Philadelphia Phillies fire manager Joe Girardi
Things finally came to a head in Philadelphia and the manager paid the price only to see his long term friend and assistant take over the role till season’s end.
With a record of 22-29, it was essentially only a matter of time before Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi had to face consequences. In the middle of their worst start since 2017 the franchise announced on Friday that Girardi had been dismissed from his post. In addition coaching assistant Bobby Meacham was also relieved of his duties. In the interim bench coach Rob Thomson will serve as manager along with quality assurance coach Mike Calitri who has been promoted to bench coach.
“It has been a frustrating season for us up until this point, as we feel that our club has not played up to its capabilities,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. “While all of us share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around. I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his experience and familiarity with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward.”
What happened with Joe Girardi?
It was just a little earlier this week when Girardi appeared to maintain a stance of indifference when questioned about his job security. To be clear the Phillies have only won 5 of their last 17 games and currently sit 12 games behind the New York Mets who are first in the NL East. “I don’t worry about my job,” Girardi said at the time. “I’ve never worried about my job. I don’t worry about my job. I’ve got to do my job. It’s the business of being a manager. I don’t worry about it.”
Where the team itself is concerned, it must be said that Girardi with two years in control and a record of 132-141 is not entirely responsible given that the Phillies haven’t been to the post season since 2011. Indeed, Philadelphia currently has the longest running playoff absence in the National League. This of course brings us to their actual roster. To call it a mix match would be unkind, but still true. There are several players who can really only play at DH (Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins, Kyle Schwarber), there is no decent center fielder, and a where the bullpen is concerned, let’s just say it’s not strong. On the other hand it would be unfair - as mentioned before - to place all the blame on Girardi who did not assemble the team. On the other hand he certainly has utilized it to the best of its ability. Incidentally, Girardi has been here before and not that long ago. In 2017 when he was manager of the Yankees, GM Brian Cashman gave a similar reason to Dombrowski as to why the coach needed to leave.
Is Rob Thomson the ‘new voice’ that the Phillies need?
While there are doubts as to whether Thomson, a long time associate of Girardi’s - they worked together in New York - is the right man for the job, he certainly comes with a lot of experience having held various posts in the league including a period that he even spent in the front office. The Phillies have maintained that he will only go as far as the 2022 season, but our suggestion would be to watch this space.
“I am extremely excited for this opportunity and I appreciate the confidence Dave has shown in me,” Thomson said in a statement. “Having said that, this is an emotional day for me, having worked so closely with Joe for so many years. This has been my home now for the last five years and I care deeply about this franchise, this city, our players, our coaches, our staff and our fans. I am ready to lead this team and look forward to getting to work and turning this around.”