Joe Girardi is out as the Phillies manager, as the team announced today that he’s been “relieved of his duties.” Coaching assistant Bobby Meacham has also been dismissed. Bench coach Rob Thomson has been named interim manager and will hold that post for the remainder of the season, according to the team. To fill Thomson’s role, the Phillies have promoted Mike Calitri from quality assurance coach 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,” said president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in a statement within today’s press release. “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.”
Hired in advance of the 2020 season, the now-57-year-old Girardi came to the Phillies as an experienced dugout leader whom owner John Middleton hoped could pull the club out of what has now been more than a decade-long playoff drought. That hasn’t happened yet, and even on the heels of an aggressive offseason of spending to bolster the lineup, the Phils have fallen into a dismal swoon that has seen them plummet to seven games under .500 (22-29) and 12 games out of first place in the National League East.
Of course, the personnel acquired via that offseason spending falls on the front office and ownership — not Girardi. The Phils have routinely been one of the worst defensive teams in baseball over the past decade, but their offseason strategy was not to remedy that longstanding shortcoming but to instead double down by giving weighty long-term contracts to defensively challenged sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. Philadelphia, predictably, ranks as one of the game’s worst defensive teams (and the worst defensive team, by measure of Outs Above Average).
More concerning, however, has been the team’s ineffectiveness in other areas. The Phillies rank tenth in the Majors with 230 runs scored and are tied for ninth with 58 home runs — both solid showings but not exactly the juggernaut offense the team and pundits (myself included) had expected. Philadelphia hitters have posted a combined .245/.310/.403 batting line, and the resulting 99 wRC+ ranks 18th in MLB and effectively amounts to league-average offensive output on the whole.
The Phillies’ bullpen woes may not date back quite as far as their defensive ineptitude, but faulty relief pitching has nevertheless been an unfortunate hallmark of Phillies baseball for at least the past few seasons. They relief corps is improved to an extent in 2022, ranking 21st in the game with a 4.15 ERA — an improvement over bottom-of-the-barrel showings in recent seasons. However, no team’s relievers have walked hitters at a higher clip than the Phillies’ 11.7% mark so far in 2022, and the bullpen is a top-heavy unit that has had to rely on inexperienced bargain pickups. The trio of Nick Nelson, Andrew Bellatti and James Norwood, for instance, have accounted for nearly a third of the Phillies’ total innings of relief work.
Some of that, of course, falls on the manager’s usage of the relievers at his disposal. Bullpen management is a generally thankless job when executed well and also perhaps the most frequently cited flaw of any skipper when things are going poorly. Girardi faced plenty of criticism for his usage of the team’s bullpen at times, including some recent handling of closer Corey Knebel. Time will tell whether a managerial change will bring about better results from the relief corps, but it seems unlikely Thomson will be able to bring about significant change with the same group of personnel in the ’pen.
Just as it was expected that the Phils would struggle on defense, it was expected that their rotation would nonetheless be a strength — and that’s generally been true. Each of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson are sporting ERAs comfortably south of 4.00, while Ranger Suarez and Zach Eflin have been at least serviceable in the mid-4.00s. Overall, the Phillies’ rotation ranks 14th with a 4.02 ERA, although their sixth-ranked 3.49 FIP (fielding-independent pitching) naturally suggests that the defense has let Philadelphia starters down.
Ultimately, it’ll have to come down to the Phillies’ lineup if they’re to turn things around. Schwarber is hitting for power and drawing walks but not doing much else, evidenced by his .192/.314/.429 batting line. Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins have faded after hot starts, with Castellanos now rating as only a slightly above-average hitter and the others sitting south of league-average. J.T. Realmuto is still hitting better than the majority of big league catchers, but he’s well below his career rates and sitting close to league-average overall, himself. Second baseman Jean Segura, having a solid season at the plate, was recently lost for 10-12 weeks when he broke his finger attempting to bunt for a hit.
Bryce Harper continues to be a powerhouse presence in the middle of the lineup, carrying the batting order with a .303/.359/.534 output. But even he’s not operating neat 100%, as he’s dealing with a torn ligament in his elbow that has relegated him to designated hitter duties because he’s not able to throw from the outfield.
A team with Harper, Castellanos, Schwarber and Hoskins constituting the heart of the lineup is liable to go on an offensive tear at any moment, and as we saw with Schwarber during last year’s historic June power surge, hitters of that caliber can carry a team for lengthy stretches. There’s enough talent in the lineup and in the rotation for the Phillies to get hot and return to the fringes of the newly expanded 12-team playoff picture, but ownership seemingly no longer felt Girardi to be the best option to guide them there. The Phils will be a team worth monitoring closely over the next six weeks, because if Thomson’s unable to right the ship, the focus will turn to the possibility of trading some notable veterans in advance of this year’s Aug. 2 deadline.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia first reported that the Phillies were set to make a change at manager, and Jayson Stark of The Athletic first reported that Thomson would take over for Girardi.
Hopefully TLR will soon follow!
Why would the Phillies fire the manager? Did the manager sign 2 DHs when the team already had two DHs on the team and with harpers injury they now have 5 DHs?
Exactly. But that’s how it always goes isn’t it, in every industry?
It’s never the guys at the top of the ladder that go, there’s always some scapegoat.
I’d love to see what difference a new manager is going to make when the construction of the team is that flawed.
Since the Red Sox are 12 games out just like the Phillies, does that mean Cora will soon meet the same fate? Especially considering the Sox haven’t had the injuries that the Phillies have had.
Cora won a World Series and took his team to the playoffs last year when it had no right being there with that rotation. The Sox didn’t have high expectations like the Phillies. They have been adjusting their payroll. Example: It wasn’t Cora’s idea to move Renfroe for Bradley and a prospect. An obvious step back.
The Sox are working on a rebuild plan and hoping to compete. Last year was a happy accident.
NOW is it Girardi’s fault as Dombrowski went all starting pitching and hitting and punted on defense and relief pitching? No. The manager is always the first to go.
