Rob Thomson Needs To Stop Tinkering With The Lineup
Just as in any form of life, trust is something that needs to be earned. Sports is certainly no different, whether it is organizational heads trusting coaches, coaches trusting players, or players trusting teammates. It’s earned in different ways, of course, from performance to never-ending effort. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has shown where he has the most trust in his baseball team throughout his year-plus tenure on the bench.
He believes in Kyle Scwharber as his leadoff hitter. Despite the left-fielder batting under .200 for much of the season and currently with an on-base percentage of just .314. Thomson mindlessly pencils in catcher J.T. Realmuto into the lineup so regularly that the 32-year-old had caught the equivalent of six more games than the next busiest catcher in the game at the All-Star break. And as long as Andrew Bellatti’s arm is still attached to his shoulder, expect to see him four to five times a week on the mound.
When it comes to some chinks in the armor of trust with Thomson, is there some surrounding to of his younger players? It appears so, at least at times.
To be fair, regulars need breaks. Subs need at-bats to stay sharp. And sometimes struggles are broken with an extra day or two off. But why does it seem to me that the timing of his off days for his players come at odd times?
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In Bryson Stott there appears to be a player who should be penciled into the lineup every day, erased only if there is a nagging injury or big offensive drought. No scratches because the opposing pitcher is left-handed, as Thomson has done more than a couple of times this season. And the same rule goes for Brandon Marsh.
Let the youngsters go, let them play, let them learn the situations of baseball that arise differently in every game. Coddling has to be over now. As the team battles to gain a wild card berth in defending their national league championship from a year ago. Having Stott and Marsh in the lineup works – plain and simple. And the time has come to let them do just that – work.
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What About Juan Soto?
The last name they asked about was Juan Soto. He took a flight back to Philadelphia for this weekend’s Phillies-Padres series with the Phillies’ other All-Stars. His name has also been floated for the Phillies. Buster Olney did question whether he is actually on the market though.
“Unless there is a dramatic change with San Diego… I don’t see them putting Soto out there. It makes sense to me that they could. We haven’t seen anything that indicates they are close to an extension with Soto, who is a free agent after the 2024 season. If you are going to get the most value in return, now is the time to do it.
But the one thing that has been pointed out to me by executives of other teams is that the Padres will probably look at the offers from other teams for Soto and hold their nose. Wait a second, we are going to get 40% back on the dollar for what we gave up last year?
The perception in the industry is they really overpaid to get him last year. That will be a hard sell for the Padres owner. And there is enough talent there that it wouldn’t surprise me to see them try to play it out as long as they can because they are so committed after what they spent this year.”
Juan Soto #22 of the San Diego Padres reacts during the 93rd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at T-Mobile Park on July 11, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.
