Phillies Director of Player Development Joe Jordan will not return in 2019

In a surprising, and yet, not-so-surprising announcement, the Phillies have made it known that Director of Player Development Joe Jordan will not be back next year.

First reported by The Athletic, the announcement comes as the team has graduated a number of former top prospects to the big league level this season. Jordan came to the team in October of 2011, replacing Chuck LaMar, and oversaw a farm system that went from being one of the worst in baseball to a top-10 system last year.

Jordan is said to have enjoyed a good deal of freedom while working under former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro and Assistant GM Benny Looper. However, following the promotion of Bryan Minniti to the role of “assistant general manager of player development, amateur and international scouting” this past December, Minniti had reportedly been granted a level of influence that has become a factor in Jordan resigning “before finding a job elsewhere,” according to Todd Zolecki.

Rumors of more widespread moves have surfaced, as multiple Phillies coaches are said to not have deals in place beyond the current year.

There are many former members of Baltimore’s player development team populating the Phillies organization, including Matt Klentak, who has known Jordan since they worked together for the Orioles starting in 2008. Orioles writer Dan Connolly noted that Jordan took the brunt of the punishment for failed draft classes while with Baltimore, only for manager Buck Showalter to credit him for his selections in the years after his departure.