PHILADELPHIA — In a seismic shift that will allow Dave Dombrowski to place a deeper imprint on the franchise, the Phillies announced sweeping changes to their player-development operation, an aspect of the organization that continues to lag behind as the team stares down the approaching likelihood of a 10th consecutive season without a postseason berth.
Since he was hired as president of baseball operations last fall, Dombrowski has steadily reshaped the infrastructure he inherited from deposed former general manager Matt Klentak. The decision on Tuesday might have been the most significant yet. Dombrowski demoted assistant general manager Bryan Minniti and director of player development Josh Bonifay, the overseers of a farm system generally considered among the weakest in the sport, a system which featured zero players in the latest ranking of the game’s top 50 prospects by The Athletic’s Keith Law.
“I was not satisfied with the player-development aspect of the organization,” Dombrowski said during a session that lasted more than 20 minutes with the media a few hours before the Phillies’ 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay at Citizens Bank Park.
The defeat featured a lineup lacking the young players the Phillies once dreamed of building around. Alec Bohm, the latest to stall in the majors, was sent back to the minors on Sunday. He hit second for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, a spot ahead of 2016 No. 1 pick Mickey Moniak.
