Pat Gillick
Pat Gillick (born
August 22,
1937) is the current general manager of the
Philadelphia Phillies.
Born in
Chico,
California, Gillick graduated from
USC in
1958 with a degree in
business. He was also a gifted
pitcher, playing on the 1958 National Title baseball team at USC and spending five years in the
Baltimore Orioles minor league system, venturing as high as Triple-A.
Gillick retired from playing and began a front-office career in
1963 when he became the assistant farm director with the
Houston Astros. He would eventually work his way up to the position of Director of Scouting before moving to the
New York Yankees system in
1974 as a Coordinator of Player Development. In
1976 he moved again, this time to the expansion
Toronto Blue Jays, becoming their Vice President of Player Personnel, and in
1977, their Vice President of Baseball Operations. In
1984 he was named Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.
As Toronto's general manager, Gillick won five division titles (
1985,
1989,
1991,
1992 and
1993) and led the club to their first
World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Shortly after Gillick left, the Blue Jays went into decline, having not finished any higher than third in the AL East since.
In
1995, Gillick was named the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles organization and he guided the Orioles to the playoffs in
1996 and
1997. He left at the conclusion of his three-year contract in
1998. The Orioles have not had a winning season since.
Gillick then became the general manager of the
Seattle Mariners and helped build one of the strongest teams in the
American League during his tenure there (
2000 through
2003). During this time, the Mariners had the best record in baseball (393-255), including a phenomenal
2001 campaign which saw them post a 116-46 record, tying the Major League Baseball record for wins in a season. They twice made the post-season, losing in the
American League Championship Series in 2000 and 2001. Gillick was, however, criticized in his latter years for not making deals at the trade deadline which might have improved the club into a World Series contender. Consistent with his track record, the Mariners collapsed after his departure. He also has been given responsiblity for the decline of the Mariners' farm system.
Gillick was inducted into the Toronto Blue Jays "Level of Excellence" on
August 8,
2002.
On
November 2,
2005, Gillick was named the
Philadelphia Phillies' general manager. Gillick's first big move in Philadelphia was to trade
Jim Thome and cash to the
Chicago White Sox for
Aaron Rowand and prospects
Gio Gonzalez and
Daniel Haigwood.
In June
2006, the Gillick faced criticism from members of the media and womens groups for allowing pitcher
Brett Myers to make his scheduled start against the
Boston Red Sox on
June 25,
2006, just one day after being arrested for assaulting his wife on a Boston street. Gillick was quoted by the
New York Times as saying "I think it's in the best interest of the club, he's our best pitcher". [
1]
Gillick maintains his permanent residence in
Toronto with his wife, Doris.
*
Alumni report from USC
