The Phillies on Thursday announced that they had filled an important front office position with the hiring of Josh Bonifay as director of player development.
Bonifay, 40, spent seven of the last eight seasons working in the Houston Astros' minor-league system as a coach, manager and most recently minor-league field coordinator. He spent the 2017 season working on the Texas Rangers' big-league coaching staff.
Bonifay, who played in the minors with Pittsburgh and Houston, is the son of former Pirates general manager Cam Bonifay. He succeeds Joe Jordan, who stepped down as the Phillies' director of player development after seven seasons on the job in September. Jordan resigned because of philosophical differences with his bosses and several minor-league hitting coaches were let go after that.
The Phillies' front office has undergone extensive change both in personnel and philosophy since Matt Klentak arrived as general manager three years ago. The use of analytics and data-rooted instruction has increased throughout the organization. The Astros have been at the forefront of the analytics movement so Bonifay is steeped in that approach. Last fall, the Phillies hired their assistant pitching coach, Chris Young, away from the Astros.
During the interview process, Bonifay "stood out with his combination of leadership, experience and passion for developing players," Phillies general manager Klentak said.
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