Pirates interested in Phillies player information coordinator Sam Fuld for manager

Per MLB Network‘s Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly interested in Phillies player information coordinator Sam Fuld for their managerial vacancy.

Fuld was added to the Phillies front office shortly after Gabe Kapler was hired as manager in 2017. He served as a liaison between the analytics department and the players. His job was to sift through the information delivered by the analytics department and present it to the players in a comprehensible matter. The Phillies initially described the goal of the new position as to “integrate the use of information in all areas of on-field performance and preparation and make recommendations regarding the most effective areas of future research and analysis.”

The former outfielder spent eight seasons in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. In 599 games, he slashed .277/.307./325 with 12 home runs, 112 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. Fuld also holds an economics degree from Stanford University and was a part of the first crop of players to embrace analytics.

The 37-year-old was interviewed for the Toronto Blue Jays vacancy last offseason. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Fuld made “a strong impression,” on the Toronto front office. He eventually withdrew his name from consideration and the Blue Jays hired Charlie Montoyo.

As Phillies Nation Editorial Director Tim Kelly noted, Fuld is expected to be a popular candidate among the teams looking for an analytically-inclined manager. The Phillies could interview Fuld and other internal candidates, but as of now, the team seems to have their eyes set on hiring a manager with prior experience. Per multiple reports, Buck Showalter, Joe Girardi and Dusty Baker are all set to meet with the Phillies brass this week.

Other reported candidates for the Pirates position include former Pirates player, coach and current special assistant Jeff Banister, Arizona Diamondbacks Director of Player Development Mike Bell and Minnesota Twins bench coach Derek Shelton.

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