Lopes will not return to Phillies
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Lopes will not return to Phillies
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Phillies first base coach Davey Lopes will not return next season. ( Yong Kim / staff photographer )
There were hints late in the season that Davey Lopes' future with the Phillies was in doubt. In September, Lopes said he was undecided whether he'd return despite an open invitation from the team. Manager Charlie Manuel said Lopes and Ruben Amaro Jr. had differences they needed to discuss.
On Monday, those differences resulted in Lopes informing the team he will not return as first-base coach for the 2011 season. The two sides could not agree on a salary.
"I feel this is a different situation than most situations," Lopes said by phone. "I'm not saying the money they offered was not good. Everybody will say, 'It's a money thing. It's a money thing.' That played into it. But there's a certain time in your career where you're pigeon-holed and I don't feel as though I should be. It should be based on your value to the club. It has nothing to do with if I'm a first-base coach or third-base coach. What is my value to the club?"
Lopes declined to say how far apart the club and he were on a salary. He said he was not looking for pitching or hitting coach money.
Many would argue Lopes' value is immeasurable. Since taking over in 2007 and being handed the reins to the Phillies' running game, the team has successfully stolen bases on 84.3 percent of their attempts, by far the best mark in the majors during that span.
Lopes said, as far as he knows, he is the only first-base coach in the majors who has complete control of a team's running game. On most clubs, the manager makes those decisions. But with the Phillies, Lopes made the call when or when not to steal. Sometimes, Lopes said, Manuel would issue hit-and-runs, but that was his only involvement.
But in baseball, first-base coach is one of the lowest positions on the totem pole. Lopes said he felt he was different than other first-base coaches and wanted to be compensated thusly. The Phillies decided against it.
"But again, that's a matter of philosophy," Lopes said. "And that's fine. I just felt it was time to make a stand. Sometimes you have to do things you don't necessarily want to do. That's what I did. Will it cost me? Will someone offer me a deal? I don't know. If they do, great. If they don't, fine. I've been blessed for all these years."
Lopes said the Phillies gave him until Monday to make a decision. He called Amaro during the afternoon to say he was leaving.
"I found out about Davey's decision today and clearly we are disappointed that he will not be a Phillie next season," Amaro said in a statement. "We were hopeful that he would have remained with us as he did a fine job with our baserunners and our outfielders for the last four years. Going forward, we will immediately begin a search for his replacement."
Lopes said he will actively look for another job in baseball for the 2011 season. If he has to sit out a whole season, he said he will likely retire.
Much more from Lopes in Tuesday's Inquirer.
Comments (78)
Bummed to see him go--class act, great coach- Penny-wise, pound-foolish.— PhightinPhil
- "Everybody will say, 'It's a money thing. It's a money thing.' That played into it. " So...it's a money thing. Wonder how far apart they were?— Bob1
- he is right. he is more than a first base coach. they should have given him another title, first base coach/running coordinator/ offensive assistant and paid him accordingly.— notch44
- time to bring Milt Thompson back to coach 1st— wolfburn
- Ruben Amaro, Jr. is an child. Grow up, dude. If you were half as knowledgable about baseball as Davey Lopes, we'd be in the World Series now.— intrepidtrips
- Bad move by RAJ. Give the guy the money, he's already earned.
Why do the Phillies have to do things like this? Makes them look real bad.— ngfs66 - Running game will surely take a hit next season!!— ernieg
- One night beer concession sales would have paid Lopes' salary. That's lame to not resign the guy.
- If he was in charge of the running game, why didn't they attempt anything when it counted in the NLCS? Coaches are over-rated.— rmpchf
- i heard 3rd base pays maybe $250k tops. how much can this be about: $75k? this is change lost in the sofa for them. or take a hundred-thousandth of a penny in the hiked beer price. you can bet on this: they will steal less than 84.3% of their tries next year.— cowpoke
- He was in charge of all aspects of the running game he says. Victorino should get to second when Chooch is thrown out at home plate then, it was his fault then. Maybe the Phils are still in it if he did his job better. Stolen bases are way overrated anyway. Ask Bill James...if you know who that is.— Chaz-taz
There is no way people can now argue that the Phils aren't cheap. PhitinPhil has it right on the nose. This is a false economy. Unless they hire Rickey Henderson, the running game is likely to suffer.
