The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi and have named bench coach Rob Thompson the interim manager for the club. Girardi was in his 3rd season as manager of the Phillies and is off to a disappointing start to the 2022 campaign. This season was meant to be the season where the Phillies ended the NL's longest playoff draught. They had NL MVP Bryce Harper, ace pitchers Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, star catcher JT Realmuto, as well as free agent sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. Girardi ends his time in Philly with a record of 132-141.
In 2013 the Phillies fired World Series winning manager Charlie Manual. Since then, the Phillies have had 5 different managers. Gabe Kapler most famously was fired after two seasons and then led San Francisco to a 107 win season in 2021.
Bryce Harper is in the 4th year of his 13 year contract with the Phillies and will more than likely have his 4th manager at the start of his 5th year. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski is still optimistic that the Phillies can make the playoffs in 2022. They are currently over 10 games behind the Mets in the NL East and over 5 games behind in the 2nd wild card spot.
Top 5 Replacements for Joe Girardi
Now that Joe Girardi is finally gone in Philly, it is time to start looking for his replacement in 2023. Here are my choices for him.
Rob Thompson- Interim Manager
If the Phillies make the playoffs in 2022, Thompson has to be the favorite for the manger position. This team is in really bad shape right now. However, they have the pieces to make a run to October in 2022. If Thompson can ignite this club, then he has to be a favorite for the position.
Ron Washington- Atlanta's 3rd base coach
I know the first thing people will say is he is too old. However, we have seen guys like Dusty Baker, Buck Showalter, and Tony La Russa come back at old ages and have had success. Ron Is a life long baseball guy. Ron is known for his defense. Something the Phillies need to get under control. He would be a great addition and would help with that issue.
Mike Scioscia- Former Angels manager
If the Phillies decide that their next manager needs prior MLB managerial experience, than Scioscia is the best option right now. He managed the Angels for 18 years and won a World Series with them. He also has experience with managing Team USA at the Olympic Games. To make it for interesting, he is an Upper Darby native.
Raul Ibanez- Former player
This would be a wild hire for the Phillies. He has been interviewed for many different manager positions, but has never been given the opportunity. He interviewed for the Phillies job multiple times.
Joe Espada- Astros bench coach
This will be the most popular name on the manger hunt this winter. He has been waiting for his opportunity for many years. He has interviewed for many manger roles before. He has worked on many different teams with various years of success.
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