Goose – I honestly don’t know what is sillier:
1) Trying to give Cora credit for squeaking into the postseason as a Wild Card with FIVE All-Star players and the 3rd-highest payroll in the league
2) Calling 2022 a “rebuild” year when the Sox have the 2nd-highest payroll in the league. Go talk to fans of the Pirates, Orioles, Reds if you want to learn what a real “rebuild” is.
I suppose you think Grady Little and Jimy Williams were good managers too, just because they made it to the ALCS also?
Cora’s biggest problem is bullpen management. No one has an assigned role and it ends up affecting everyone. There is zero confidence going into the 9th inning with a slim lead. Barnes just doesn’t have it anymore and it probably would have been a smart investment in signing one of the Closers that were available last winter
You’re leaving out 1 very important detail. The players, fans and management LOVE Cora.
Girardi is a complete dickhe@d so he doesn’t get the same leeway.
RSox: If you look at one major change the Yankees made this year, it’s that they pivoted away from BPing every game to death, which has been the historical norm. All the starters are going as deep as possible into games. They’ve stopped worrying about the statistical “3rd time through the order” monster that has dictated how managers use starters for the past several seasons league-wide.
They simply let starters go as deep as they can go, and that has resulted in much more length out of the starters, increased BP rest, & less reliance on BP arms on a daily basis.
In seasons past, starters would be lucky to see a sixth inning. The stat nerd’s scare of seeing the order for the third time would get them pulled, and ultimately resulted in key games being lost when SPs were performing really, really well. Essentially, we were doing teams a favor by pulling the SP.
Finally, going back to watching the performance of the guy on the mound and using that to make the decision, not some mythical static probability.
Sox are starting to that a bit more. I like it better as starters should want the ball as long as possible, not clock out after 5 innings.
@FeverPitchGuy
1) You are telling me you thought the Red Sox were a LOCK to make the playoffs with a 2021 rotation of Eovaldi, Pivetta, Perez, Richards and Rodriguez? Eovaldi led the staff with an ERA of 3.75. The other 4 had ERAs between 4.53 and 4.87. Did you look at the bullpen?
2) Payroll means nothing if you spend the money poorly. Why aren’t the Red Sox and Phillies in first place then?
You have to be trolling
qbass – Doesn’t matter how much players, fans or even management love the manager.
Ticket sales, way down.
Ratings, way down.
Merchandising, way down.
Red Sox owners care about the bottom line more than anything. If they believe the team is underachieving because of Cora, they will let Cora go.
Same with Bloom, nobody is indispensable..
Did Cora win a World Series before or after he was called out for cheating?
Fever Pitch Guy3 hours ago
Goose – I honestly don’t know what is sillier:
1) Trying to give Cora credit for squeaking into the postseason as a Wild Card with FIVE All-Star players and the 3rd-highest payroll in the league
==================================
I think we can make this fairly simple. How many wins did you predict for the RS last year? I predicted 85.5, and I think most fans had much lower expectations.
Clip, to be fair, half our bullpen is on the IL or not in Boone’s “Circle of Trust.” Lasagna and Chap will be back before the 4th of July, and that’s when watching innings out of any starter not named Cole is going to be prioritized.
Joe – Two things:
1) I don’t make win predictions because they’re pointless. We never know how injuries or illness will impact the team, or what kind of moves will be made prior to the trade deadline.
2) Real Red Sox fans realized 2020 was an aberration. Devers & Eovaldi hurt, JD not allowed his routine, ERod & Sale out for the season, and no money spent on a horrid bullpen.
I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking how could last year’s team make the playoffs with Cora returning. Well even the worst of managers can get to the playoffs with enough talent on his team.
Since his cheating days of 2017-2018 Cora has just a .533 winning percentage and hasn’t won a division title or pennant. And that’s with one of the biggest payrolls in the league each year.
Goose – No I didn’t say anything about a lock. Injuries and illness happen, no such thing as a lock.
I don’t understand how a supposed Sox fan could be so hateful of last year’s rotation.
Look at Eovaldi’s ERA and WHIP for 2020 and 2021, they are virtually identical.
Look at ERod’s prior season, 6th in Cy voting. You had no idea if he recovered from Covid, none of us did.
And we all expected Sale to return midseason, how convenient of you to “forget” about him.
So now you’re blaming Bloom for Cora’s inadequacies? Pretty sure most everyone here would rather keep Bloom than Cora.
I’m sincerely fascinated that you accuse real fans of trolling just because they believed in their team.
I think we can make this fairly simple. How many wins did you expect the RS last year? I predicted 85.5, and I think most fans had much lower expectations.
There really isn’t a lot to this, Before the season started, did anyone expect 92 wins and being two games away from the WS?
So you are only really left with two real options. If you expected 100 wins and a WS, then you can be disappointed. But if you expected 80 wins and a 4th place finish, then Cora gets some credit.
@ Yankee Clipper… So what your saying is the Yankees are doing the same thing th Astros have been doing for the last few years under Dusty Baker. Just pulling your chain! They have been “passing the eye test” that old school managers used to employ. The days of Nolan Ryan throwing a CG every other time up are long gone though. Mike Scott was another guy that you could almost bet he would get you to the 8th or a CG. Cole is an ace that gets fired up if you pull him to early as well. Just like JV.
The Red Sox has its closer, some idiot decided to make Whitlock a starter. It’s on Cora for giving the ok when he talks to Bloom. It’s on Bloom for signing a James Paxton instead of someone who is durable and ready. For all the crap commenters on this site gave,Rich Hill and Michael Wacha have actually done their jobs and some. I think Cora has been adjusting as the season has gone on, starters are going longer in games than they were. You wanna protect a crappy bullpen you gotta let your starters see the lineup a third time around.
Astros fan: Heh, yeah, that’s what I’m (sheepishly) saying. But, good Lord, it works! All that stat mumbo jumbo with hypotheses and predictive behavior analysis, blah, blah, blah – just watch the guy, if he’s good, let him go. And that’s worked wonders for their pitching staff this year so far (fingers crossed).
Plus, I think it really generates ownership in their performance, as you mentioned with Cole & JV. These guys want to be starters. I love it, man. Old school, real life baseball!
