© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Phillies Hire Former Rays Director as Assistant GM
The Philadelphia Phillies have hired former Assistant Director of Research and Development for the Tampa Bay Rays Anirudh Kilambi as their Assistant General Manager, per MLB Insider Jeff Passan.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic confirmed in a tweet that Kilambi will now oversee Philadelphia's research and development. Gelb also noted that Rays officials have cited him "as an influential evaluator in under-the-radar pitching acquisitions," a department the Phillies have lacked in for quite some time.
Kilambi, 27, has been a member of the Rays organization for five years. He began working with the Rays in 2015 as an intern, and was then hired as the Assistant Director of Research and Development in July 2016.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times said of the Rays in August that "it is because of the work of ... Kilambi, Will Cousins and the other R&D experts, that they have been able to keep filling holes and continue winning."
The Rays finished atop the highly competitive American League East in 2021 with a record of 100-62. The defending 2020 AL Pennant winners suffered an early postseason exit though, after losing the AL Division Series to the Boston Red Sox in five games.
Regardless, the team still won 100 games. Based on the minimal pieces of information found on Kilambi, it seems the Phillies will be in good hands with him working in their front office.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- Dombrowski Cites Left and Center Field Among Phillies' Top Priorities
- Dombrowski Looks to Patch Phillies' Leaky Bullpen
- Would Seiya Suzuki Be a Logical Fit for the Phillies?
Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Facebook and Twitter!