Blame Obama..- Werth a helluva lot more than Perlozzo. Too bad, but he was out on Black Friday. I don't care what he says.— brio
- This is a negative. The guy obviously knows the running game and has the results to prove it. There is also the team chemistry thing.— Booper
- I don't understand the controversy. Lopes doesn't want to come back. This is just like the Cliff Lee deal. He was offered a contract and he didn't respond so the Phils moved on to Halladay. Now we have the THREE ACES and are better off. Lopes needs to be on a team with young fast base-runners not a team with one legitamate base-stealing threat (Victorino).— garcia7
- He never said he didn't want to return. Nor should they have given up on Cliff that early.— matthew76
- If Lopes wanted to stay they could easily work out a deal - Lopes wants back to LA - if he says that out loud he gets the "Rolen treatment" every time he's back in town (instead of the nice ovation he gets this way)- but thanx for the nice work Davey.— timpduffy
Amaro is systematically ruining this team, this guy is bad news. This is a sad indictment on Cholly Manuel too. Hes going to make $3 M dollars next, hey Chol how about standing up for one of the key coaches who helped you get your fat payday?Nice loyalty there pal. This team went into nosedive the minute they handed the reigns over to Amaro.Rube has always seemed like a smug,schwarmy, arrogant sob.This had disaster written all over it once Gillick left. This organization is a disgrace for putting Lopes out of work, over peanuts.
Jesus...they don't come to terms with a first base coach...pull a guy out of the stands and give him a cap and jacket.- They should have kept Lopes at all costs and fired the 2 dumbest s.o.b.'s I ecver seen, Manuel and Rich Dumbee.
Lopes made the players smarted and improved the team. Manuel rode their backs to any success attributed to him. A totally clueless clown. Dumbeee is to Manuel what Tim McCarver was to Carton. A useless friend.— dedhed - Wow, this sucks.— txflyer
- Well it's not like the guys will forget how to run...— Philly Fan in Kuwait
Ruben Amaro strikes again. This what happens when you put people in charge who have no business being in charge.Rube is creating quite a resume on how to ruin a World Champ. This is just disgraceful.The entire organization should be ashamed of themeselves.— argonne- Class act. Hate to seem him go. Best of luck.— SammyMaudlin
- Should have paid the man what he wanted. Phillies do not have the success they've enjoyed without him. His contribution was more valuable than any coach other than Dubee. Enough that he's forgiven for his role in Black Friday.— ejc527
- Amaro sucks...horrible move...trading Lee...signing Raul...now this!?
- (and brio, you're right -- he WAS out. *&^*&% Froemming)— ejc527
- Davey was more than a first base coach; RJA even said so in his statements. If it was about $, why couldn't the Phils pony up some more $. Lopes could certainly be the 3B coach, Could Perlozzo do what Lopes did? Something missing here in this situation— Polecat_39
Comment removed.- Maybe someone should have told him to tell Victorino to steal in game 6 against Lincecum...
Hey Brio did you mean worth? Must have been a Freudian slip :)- Really? All this love for Dodger Davey Lopes? The Phils will be fine. Everyone said the sky was gonna fall last time one of their esteemed assistants left, too. Lopes seems like a class guy and I hope someone pays him what he wants, but that's baseball. Phillies will be back with a vengeance in '11.— KDH
- cmon Rube. Just pay the man. makes us look like the pirates. we cant afford to kick davy an extra 100 G's. asinine.— eglftbl1
- Davey did a terrific job and he will be missed. Good luck to you in the future, DL.— peteinmich
- @Chaz-taz>>>Bill James is an idiot. His opinions are worthless in terms of real baseball. If you played it all on a computer the world series would come down to the James vs. Billy Beane. But baseball is played on the field. Davey Lopes will sorely be missed.— Eilex826
- This is too bad. I've always admired Lopes, both as a player and as a coach. I think think Phils will miss him. Lopes gave the runners enough of an advantage to make a difference. It will be interesting to see what the base-stealing percentage will be next year, compared to the Lopes years.— Stoshie
- Davey Lopes was as good as it gets.