NostraThomas: That’s a very valid point: It is out of necessity that SPs are getting a longer leash in games, but it’s proving successful, man. As a whole, they were staying in longer anyway, but I think this just turned the governor completely off. Kay actually talked about how it was a pact made in ST by the guys in the rotation to go 7 innings each game, as a unit goal.
These guys are throwbacks, man. Tallion was as close to perfect as anyone has been in 15 years; Nestor looks like it’s an easy six or seven just about every time; & Cole is….well, Cole. Sevy has been the only question (innings moderation) & he’s looked really good too, most of the time.
It’ll be interesting to see, but I hope Boone doesn’t revert back to an over-reliance in the BP. It just wears them down for the postseason when they’re desperately needed at full strength.
I was all in for Whitlock being the closer. Now, I am not so sure. Now I am wondering about Houck. He has plenty to recommend him. I particularly like his career 1st inning .427 OPSa, the 0.90 ERA, and the 23/5 K/W. Everything about both Whitlock and Houck are small sample sizes, but assuming there aren’t any high-leverage issues, I think Houck is a better bet than any of our other BP alternatives.
Joe – I prefer relegating pitchers to the bullpen if they fail in the starting rotation. I don’t think Houck is there yet, his numbers are very similar between starting and relieving.
well, how about a 6 game winning streak?
Girardi isn’t the only problem with the Phillies, but he is a problem. He continues to make the same questionable moves that lead to the same horrific and predictable outcomes. I can point to games that he single handedly lost. That’s a problem. And while the Phillies defense is a glaring issue, it’s hardly their only one. Girardi keeps finding ways to lose games. He needed to go. This is something I never said about a Phillies manager. I didn’t like Kapler, but I didn’t think he was responsible for the team’s performance. Girardi was bad. Feel for the dude, but his Phillies tenure was gross.
They won more games last year with an arguably worse defense and significantly worse offense.
@seamaholic 2- I agree with you, but expanded playoff spots will create illusions of competitiveness for teams that ordinarily would be salivating over their next year’s draft pick, making RP hard to come by. Same thing happened in 2020’s Trade Deadline. Ironically, free-swinging power hitters are typically available in abundance at the Deadline (i.e. ATL’s WS run: Duvall, Pederson, Soler, Rosario).
Girardi is a very good manager who had one full season. He didn’t trade Pivetta to Boston or sign a set of offense only type of players. You’re not going to win without pitching and defense.
Look, 5 more wins is 5 more wins. I’m noy saying a bettrr manager fixes this team. I’m saying a better manager gives them a few more wins. That right there is enough to fire Girardi. The roster is flawed, but it’s underperforming. They should be a WC contender. They aren’t. Maybe this sparks something. Even if they go on little runs and finish around. 500, just give us a reason to watch.
In what world do the Phillies miss Pivetta? Bad choice there. Phillies starting pitching is actually good.
I couldn’t agree more about Girardi. His bullpen handling was the absolute worst.
No he is not a good manager. That is a fallacy. He has always been bad with the bullpen. You are wrong.
I dunno. Live across state and not a big fan but seemed that the guy was trying to exhaust every avenue this year. In the end, how well can you do with this kind of roster. As the Mets kept winning, you almost sensed some sort of desperation going on with the lineups and moves. But yes, it’s the manager who pays for it when you had expectations and they aren’t panning out
Granted I may have misspoken as I don’t know the full Philly starting staff but they gave Pivetta for pitchers who were overworked in Boston. They had nothing left and that’s on management. Could have gotten more. Main argument though is their softball type lineup. Bad defense hurts the full staff with all those extra and higher leverage pitches.
Today’s game is what’s wrong with the bullpen. Players will one day wise up that thing s interchangeable system helps a few but hurts long term so many more. Teams whose manager appears to manage them well have deeper systems that allows for replacements.
2 time manager of the year
dewey – As much as I love Pivetta, it wasn’t that lopsided a trade at the time.
The guy had a career 5.50 ERA at Age 27 and was horrendous towards the end of his Philly tenure. I think you have to give credit to those with the Red Sox who were responsible for turning him around.
This.
There is no manager out there that is going to win with this roster as it is currently constructed. Best defensive player on the shelf for maybe the next three months. Terrible defenders at both corners in the Infield and the Outfield and a black hole in CF (an issue this team has had for years now) and a bullpen that can’t hold leads (a Dombrowski trademark). I don’t know what the answer is for the Phillies but Girardi was just the scapegoat
Agree w/ Rsox despite his/her questionable taste in teams. I think we’ll see the Phillies right about where they are by season’s end and it’ll then be the fault of their interim manager, when in reality it should be ownership’s fault for their poorly constructed team. But they’ll never blame themselves, so round and round they’ll go with new players/managers. Self-reflection is not a strong suit of the ruling class.
Of all the mistakes the Phillies have made, I’m pretty sure Pivetta is toward the bottom. He just didn’t work out in Philly. Sometimes players don’t click until they get into a new environment. Pivetta had a 78 ERA+ with the Phillies in 92 games pitched and 72 starts. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity.
The offense only is, of course, a fair point (especially in hindsight with the Harper injury forcing Castellanos to RF every day).
Exactly Fever. I believe though as high a prospect as Pivetta was, the talent was there. The fact that the Sox gave up two pitchers who had nothing left in the tank is my argument on Philly’s then management
The Phillies were .5 games out of the playoffs with the worst bullpen in the game at the time. Pivetta was awful in Philly. I wasn’t a fan of the trade, but I understand the logic. If they got any kind of bullpen help that year they would’ve made the playoffs and got washed early, but still. Pivetta was no big loss.
Can’t manage bull crao to Championship
Fever Pitch Guy3 hours ago
dewey – As much as I love Pivetta, it wasn’t that lopsided a trade at the time.
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I agree. The Phillies were desperate.. We definitely got the better of it, but it is difficult to predict just how bad Workman and Hembree would be.
Well, last year was 162 games, this year is only about 50 so far.
He’s the fall guy. Can’t wait to hear his true thoughts about how poorly this roster was constructed.
