The Phillies Players Need to Pick up Their Performance, But So Does the Manager
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 07: Rob Thomson #59 of the Philadelphia Phillies greets fans in a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on April 07, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
There is a lot on the plate of a manager in baseball and Rob Thomson is no different. Dealing with personalities, making out lineups, and ensuring pitchers are healthy, just scratches the surface of what is staring the Phillies manager in the face each and every day of a 162-game season. But it is the job he signed up for and it is one that he did so well last season that the season ended with his team losing in the World Series to the Houston Astros.
This season, Thomson hasn’t performed anywhere close to the manager he was a season ago. Gifted with one of the best shortstops in baseball in Trea Turner during the offseason, Thomson said without hesitation before the season that Turner would be the leadoff hitter, replacing last year’s top guy in Kyle Schwarber. That lasted all of 14 games as Thomson felt the need to re-insert Schwarber as his leadoff man, despite him hovering around the .190 batting average most of the season and an on-base percentage around just .300. A slumping Turner has looked nothing like the hit machine he was in Washington and Los Angeles before arriving here. But he is supplanted in that two hole every night.
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Thomson rightfully won a ton of admiration last season for the way he handled the team, for the way his players played for him, earning the title a “player’s manager.” That’s all great. And it worked so well for this team last season that they parlayed it into that World Series run. But that has been established. The players still love him, and love playing for him.
Now it’s on Thomson to make believers in the fans of this team that he can make the proper adjustments when the team isn’t performing to expectations. Has he done that yet? Not many examples if you say he has. His is a “let’s not panic” attitude that, again, is probably embraced by his players. But if this season continues to play out similarly to what it has so far, we’re talking about a real struggle to get into the playoffs. And with this lineup, that shouldn’t be good enough.
The struggles of Turner and J.T. Realmuto and others can’t be solely pinned to the manager, as those veterans have to be able to correct themselves. But like having to see more from struggling vets, having to see more from the manager for the rest of this season is also a must.
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9 Bullpen Options For The Phillies At The Trade Deadline
The Phillies’ biggest need at the deadline is another power bat. Between Harper’s power drought, and the absence of Rhys Hoskins, HRs haven’t been the most common sight for the Phillies. But there is another need. A need that every contending team shares every single season. Bullpen help.
The Phillies bullpen has for once actually been really good. Craig Kimbrel has refound his old Braves form, staying perfect to this point in the season. Gregory Soto has been near perfect as well, with just a few blips inflating his ERA. Jose Alvarado when healthy has been as good as any lefty reliever in the game. And even the guys on the edge like Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm have got the job done. But Seranthony Dominguez has injury issues, and Alvardo just went on the IL for the second time.
As good as the bullpen is, they could always use more good arms. We saw how valuable having a deep bullpen was when the Astros beat the Phillies last season in the World Series. They could have Kimbrel, Soto, Alvarado, Dominguez, and someone else, as the backend of their bullpen, to go with middle inning guys like Hoffman, Marte, and Strahm.
A great bullpen is often to the key to postseason success. And the Phillies have a chance to make an already great bullpen even better. So with the trade deadline coming up on August 1st, let’s look at some of the Phillies options in the bullpen. Could they add another high-powered arm? Who are the names we should be watching? Let’s find out.
Here are 9 names to keep an eye on at the deadline:
Bob Cooney has been a part of the Philadelphia sports scene for more years than he wants to admit after 25 years in print media, and now in his seventh year at The Fanatic. Throughout the years, he has covered all sports from the World Series, multiple Final Fours and Regional Finals in men’s college basketball, to the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club and the 76ers. He takes his sports media knowledge and background to a new level by joining a conversation with the passionate fans of this great city. He writes about the Sixers, Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies for the Fanatic.