When the runners were at first, he imparted enough information to them , knowing their abilities, to steal second . He's a good teacher, and a quality guy.— phineas - With Davey's speed he could be BOTH 1st and 3rd base coach so he gets a 50% raise and the club saves $!— JBP
Bill Giles type move.— georgel- Ruben Jr. is a rube and a loser!— meltinlarrybok
- With the money saved from letting Lopes go they obviously have enough now to go out and sign Cliff Lee this off season, right?
- What's the differnece in price betwen a 3rd base coach and 1st? Says he wasn't asking pitching/hitting coach money, so I think it would be pertinent for the reporter to let us know what coaches get paid for reference.
btw, thanks Davey for being a class guy and agreat teacher for the Phils the last few years, I think you'll be missed. - What a joke. The upper tier of 1st base coach pay is around $450K. The highest paid pitching coach in the majors makes $750K. Are you telling me that Amaro and Lopes were probably only $100-150K apart - and let let Lopes walk? I think Lopes has gone far beyond proving his value to this team - you stink Amaro; your overinflated ego needs a serious comeuppance.— CTL
- Davey, Good luck!! Thanks for the good coaching and adios. Now, anyone who thinks he is indispensible - stick your hand in a bucket of water and then pull it out. See how long it takes to fill the hole??? The Phillies will find a first base coach quickly.— billtfla
This move is going to backfire more than whatever happens with Werth or the bullpen. Lopes made the running game a lethal (if underutilized) weapon over the last few years. I hope that whatever wisdom he passed on to these guys stays in their brains. Bad move, Phils. Pay the man what he's earned.— Doctor D- RAJ is taking the 50K he saved on Lopes and putting it into the Werth booty. Captin' Beard will be back next fo' sho' now.— dabonz
Lopes was the best coach, sad to see him not signed.— bill19666- Wow! In the last couple of months Ruben fires his major league hitting coach and his AAA and AA managers and his first base coach is let go for money reasons. Who's next?— Dull
Stinks. Lopes has been the reason for their success with stealing bases and he will be hard to replace.- If Davey Lopes was in charge of base stealing and outfield play, he did a great job. As noted everywhere the Phillies are dominant in base stealing percentage ever since Lopes arrived, even setting a major league record. But they also have had exceptionally strong and sound outfield play. Those things don't happen just by mistake and Lopes will be difficult to replace with just some ole guy who can shuffle a deck of cards.— jtj06
- Lopes is replaceable. But Charlie needs all, and the best help he can get when it comes to managing the game. I think Charlie's assistant coaches are more important than other managers'.— mtt122
- We can all have our opinions. I think the Phils will miss Lopes, however, one can't over estimate their own value. Lopes did have some horses to play with as well (Rollins, Victorino, Werth, Utley). And Lopes did have men actually get on base. Its a two way street in sports. The team will miss Lopes alot. However, its RAJ's ship and let him put the $$$ where its needed..on the field. Cholly will surely find someone to fill the bill.— drhoffman
- Phils made a big mistake. They have enough money to keep Lopes. He was a huge part in improving their running game.— Quaker
- Phillies are dead wrong on this one, and it will have a significant impact. Just think, we get to watch our fastest runner and biggest dimwit, Victorino, use his own judgement!