LMAO!!! Apparently it was Girardi fault they signed.
Well said. Joe Girardi deserves better than this window shopped team.
No, but Girardi is a very overrated manager. He has always been poor with bullpen management and is too uptight for a veteran squad.
Why would they fire Kapler?
Why would they fire Francona?
Girardi got fired because he wasn’t good. He had all the $$$ in the world in NY and won 1X. He was vastly overrated. I was surprised along with many others outside of NY he lasted that long in NY and then hired in Philly like he is a savior? Probably a good person not just a Mgr. In todays game.
Yep – Girardi won Manager of the Year with a rebuilding Marlins team, that is not something bad managers accomplish.
Spot on. I don’t think he is horrible but not a savior. Yankees managers have the luxury of getting the players they need. Joe Torre tanked with 3 teams. Goes to Yankees and he goes to HOF.
to be fair with torre he didn’t tank with stl tbh he was the reason we weren’t a complete joke in the early 90’s. then again busch III didn’t care about bb like his dad and and pretty much just used the team as free advertising for ab and collected the profits from the team
Biggest mistake was signing Bryce Harper. Like Machado they to individualistic to bring champions home.
@muzza, In what world is it bad to add a player who has put up .283/.397/.559/.956 with a 154 OPS+? In what world is it bad to add the 2nd best offensive player in the NL to your team? In his time with the Phillies, that is what Harper has been. Its not on Harper that Dombrowski has not added the other players they need to win, specifically pitching and great defense at SS and CF. I could list a dozen All Star type players with WS rings in the 21st century that were not vocal team leaders.
Yea , of all the things wrong with this team, Harper certainly isn’t one of them.
You act like they signed Harper at 40M per.
His contact is super team friendly and not the reason they signed other bad players
Managers are cannon fodder for momentum changes. Phillies at home against a stumbling Angels team, while the Mets start the dreaded west coast trip. Most opportune time to fire Girardi and try to salvage the season.
Same thing with the Lakers. The dude who thought it would be a good idea to bring in Westbrick isn’t going anywhere.
Exactly!! I still can’t figure out why teams still hire Dave Dombrowski. They were headed in the right direction until they hired him. Then he did exactly what he has done everywhere else. If they are able to address the bullpen this offseason and pick up another decent sub 4 ERA pitcher (I am using ERA instead of FIP because that defense is atrocious and they need to avoid starters that pitch to contact) and they should make the playoffs for a couple of years. He has built the same team he left in Detroit and has way too many veterans who are starting to age. Girardi was a scape goat. Joe needs to get back on a small market team. He was at his best during his short stint with the Marlins. Anyone could have taken the 2009 Yankees all the way. I know he was fired by NY because they said he wasn’t a good fit for the youth movement but I have to disagree. Look what he did his last year in NY when he had a roster full of rookies. As well as his time in Miami. The Rockies or D-Backs would be my choice. Somewhere he won’t be expected to immediately turn a team around.
The Phillies last winning season before DD came on board was 2011. They immediately had a winning season with him as GM in 2021.
LOL
Larussa is hardly the problem.
Got a roster of players that don’t know how to play the game.
You are right as I am Sox rans since 1970, but I differ on reason why Sox reek. For all the “Huge’ stars, prospects they have the only constant player on team is Abreu, yet on Twiiter @whitesox fans want him released. As I watch game I can just about tell from getgo the outcome. Giolito is so soft, Grandal washed up, then so many below level players playing. No way Garcia, Harrison, Grandal, Sheets, Moncada, Engel should be starting for a so-called championship team. Same GREAT players are hurt every year. It’s frustrating to watch. Geaux White Sox
This is the best move for the Phillies. I like Girardi, but this is the proper move for the organization because Girardi was not helping the Phillies win. We know the bullpen is bad, but the Phillies should be playing better.
I logged on to read White Sox fans comments, but I did not expect a White Sox fan to comment first.
indeed
“Hey Joe, you suck” – Phillies ownership
This is pretty wild they just beat the giants and gabe kapler isn’t even going on the field for the national anthem that’s how serious those guys are about basedball
Kapler is a clown.
Kapler is a God.
Bozo is a clown, God is a deity
Because he dares to exercise his 1A rights?
Funny how the same people are all about the Constitution don’t like it when it goes against their dearly held beliefs.
You could also just stop hunting people in the streets and cut the crap, and protests wouldn’t be necessary. But obviously that’s not going to happen.
What evidence do you have the TBF is “hunting people in the streets?” By the way, the Constitution governs our relationship with government, not with each other. The government can’t stop Gabe Kapler from protesting gun violence, but his employer doesn’t have to abide by the Constitution and could consider it insubordination if he doesn’t stop making a spectacle of himself.
I think your view is a little off. I agree he has the right to do what he is doing but he is protesting the thing that made him a millionaire? The flag has done nothing to anyone. second who is being hunted in the streets? I’m assuming your someone who doesn’t like facts and who ignores all the killings in Chicago every day to fit your narrative. hunted in the streets give me a break.
Believing someone shouldn’t do something is not the same as saying they can’t. Kapler can do what he wants. Doesn’t mean people have to like it or stay quiet about it.
This whole comment reeks of uncritical thinking.
Maybe you and Mr. Clown Kapler should think about how the world was BEFORE the US of A was established…think about how the world really is
.not your fairy tale, soapy BS – the way the world REALLY IS.
Maybe you both will realize that the United States really is something and leader of the world for a reason.
You people are spoiled rotten and have a complete lack of RESPECT FOR WHAT OTHERS HAVE ALREADY DONE FOR YOU!
Do you realize that in this country, the United States of America, even people.who live in our poor areas – people who don’t have a hope in the world, people who have probably given up long ago because they feel its stacked against them – HAVE IT BETTER THAN KINGS DID 200 YEARS AGO?????
Maybe not perfect yet, but DUDE, WE ARE DOING A FANTASTICALLY GOOD JOB HERE!!!!!!
When was the last time – if ever- you worried aboubt not even being able to find food…????
Huh buddy?
