Andy MacPhail, the incoming president of the Phillies, hired Matt Klentak to be the Orioles’ director of baseball operations in 2008 when he was with Baltimore.
But MacPhail did not allow sentimentality to encroach on making a franchise-altering decision in picking a new general manager. “(MacPhail’s) process was comprehensive, it was rigorous, it was objective and it was thorough,” said Phillies ownership partner John Middleton, who was part of the interview team. “And because (he) did all those things well, (MacPhail) wound up with a great result in hiring Matt.”
Klentak, 36, replaces Ruben Amaro Jr., who was fired after seven years. Amaro has taken a career pivot, becoming first-base coach of the Red Sox. Klentak, who played shortstop at Dartmouth and graduated from the school in 2002, has also…