Larry Bowa to remain with Phillies, with focus on young infielders

Larry Bowa might not wear a Phillies uniform again, but he will remain in the organization with a new front-office job — one that will send him to minor-league and amateur fields.

The Phillies on Friday named Bowa a senior advisor to the general manager. Bowa, 71, had been the team's bench coach for the previous four seasons. No one has worn a Phillies uniform longer than Bowa — 33 of his 52 years in baseball have come as a Phillies employee.

His new job will shift his focus to the organization's young infielders. Bowa will be a roving instructor in the minors, specifically working with the infielders. He could do some amateur scouting of infielders ahead of the June draft.

"Philadelphia has been my home for the last four decades and I bleed Phillies red," Bowa said in a statement released by the team. "Whether it is at the major- or minor-league level, my No. 1 goal is to help with the Phillies organization bring home another championship for our fans."

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak is conducting a managerial search to replace Pete Mackanin. That new manager will hire his own staff, which could include some holdovers from Mackanin's unit. But Bowa was not going to be one of them. The Phillies, still, wanted to find a place to utilize his decades of baseball experience. Pat Gillick and Charlie Manuel also hold senior advisor titles.

"Larry Bowa is a genuine Phillies icon and he has made enormous contributions to this franchise during his 33 years in uniform," Klentak said in a statement.  "I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Larry has accomplished throughout his baseball career and I am thrilled that he has agreed to continue to impact the organization in this new role."