Phillies Introduce Thomson as Interim Manager

The Philadelphia Phillies held an introductory press conference with Dave Dombrowski and new interim manager Rob Thomson today at Citizens Bank Park.

Author:
Ben Silver
Jun 3, 2022 3:30 PM EDT

Philadelphia Phillies President Dave Dombrowski stewed over the decision for some time. Between the length of the games and the Phillies travel schedule, quiet deliberation has been hard to come by.

So on Wednesday morning, the head of the Phillies' brass woke up and went for a jog. When he came back his mind was made, manager Joe Girardi's time in Philadelphia was over.

"I came back thinking this is the right thing to do at this time," said Dombrowski.

New managerial appointee Rob Thomson has been biding his time in professional baseball for over 30 years. Starting with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1990, it was hard not to dream about one day managing a big league team.

"When I was a very young coach, I always though about managing," said Thomson.

But that pursuit slowly faded as he grew into the game. For Thomson, the goal now became to win everyday and do the best job he could, not setting his sights beyond the horizon, "I remember my father always saying, 'take care of what you're doing today because if you don't, tomorrow's not going to be good.'"

Now taking over for his close friend Girardi, the feeling is bittersweet, but Thomson is ready to make sure the club plays to it's full potential, "We've played good for short periods of time, but we need to play good for a long period of time and I think we have the pieces to do that."

Thomson must also implement a new culture in the clubhouse, one that is distinct from Girardi's. That might be difficult though, given that Thomson has 15 years of experience as a Major League bench coach, 13 of them under Girardi.

There's no denying that the duo are forever linked. But Thomson spoke about how he'll strive to make sure all players in the clubhouse are comfortable.

Make no mistake, he's not Dallas Green. Thomson is not in charge to create a major shakeup, but instead, bridge the gap between Girardi and an entirely new face for 2023.

"I think the biggest message is that I'm going be there for them and I'm going to have their back and I'm going support them in every way," Thomson said. "I want to know what these guys feel physically, mentally, and emotionally so that we can properly prepare them so they can compete at the highest level and perform."

Coming from a position as a bench coach, Thomson's perspective on Major League management might be different from the way fans and even other managers interpret the role, that doesn't mean Thomson's strategy is incorrect, but his main tenant will be keeping the clubhouse content.

"I'm gonna have confidence in the coaches around me to keep me informed of information, now I can go out in the clubhouse and really communicate with the players, get to know them, get their feel, know what they like, know what they don't like, know when there hurt, know when they're not hurt and so that they know that I've got their back, and that I support them and they can go out there and put their game on autopilot and just relax and play."

"Autopilot" is perhaps not the best word to throw around when talking about what's already been described as a "lifeless" club. But the message Thomson puts out is that he wants his players to trust in him.

USATSI_12958459 — © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe that's exactly what the Phillies need, maybe it isn't. But fans will surely be glad to hear that Thomson is doing away with Girardi's strict adherence to the three days of consecutive reliever use.

"We'll take it case by case... if they've got low pitch counts the first two nights and the guy looks you in the eye and says 'Hey I'm good to go,' and you trust 'em, it's a possibility."