Newly minted Phillies manager Joe Girardi appears tired of hearing the criticisms of how he manages young players.
It was the main reason he was let go by the Yankees after winning 91 games and reaching Game 7 of the ALCS with a club filled with young stars in 2017, and it was brought up again Monday during his introductory news conference as Phillies manager at Citizens Bank Park.
Girardi, who signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2023 from the Phillies, said he loves working with young players.
“I went through that with the Marlins and went through that with the Yankees,” the 55-year-old Girardi told reporters. “And I felt that I was able to get the most out of those [young] players. We were one game from reaching the World Series, so if there was a problem, it didn’t show up in the wins and losses.”
Girardi, who also was a candidate for the Mets and Cubs managerial jobs, dismissed the idea he isn’t in-tune with baseball’s growing analytical trend.
“I do embrace [analytics],” said Girardi, who is 988-794 in 11 seasons as a manager and won the 2009 World Series with the Yanks. “It is important to me because numbers tell the story over time. They really do. I’m an analytical guy that has an engineering degree that loves all that — and they can never give me too much information. I think it’s a tool that we use to assess players in so many different ways.”
When asked about being courted by the Mets, Girardi said he is a faithful man and he believes Philadelphia is where “God meant for me to be.” He sees a great opportunity to be successful with the Phillies.
“I’m selfish,” Girardi said. “I want to win.”
Girardi was replaced by the Yankees with Aaron Boone, who is widely seen as being more player-friendly than Girardi.