People don’t have hope because of people like you. I was raised by a single mother with 5 kids in government owned houses. Work hard, complete High School, stay away from drugs, don’t have an unplanned pregnancy and you’ll be successful.
Somehow that’s too much to ask of some people.
Lol what? Literally no one is arguing that he shouldn’t or doesn’t have the right to do and stay stupid crap. We’re criticizing the stupid crap he does and says, not calling into question his right to say it. Obviously.
Kapler is an absolute clown.
*Guy makes an ass of himself and says something stupid*
Everyone else: “lol wow that was stupid”
@njbirdsfan: “YOU’RE SAYING HE CAN’T EXERCISE HIS 1A RIGHTS?!?!?!”
Everyone else: “No, we’re just saying what he said/did was stupid and that he’s an idiot.”
As long as a company is located within the United States, it’s laws are to be abided and last time I checked the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the United States.
If Kapler is protesting the United States because of lack of compelling gun control against disturbed people shooting up little children in schools, he can do as he wishes as it’s protected by the first amendment. Just as Kaepernick protested the lack of action of police brutality when Obama was in office, and continued to when Trump was in office.
When the NFL blackedballed Kaepernick for perceived “spectacle” they eventually settled for a “undisclosed” sum of money with Kaepernick because they knew they’d lose the case.
Yep!
Kapler has every right to not stand for the National Anthem and the other side can be pissed off about it and choose not to go to games because of it as they feel it is disrespectful.
Seems like 1A is working the way it was intended. .
Calm down and take your pill, Grandpa. You’re having an episode again
Lol calm down grandma. Don’t forget your meds.
If you have a child using formula, this morning…
Sabre this is probably the best comment you’ve ever made on this site. Two thumbs up!
I’ve never done acid, but if I did I highly doubt the first thing I would do was comment on MLB Trade Rumors. Ol’ Sabre just does it differently I guess.
I was raised by a single mother with 5 kids in government owned houses.
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I agree. I think people are looking for magic bullets. I grew up in a household with no money. No car, no vacation, hand-me-down clothes. But much like a lot of other people in the neighborhood, it seldom felt like we were missing anything.
Go to school, then go to the schoolyard, then go home for dinner and schoolwork. It’s not all that complicated.
Ha ha. You might need to peek out from underneath your flag.
At the moment, and it has been this way for a few years now, the world thinks America is a bit of a joke. Everyone is nice and polite about it because we need you onside for your military power, but behind closed doors…….
You can say whatever you like, Mel Gibson foe example, but there is accountability for what you say. You can’t have it both ways.
Kapler’s employer has spoken out in favor of his actions. Guess that ends the conversation.
If you are talking about killings in the streets, you should be talking about St Louis. Chicago isn’t in the top 25 per capita.
But that would not fit your narrative.
You are extremely happy that Biden bypassed the USMCA that the Trump admin put in place that blocks the import of baby formula. You are also thankful that he has begun importing formula to make sure your child doesn’t starve to death.
I always wondered who that 15 percent was that thinks Biden is doing a good job. There are a lot of things that need to be mad3 in the United States, including baby formula. Didn’t you learn anything in the pandemic where China held us hostage on getting the necessary drugs we needed?
foppert: The world doesn’t think of America as a joke, you do. Stop projecting your nonsense on the world.
The lack of understanding when it comes to what the amendments actually apply is depressing. The American school system needs to focus on basics and less on grooming.
Cosmos. The baseball is good and only since Trump. I worked for GE for many years so there is affection there. The world isn’t correct either. Should have limited it to the modern developed world.
What can I say, the images coming out of your country the last 5 years or so haven’t been terribly inspiring.
Cosmos. The baseball is good and only since Trump. Worked for GE for many tests do there is affection there. The world is wrong as well. Should have limited it to the modern developed world. What can I say. The images and stories coming out of your country for the last few years leave an impression.
“tests do” should be “years so”
And how does the world see America? Through CNN and other media.
It’s the liberal American media that’s a joke, always painting a picture that THEY want you to see.
But even then, why do so many continue to want to come to America? The numbers hold a lot more weight than your words.
Misguided employers who don’t have a backbone have nothing to do with right or wrong. Nobody is accusing Kapler of breaking any rules.
Jays – Kaepernick is a comical example. The guy never gave a crap about anything or anyone other than himself, until he knew he was losing his starting job. Find one example where he gave a damn about police brutality when he was a starter with no fear of losing his job.
No different than OJ, who turned his back on the African American community … until he needed them.
I always wondered who that 15 percent was that thinks Biden is doing a good job.
===============================
The 15% on the Far Left and Far Right, aren’t deep thinkers. They are the same people that would voted for Stalin and Hitler.
Fever Pitch Guy3 hours ago
why do so many continue to want to come to America?
=======================
I use to do a decent amount of traveling, when I was younger. People overseas love the US.
One of my favorite experiences was visiting the Osaka Castle. I walked there, and every block had a historical marker showing an old factory that stood there, until the US bombed it. I was actually feeling a bit down, and some old guy on a bicycle starts yelling ‘are you American?’.
I was hoping to avoid him, but couldn’t. When I stopped to talk with him, he tells me he loves America (but not the president). Says McArthur’s troops taught him to speak English, and that he visited Disneyland twice, and he wanted to visit it one more time before he died.
It was an incredibly uplifting experience.
Cool story bro
Really interesting perspective and story, Joe. Appreciate you taking the time to share it.
Fever Pitch. Ok. Rampant gun violence, racial tension, political extremism, insurrection. It’s all fake news. My bad.
You might need to build a big wall to keep all those people out. Wouldn’t that be hilarious !
foppert – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate
US is only 18th in firearm related deaths per 100K people.
Liberals and their media love to fan racial flames, but the fact is hundreds of millions of people of different races interact peacefully with each other on a daily basis. Every country has some racism, you just hear about the US more because it’s the third largest country and most diverse.
Political extremist? You mean like the IRA, Hezbollah, etc? I don’t see any US political groups committing terrorism or mass murder, unlike other countries.
Insurrection? Nobody was murdered in a violent uprising against the US government.