Given what coaches are paid, it doesn't matter how far apart they were, as it couldn't have been much more than $150,000. Can you imagine losing someone this valuable over that amount?!— VicM - BRING HIM BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Larry Bowa is not returning to the Dodgers next season. Bring him back. Welcome Home Larry.— AreUKiddinMe
- Comment removed.
- How can the Phillies possible pay Rich Dubee or Greg Gross or Pete Mackanin more than Davey Lopes? Every time Dubee visited the mound, the next pitch resulted in a base hit. You saw how the team hit in the postseason with Greg Gross as hitting coach. Charlie Manuel kept making the same strategy blunders over and over, so what if anything does Pete Mackanin contribute?— Freedom Fries
- absolute garbage letting him go like that rube u did lopes dirty man. out of all charlies secondary coaches he deserves it for what he did to the Phils running game it made sense to pay him a little above the norm quote it Phils fans steals will be down 20-30% next season Ruben will regret this one— marknoll15
- hmmmm ... smells like gold standard 101 .... maybe you can make up for this out-rage by stealing the giants pitching coach .. if you can't beat them, steal from them !— jimiburnz
- There is more to this than meets the eye. Of course, the Phillies look cheap, but I also think that Lopes realized that our team is getting OLD. No way he will be able to keep an 80+% stolen base rate with a bunch of 30-somethings. Bad situation all around.— svlnj
- Uncle Cholly got cocky after 2008....he thought he did it all on his own without the coaches. He let Jimy Williams go. Now Lopes. We'll see if the Phillies even win the division next year. Hope Lopes goes to NL East team. Maybe Sandy Alderson will hire him as the Mets new Manager.— sonnybuoy01
Amaro Jr. you will pay. Lopes will end up in NY or Atlanta and haunt you.- Damn shame...class act, good guy, and knows the importance of moving runners vice Cholly who will just have them stand at first and wait for the next home run.— 67Flyer
- Rumor has it the money originally allocated for Lopes went to a raise for the guy who scouted Baez.— dasher
- People forget that Charlie did not become a great manager until Davey Lopes and Jimy Williams joined the staff. Can anyone name the original Charlie coaching staff?— Paul Deon
- It’s not coincidence that when Lopes arrived the careers of both Victorino and Werth took off. The guy was the best coach of the whole coaching staff, including the manager. Nobody reads the pitcher's moves better than Davey. I guess it was more than money and value to the team. Remember when Lopes said in an interview to SI Utley was having knee problems or something? Amaro countered by saying it wasn’t Lopes business to report injuries to the press. He was probably right, but the way he said to the Philly press wasn’t pretty diplomatic or professional if you ask me.— EL Zorro
- I'd keep Davey Lopes ahead of Amaro or Perlozzo. I think Perlozzo is an awful 3rd base coach. Big loss for the Phils.— Tar Heel 1
- Comment removed.
- Big mistake— DPL
- I don't have any idea what he was asking for in terms of salary, but whatever it was, Davey Lopes is worth every penny. Very sad to see him go.
- This just ensures that they further ignore moving runners along with smart at bats. They'll just look even more for the bloop, bloop and a blast offense that Manuel loves some much. And with Howard's hrs falling off and Werth all but gone, there won't be as many blasts.— DPL
- It is a shame that Lopes is leaving. It really doesn't have anything to do with money. Lopes wants to manage and probably would have been in line to succeed Manuel, had the latter not succeeded...........Look for Lopes to manage the Mets, or to take a West Coast job if another manager spot doesn't come his way.— BillyFortune
- Hey RAJ Halliday, Lee, Hamels, Happ, Worley coulda woulda shoulda. Keep Werth if you can.
- i don't like this scene. though that being said we don't know the whole story. Davey added a lot to the scene, that we know. more than any other first base coach i know of. but really we don't know squat bout what really happened.— righty
- Ruben, your Stanford MBA shows - "Well, your title is first base coach, so I can only first base coach money even though you do so much more". Hopefully, you don't make any more costly mistakes,— SJCoolJ
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
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Bob Brookover
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