The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most disappointing teams in the majors. Over the first month of the season, they have a record of 9-19 and have a -54 run differential, the worst in the majors. They also recently had a 10-game losing streak and have dropped 11 of their last 12. This is far from what the Phillies were expected to be. Because of this, the organization decided to make a change and dismissed Rob Thompson as manager. They announced that Don Mattingly was promoted to bench coach.
Although this would have been surprising before the season, everyone knew this move was coming. With how badly the team has played and the expectations they had, the team needed to do something. This is seen by many as one of the last rides of this core, so a start like this is unacceptable. But will firing Thompson help turn the season around?
Will Moving on From Rob Thompson Spark the Phillies?
Thompson has been one of the more successful managers in baseball over the past five years. Since taking over in the middle of 2022, he has had a record of 355-270. This comes to a .568 winning percentage, the best of any Phillies manager in the modern era. They have also made the playoffs in each season he has managed, going 21-17 and winning the NL Pennant in 2022. His success has made him the poster child for how much a managerial change can improve a ballclub, having achieved all this after taking over for Joe Girardi midway through the 2022 season.
But despite all this success, the Phillies had to move on from Thompson. While few believe that these struggles are solely on Thompson, the Phillies had to act. If these struggles continued, they could dig themselves a hole too deep to dig themselves out of. This move is a sign to the locker room that the way they are playing is unacceptable and something needs to change fast. This will send a shock to the locker room. They will see that they cost their manager his job, and hopefully, it will start to turn things around.
While it will be difficult for the Phillies to turn it around, having an interim like Mattingly is a good start. While having his son as the Phillies’ General Manager helps, he brings a ton of experience to the position. He served as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for five seasons and of the Miami Marlins for seven. He has a record of 889-950 and has made the playoffs four times in his career. This, along with successful tenure as an MLB player, will allow him to earn the respect of the locker room quickly.
Mattingly will need to get some of the underperforming players to meet expectations. Guys like Trea Turner, Bryson Stott, and Alec Bohm have all underperformed their expectations. This has led to the Philies’ offense being one of the worst in baseball. They rank in the bottom ten in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. It will be Mattingly’s job to work these guys and get them back on the right track. If he can do that, the Phillies should be able to start winning games again.
Thompson may not have been the main problem with the Phillies, but firing him was the right decision. It is the biggest thing the organization can do to try to light a fire under the team and turn the season around.