You’re 0-for-4, perhaps you should stop watching CNN.
foppert1 hour ago
Fever Pitch. Ok. Rampant gun violence, racial tension, political extremism, insurrection.
==================================
1-The gun violence is relegated to the large urban areas. Those areas are always led by democrats. You can get rid of gun violence tomorrow if there is a mandatory 20-year sentence for illegal possession, but democrats don’t want to do that.
2-There is no racial tension at the person-to-person level. All racial issues stem from inequality in school choice. Whites have the money to send their kids anywhere; blacks don’t. Once school choice becomes the law, and it will, educational equality will even out, and everything else will follow.
3-The US is extremely, extremely moderate, but there are 15% on both sides that extremists, and very loud. But it would take me 15 minutes to devise plans for the environment, guns, immigration, etc., that would probably be fine with 80% of the population.
4-Insurrection? LOL! A bunch of weekend warriors. If this were NYC, Adams would’ve had the local precinct captain arrest them.
Fever Pitch. Ok. You are all good over there. You would know better than me. Carry on.
The CNN insult is lame. Just a weak go to. I don’t watch any US based news channel. I did just listen to a podcast on the “insurrection” though. Maybe that was CNN produced. Not sure. Interesting but ugly. The ugliest being the ready availability of hezbollah like tactical training for the so inclined.
At the end of the day I’m voicing an opinion that internationally, your countries rep as a great place to be would have to be at its lowest ebb. Specifically in developed countries. That’s a massive shame. You don’t want to consider that possibility then that’s fine. You live there, I don’t.
In saying that, as an outsider looking in, I have a great deal of respect for a reasonably high profile citizen making it known that he thinks that a change in direction on gun control is desperately needed. The school shooting prevalence in your country is a mind blowingly unacceptable, must be changed at all costs situation to an outsider. Maybe you folks are just conditioned to it. Which is what I suspect Kapler was trying to respectfully get across in his blog.
Careful Joe the Far right 15% will claim Hitler was a left wing socialist. Your statement is sadly very true though.
Fever does not let me reply so I will here. Fever… You consider it a good thing that the Us shares company with Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, Guatemala on gun violence. LMAO. Some claim to fame. Yippy the US has less violence then Narco states , Cocaine Hubs, and impoverished nations . Seriously Fever WOW . Go compare the US to the other G7 members. From someone who has lived and worked all over the world the US is indeed becoming a joke to many . Your comment on gun violence is an example why.
Joe
Funny thing is though most of the mass shootings in the US in recent years are with legally obtained firearms and in smaller cities- towns. The US has a gun obsession that no other developed nation has but even the sensible amongst you choose to ignore it and play the whataboutism Chicago- Detroit- card.
@JoeBrady That’s almost inconceivably ignorant, but it’s good to be reminded, I guess, that most Americans can’t successfully define even one attribute of the ‘Far Left.’
Pro-Stalin? Good god.
Uvalde is a large urban area? The GOP has consistently voted against any laws that make possession illegal. So how can you increase penalties for illegal gun possession when there are no laws because of the GOP?
If you seriously think there is no racial tension person-person you are deluding yourself. Its literally the entire GOP platform in 2022. Its the entire reason for Proud Boys and other right wing terrorist groups. Until whites understand that racism is a WHITE problem there will be no equality,
It was planned. A coup. They bussed people in and promoted violence including calling for the lynching of the VP. It was an insurrection.
I have now said my peace and you join the others that are muted for being part of the problem.
whataboutism Chicago- Detroit- card.
=========================================
Because that’s where the problems are. The school shootings are tragic, but they are a small fraction of the overall murders in this country.
I was sent to school to learn to read and write.
Unfortunately for me, other people bring their religion to school in the form of doped up cigarettes.
I wrote songs as a kid. Made the HUGE mistake of thinking the kids in school would support me. Was ripped off constantly by people from a different religion than mine. I barley graduated.from high school. I had the best grades in my class on up until 8th grade.
Now our country is falling apart.
Go figure.
As far as I am concerned, it was the adults who used their kids to attack me.
They were guided by an adult who used them to attack me.
Can you all stop turning this site into another Twitter? I’d love to just talk baseball and not see the same pointless arguments time and time again.
Idiots like that are fun to laugh at.
Even the firing of Joe Girardi turns into a political argument.
Amen, WillieMaysHayes24, Amen.
That “clown” won 107 games last year and on his way to another very good year with the Giants.
That is correct. He’s still a witless, virtue signaling clown.
Read my handle, buddy. Players win games, sometimes managers help.
I’m a Giants fan. Kapler IS an absolute clown.
Kapler is a winner. 324-272 as a manager. 163-109 with the Giants. That is a .599 win percentage. Whatever you think of his politics is not germane to the subject at hand which is BASEBALL. What his players think about it is germane to the subject because they are the ones playing BASEBALL for him and they LOVE it.
Padsfan with more unsubstantiated drivel…
leftfield – Please give an honest answer, would Kapler’s career record be as good if he had been managing a bottom-10 payroll team instead of a top-10?
Would you be bringing up his career record if he had been managing the Pirates or Orioles? I think not.
they lost the series to the giants and won a 1 run game in the finale that had ~1 run favor via the ump scorecards – that isn’t winning against the giants
Well as bad as Girardi was at managing the Phillies at least he wasn’t making a spectacle of himself protesting the flag and national anthem like Gabe “coconut oil” Kapler has been doing. Maybe back to the Yankees as a coach for Girardi?
Remaining off the field during the national anthem is not making a spectacle of himself. He’s actually staying out of the spotlight.
If Kapler hates America for its constitution I would gladly pay for his move to China, South America, Russia, Iran, name a place…There is no place like America. Even Canada turning communist
muzza, congratulations on possibly the worst take yet. He doesn’t hate the Constitution. He thinks certain people are treated unfairly simply for being who they are, and it’s difficult to disagree with him.
You do realize that the very 1st right we are given as citizens in the US Constitution is the one Kapler is exercising, right? Keeping him from protesting is what they do in those countries you named. South America is continent that has many countries.
gbs – I do agree with you on that. Kapler isn’t making a spectacle of himself when he’s in the clubhouse, unlike a couple years ago when he was kneeling during the anthem.
