Phillies assistant GM Ani Kilambi departs for Nationals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies are losing a key member of their front office.
The Washington Nationals are hiring Phillies assistant general manager Ani Kilambi to serve as their next general manager, making him one of the youngest GMs in Major League Baseball.
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Kilambi, 31, joined the Phillies in 2021 after spending six seasons with the Rays organization, where he served as director of decision science and assistant director of research and development. Prior to his work in baseball, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, double-majoring in Statistics/Operations Research and Management Science.
With the Phillies, Kilambi oversaw the research and development department, an area the organization significantly expanded under his direction. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the department nearly doubled in size during Kilambi’s first two seasons.
With the support of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and then-general manager Sam Fuld, an organization once viewed as lagging behind analytically became one of the stronger research groups in the sport.
The move comes roughly seven weeks after Washington hired Blake Butera, 33, as its manager — another sign of the Nationals’ shift toward a younger leadership group. The club has finished last in the National League East in five of the past six seasons.
Jorge Velandia, hired in 2020, remains the Phillies’ other assistant general manager. It is not yet clear whether the club plans to fill Kilambi’s role before the season.
