everything that we do. We want to have the best scouts in the field, the best coaches, the best players -- and we will. And we will use every form of technology and information available to us to be at the forefront of information in this industry. And how we manage that will be the key. We want to take the information from all the different people and marry that into our process. How we do that will determine our fate. If we have the best information, we will make the best decisions."
4. Culture. "One thing I know is that we can't force culture, but we can build an environment that allows our players to succeed -- to play loose and play confidently. We will create an environment that allows our players to get better and allows the Phillies to win a lot of baseball games."
5. Winning. "If we are successful in those first four points, we will do a lot of winning," he said. "Winning is the fifth point I wanted to make. That is ultimately what this is all about. You know that and I know that. Philadelphia knows that. That's why I'm here. I would not have left Mike Trout in his prime to come here if I didn't believe that -- I promise you that. I look forward to contributing and helping this franchise get back to its winning ways."