But that doesn’t make his comments about “boycotting the anthem until the country goes in a better direction” any less stupid and insulting.
But that doesn’t make his comments about “boycotting the anthem until the country goes in a better direction” any less stupid and insulting.
==================================
Protesting about the direction the country is not senseless, it is antithetical to our values. We don’t get to decide values. We get to vote. That’s all. When you win, you get to change the direction. When I win, I get to change the direction.
The entire beauty of the US system is that no one consistently gets what they want. I’m not a Biden fan, but he’s the president. If Kapler wants to change that, he can vote for change in 2024.
Muzza
You must watch too much Fox or OAN. Do you have even a clue what a communist country is like.
Canada is as close to a communist country as America was to a fascist police state under Trump. Get a grip on reality and widen your intake of news.
Which manager is loved by his players and has his team winning games?
About time.
They should appoint Bryce to player-manager.
Yeah just eliminate the middle man.
Bryce would make a good manager IMO. Has the fire and the brain
why not?
Frank Robinson as player/manager in that bright red Cleveland uniform was cool.
I think he’s more interested in being player-gm
Wow. It just didn’t work out. Seemed like a perfect fit at the time. Will be interesting to see how the team responds.
Not his fault this team has zero effective arms in the pen, and the offense was built horrendously with strikeout prone players with an atrocious defense lol. We all saw this coming a mile away. Team is built like a 14 year old would on MLB the show. Can’t have 4 DHs guys
It’s a feature of a Dave Dombrowski team – underinvest in the bullpen. Usually it hurts in the playoffs, but he’s elevated his game and now effs up the entire season. Way to go Dave!
The Phillies signed Caorey Knebel, Jeurys Familia, and Brad Hand for a combined $22M this season. You can’t really say they underinvested.
You can and probably should say they invested in the wrong bullpen mix. That’s certainly fair.
That’s so Phillies
Woah!
Not a surprise.
It’s too bad that Girardi didn’t have a Harry Potter wand to turn concrete footed fielders into defensive wizards.
Wow!
Binder Girardi got booted out of Philadelphia? I can’t say it’s really his fault, the team’s the general manager keeps handing him players who can’t field, they’ve been historically awful fielding for years now.
No amount of great bats and top end starting pitching is going to win unless you got 5 top end starters, they go 9 innings every night and strikeout 10+.
Joe Girardi is the definition of underachieving. 10 years with the Yankees, 3 with the Phillies and 1 with the marlins and he’s 1120-935. The Yankees could have won just as many games if they didn’t have a manager
Girardi does have a World Series ring, which was the product of the Yankees buying a championship.
Don’t they try and buy a championship every year ?
Meanwhile the Phillies can’t even buy their way into the playoffs
@JohnTheFisherman 100% truth
Only 44 MLB managers in the history of baseball have a higher winning percentage than Joe Girardi. He’s tied with Sparky Anderson in W%. I think you may need to re-evaluate your criteria for what makes a manager underachieving.
Joe won manager of the year with the Marlins. He won a WS with the Yankees and came within a game of going to another WS with the Yankees.
Manager of the Year in a season when the Mets ran away with the NL East.
As to buying a championship, the Dodgers, Mets, and Red Sox seem to own that method of winning.
Both were well over a decade ago. Girardi is clueless out there. He is not the sole reason for the Phillies struggles, but he absolutely stinks as a manager these days. He cannot manage a bullpen without Rivera in it.
Joe Girardi is an “underachiever.” Lol. This might be the dumbest baseball comment I have ever read in the history of ever. The guy is up there with legendary managers in comparable stats.
Wow, looks like DD is blaming manager for his players sucking
I’m Shocked, Shocked I tell you
DD finds a scapegoat…for the moment!!
Major defensive and bullpen liability that was not and has not been addressed. Feels almost like the Angels of yesteryear having major holes (i.e. starting pitching) and big spending in other areas as a red herring to those holes.
I bet Castellanos and schwarber weren’t expecting this when they signed this off season lol
They don’t care. They got jobs and were paid. Anything else is icing on the cake.
I think Girardi was dissapointed that he didn’t land the Mets job a couple years back and took the Phillies job as a second option. He never really provided a spark to the Phillies club house. The GM never filled in the Phillies main issues which were relievers and defense. Instead he got more offense and made the defense worse. I think Girardi is partly to blame for the Phillies underperforming but its not all on him
So glad the Mets didn’t decide to hire him
Keep in mind, Showalter was a runnerup for the Phillies job. What could have been. I wanted Buck then. Now do I think Buck makes the Phillies a 1st place team? No. But he’s much better than overrated Girardi.
True story!
I don’t think it would have mattered who is managing the mets, they put together a strong team in the offseason
Disagree. Buck is setting a tone and standard that was lacking last year
I agree that Buck is a good manager and is doing a fine job. However, just like most managers, he has a shelf life. Unless he has relaxed a bit from his earlier days, players (especially veterans) will eventually grow tired of Buck’s rather militaristic style ofanaging. Again, maybe he’s changed. But if he’s that same guy as before then by next year he will begin to get pushback from some players. Especially if they are not winning. Winning cures all ills of course.
@rememberthepoop
What an exceptionally broad, blanket, unsubstantiated statement. Please, enlighten us on your knowledge of any team’s clubhouse atmosphere… Lol
The team is flawed however Girardi has cost them several games with his moves. They lost a 6 run lead in the ninth and then at least 2 others with his pitcher choices.
Bill Kane
So did you know and still do know when relievers are going to give up runs? If so, why aren’t you employed by the Phillies? Maybe you could have shared your crystal ball with Girardi.
Gotta love these it’s Girardi’s fault when players don’t perform what they are paid millions to do
Al Avila is such a crappy GM. Could a traded Hinch, along with some fortification for the the Philly team – for top prospects.
AL AVILA MISSES ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
AL AVILA STINKS.
CHRIS ILLICH STINKS AS AN OWNER.
SHOULD HAVE HIRED THE SUPERFIFE A LONG TIME AGO.
