Phillies expand international staff, hire mental-skills coach

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In a series of hires and promotions announced Tuesday, the Phillies added two high-ranking positions, expanded their international baseball staff, and hired a mental-skills coach.

Bryan Minniti, hired from the Arizona Diamondbacks, will be a special assistant to the general manager. So will Jorge Velandia, who was promoted. Both Minniti and Velandia will report to Matt Klentak in key roles.

"He's a tremendous worker and a great baseball guy," Klentak said of Minniti. "I think we're really fortunate that our ownership is allowing us to continue to build our group, in the hopes of making better decisions as we move forward."

The Phillies added two positions in their international operations. Greg McMillin, who had interned for the team, was named coordinator of international scouting. Rafael Alvarez was hired as an international scout. Ray Robles, a longtime member of the front office, was promoted to assistant director of international operations, and Elvis Fernandez will manage the team's new academy in the Dominican Republic.

Geoff Miller was named the franchise's first mental-skills coach. He previously worked in a similar capacity for the Pirates, Nationals, and Braves, and authored a book about sports psychology in 2012. Miller, who was hired a few months ago, will split his time between the minors and majors, Klentak said.

Gregg Legg was promoted to manage double-A Reading in 2017. Legg, who managed single-A Clearwater in 2015, was the Reading manager from 2002-04. Shawn Williams will move up from single-A Lakewood to manage Clearwater in 2017.

Marty Malloy was hired to manage single-A Lakewood; the former infielder who played 35 major-league games managed in the Houston system from 2014-15. Former Phillies infielder Charlie Hayes will be a coach for the Gulf Coast League Phillies, while former minor-league player Tyler Henson will coach at single-A Williamsport.

Velandia, 41, has been credited with persuading the Phillies before the Rule 5 draft that Odubel Herrera could play the outfield. The former big-league infielder has served a variety of roles with the Phillies and has risen as a trusted adviser to the new front office.

"I saw considerable value in what Jorge Velandia has brought to us, the perspective that he brings into the decision-making," Klentak said. "We're going to elevate his role in the coming year. We've added scouts. We continue to roll out our analytics group. There are some additional hires that we hope to make later in the year. All of these hires in total are designated to improve our decision making as we move forward."