The Girardi watch is on

Philsmania 2022-04-20 00:02:51 UTC #1

zambonir 2022-04-20 03:09:29 UTC #2

Fan Nation is pretty clickbaity but I've been saying this for several days!

Dirk41 2022-04-20 06:18:33 UTC #3

That's a lot of rumored names for a first hot seat article.

In house, gotta be Dusty.

phillychuck 2022-04-20 13:08:41 UTC #4

Anyone but Dusty...even Girardi.

Dirk41 2022-04-20 13:54:06 UTC #5

Why's that? Genuinely curious. He has always seemed level headed and a decent manager.

The former players are intriguing, but we really need to win very soon.

phillychuck 2022-04-20 14:17:09 UTC #6

Baker is a nice guy, but a serial pitcher-abuser who has no idea how to handle a bullpen.

andyb 2022-04-20 14:23:10 UTC #7

I think we are talking Wathan here....

The other Dusty is still employed.

phillychuck 2022-04-20 15:01:41 UTC #8

Quoting Emily Litella, "NEVER MIND". I like Wathan.

andyb 2022-04-20 15:07:43 UTC #9

It does beg the question of what kind of manager the Phillies should hire if they desire to make a change. It is an older team now so does that mean we need more of a player's manager (like Manuel)? Or a strict baseball guy to keep them focused? Or an analytics guy who is simply a bit less weird?

I think they do need a manager strong enough to stand up to veterans but in a way that does not divide the clubhouse. If someone like Didi needs to sit against left-handed pitching that should happen without splitting the clubhouse apart. Or if a Wheeler needs to be pulled from a game early because his fastball is getting hit.

Philsmania 2022-04-20 15:39:35 UTC #10

Jim Leyland out of retirement? He and Dombrowski certainly have history ('97 Marlins, Tigers earlier this century). He's always been a players' manager--albeit in a gruff kinder, gentler version of Buddy Ryan kind of way--but would have the stature to stand up to the veterans. And, the phanbase would be happy. Leyland was The People's Choice when they hired Manuel instead.

zambonir 2022-04-20 15:40:54 UTC #11

If they really did it the pressing question is, do you get an interim manager or actually try and put your next manager in place immediately? It's pretty rare for the replacement manager to actually change the direction of the season. And if you bring in an outsider in this situation it tends to be an experienced guy (or retread), not an outside-the-box hire (which some of the names mentioned in that article would be).

Girardi's led this team to three disappointing seasons (so far) but Wathan and Thomson have been here for five!

Joe should be perfectly capable of standing up to veterans, he just doesn't want to.

Philsmania 2022-04-20 15:45:45 UTC #12

Teams don't usually fire managers on the road. The next homestand could bring the end of the Girardi era if things don't turn around.

zambonir 2022-04-20 15:58:15 UTC #13

Yeah, I don't think he's truly on the hot seat yet. But a 2-5 or 3-4 homestand would do it (the seat being hot, not an actual firing). The schedule after that is very imposing (division games, West Coast road games, West teams at home). If you keep him through May and nothing changes the season could be lost. The 2019 Nats and 2021 Braves had a winning tradition from previous seasons to lean on. The Phillies do not.

Dirk41 2022-04-20 16:12:11 UTC #14

Dunno, but seems like a job for Ron Washington

Aquapong 2022-04-20 16:35:21 UTC #15

The manager can’t account for poor hitting and poor defense when we knew the team had to hit to be successful.

allentown 2022-04-20 16:49:44 UTC #16

Nor can he be expected to totally overcome the deficiencies of a poorly constructed team. I'll bet he lobbied ferociously for Didi's new contract, and he can be faulted for that. He can be faulted for benching Bohm after one bad game.

zambonir 2022-04-20 17:53:16 UTC #17

The manager rarely makes a big difference, but every year has kind of felt the same, and there's a basic scapegoating pattern nearly all teams follow. First it was the GM, then it was the hitting and fielding coach (there is really no reason to think Long is that different from Dillon given they worked together) and this off-season they also changed a fair number of players. Only one move left, if it stays bad.

andyb 2022-04-20 18:05:35 UTC #18

At least he is reacting to reality now. Bohm in the lineup today again against a RHP. Stott is the one on the outs now (Camargo at SS for Didi).

RTaylor 2022-04-20 19:03:40 UTC #19

Brings to mind Pat Corrales being fired with the Phils in first place, although underperforming in the first half of 83. Paul Owens stepped in to "observe." I don't expect to see Dombrowski in uniform anytime soon!

VoteForKalas 2022-04-20 19:23:54 UTC #20

When it comes to the manager, my question now is always what do they exactly do?

What is Girardi responsible for currently as manager?

How is he performing in fulfilling those responsibilities?

We may never figure that out, but to me that is the fundamental question. Otherwise, we'll continue
on our current manager and larger organization personnel turnover merry-go-round.

At some point, the buck needs to stop where it starts from and that is not the manager. I'm not even sure it is the GM.

Middleton has spent a ton of money and gotten very little in return. For any businessman, that is not only a waste, but an embarrassment. The Phillies are a laughingstock of the league and have been during his entire tenure as the main owner. When does he finally realize I need to either put together a first class organization like I promised or admit I have failed and need to bring in folks who can do it for me.

We can fire managers, swap out GMs, change players, hire new analytics people, bring in new scouts etc. all day long....but if none of it works, when does Middleton understand more fundamental change needs to be made and it might be better if it is not overseen by him? I hope soon. I'm tired of being the lab rat in his experiments on my favorite team.