BOSTON — The Red Sox announced the hiring of Ruben Amaro, Jr. this afternoon, and surprised many in baseball when announcing he'll coach first base in Boston.
Amaro has never coached at any level and spent the last 17 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was relieved of his job as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Phillies in September.
“I am truly honored to join the Red Sox, a first-class organization with a tremendous history,” Amaro said. “I was honored that Dave and John would consider me for this opportunity and add me to this dynamic coaching staff. I am poised, focused, and ready to bring anything I can in terms of experience and knowledge to this position, and I look forward to being a part of the Boston Red Sox.”
As a player, Amaro spent eight seasons in the big leagues as an outfielder for the California Angels (1991), Phillies (1992-93; 1996-98), and Cleveland Indians (1994-95). He was a career .235 hitter with 16 home runs and 100 RBI in 485 games and was a member of the pennant-winning clubs in Philadelphia in 1993 and in Cleveland in 1995. Amaro, who was a teammate of Farrell with the Indians in 1994, moved into the front office with the Phillies following his retirement in 1998.
A native of Philadelphia, PA, Amaro attended Stanford University, where he earned a degree in human biology and was a member of the school’s College World Series championship team in 1987. Later that year he was an 11th-round selection of the Angels in the June Draft. His father, Ruben Amaro Sr., was an infielder who spent 11 years in the majors as a player (1958; 1960-69), including six with Philadelphia. To date, they are the only father and son combination to have played for the Phillies.
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