INSTEAD HE LETS PEOPLE LIE TO HIM!
AL AVILA STINKS. NO VISION!
Another missed opportunity. Al Avila really does stink, even when God himself has been setting him up to succeed – AL AVILA HAS FAILED EVERY FLIPPING TIME! NO KIDDING – EVERY FLIPPING GD TIME!!!!!!
HE STINKS!
Sir, this is a Phillies post
Fife is a rabid dog. Put him down or ignore him. Tiger fans do.
He’s either a troll or a lunatic.
Lunatic… definitely not a troll!
How can you say someone who says Al Avila is not doing a very good job a troll? Ridiculous! ( I usually do support Al, but not here)
Would you want Fulmer, G.Soto and Hinch? Does Dombrowski have the reputation for trading away top prospects?
Do the Tigers need top prospects?
Al stinks so bad…he even hurt the Phillies…..
Hinch is a very good manager with a solid reputation. Again, as previously pointed out, this is a Phillies post. But just to play along, what is wrong with AJ?
Blood Pressure issues?
What is wrong with you and why do you keep shouting?
Because I used to play rock and roll….but I never hurt any chickens, bro…..
My man!! I bet a lot of people – especially sports fans – don’t know what my handle means. But I see you do. And for that you have my respect bro. Despite the shouting. (I used to play in a rock band myself)
I just assumed you were Buckethead. LOL
I did a quick google search, and I must admit I still am in the dark. Would love to have you expand on the meaning, Coop.
Dombrowski is a joke.
Dombrowski is a 2-time World Champion who also was most responsible for a 3rd World Championship.
The only “World Champion” they ever won was of “Murica, F#&k Yeah!”
“”World champion” by winning a national league title in a sport most of the world doesn’t give a hoot about… ROFL
This puerile U.S. American self-aggrandizing regarding all these “world championships” in exclusively national competitions clearly indicates why that society of insecure imbeciles keeps shooting up elementary schools, hospitals, supermarkets and the occasional snow-shoveling neighbors.
So you feel like the fact that we’ve been calling this the World Series for 100+ years is related to some damaged kids shooting up schools?
MLB is the worlds game. It’s the one major pro sport that truly encompasses various races and nations.
Don’t let the fact that MLB has the best players from all over the world competing in its league detract from the narrative of it being a “US-only” sport though.
Ya know, because all the players from the Dominican, Venezuela, Japan, Mexico, PR, etc, etc, aren’t in the league in large numbers competing for, and in, the very same World Series, hence the term, WORLD Series.
Unless you’re suggesting segregation as a rule? Ethnicities aren’t allowed to play with each other perhaps make it a more appropriate World Series? If so, I disagree, I think that’s tasteless, and indicative of a larger internal issue, if you will.
It’s also interesting that certain…ahem, folks, come to a baseball forum to condescend other folks about an entire society of “insecure imbeciles” while doing it from the safe space of anonymity, mostly.
So, yeah, your point has no basis in reality, no factual support, & no application to baseball. Good times.
Clip – He’s been posting on NFLTR that the Super Bowl isn’t really Super, and over at ITFTR that winning the Grand Slam is not really Grand, so I think he’s just trolling.
But what has the Great Dombrowski done for the Phillies other than damage? Signed Realmuto to a bad 5 year 25 million a year contract that is already starting to haunt the Phillies and will continue to do so even more in the future. Signed Gregorious to a 2 year contract last year, then didn’t have any clue whatsoever as to what to do with him this year. Has ‘fixed’ the bullpen with the likes of Alvarado, Coonrod, Kennedy, Familia, Bellatti, Norwood, and Nelson. Couldn’t find a center fielder. Signed 2 DHs this year, neither of who can field. What can we look forward to from him? Trade Abel and Painter away at the trade deadline for some more washed up rentals or other dead wood?
I’m not shocked. It seems JG didn’t always make the best decisions. However, I don’t think we’re close to a championship with the current roster, either.
The problem for Girardi’s successor is the defense and bullpen will continue to suck no matter who is calling the shots. You can’t rebuild a bullpen in season. It never ceases to amaze me that every year a team or two enters a season with a sketchy pen thinking the problem will resolve itself. That never works, but it doesn’t deter FOs from going that route any way.
@solaris if the offense picks it up, that’ll be an improvement. The lineup underperformed with Girardi. You can’t do anything about the defense. The pen can be managed better, but it’ll never be great.
Th Phillies bullpen is middle of the pack. Its not terrible anymore. Thanks to DD bringing in some really good relievers on one year deals.
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=2022&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2022-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31
MLB should make a 31st comprised of all men convicted of assault/battery/sexual assault/domestic violence and have Joe as manager. I think it would be ill
Good move in firing joe but Thompson is not good choice, he just whines like girardi.
Dombrowski should be the next to go
I like the idea of Harper being a player-manager.
Only a month too late.
Puzzling move, but in Philly’s defense…just kidding, Philly doesn’t have a defense.
It’s not puzzling, but your joke was 10/10.
The ‘puzzling’ comment was just setup for the zing.
OHMANOHGODOHMANOHGODOHMANOHGODOHMANOHGOD
Long overdue. This will not fix this team. They aren’t a manager away from being good, but Girardi was a problem. Hopefully this sparks some urgency. The fact of the matter is, while the team is poorly constructed, they’re still underperforming. The manager is not bringing out their best. They needed to move on.
Why do you feel he was a problem?
He made baffling bullpem decisions. He kept going to guys like Norwood who would get rocked. That historic Mets comeback is all on Girardi. He used 7+ relievers in 1-0 games. Just senseless mistakes that would overwork a bad bullpen and cost the team big. He would take out our best hitters for defense instead of taking out Schwarber. He wouldn’t ride the hot hand. If the setup man had a perfect 8th, he’d still take him out to use a mediocre closer in the 9th. He had no sense of urgency and a bad feel for the game. Phillies aren’t a great team, but Girardi cost them at least 5 wins.
Baffling lineup decisions too. Schwarber leading off with a sub Mendoza line BA? Even when he gets on base he is the slowest guy in the lineup. They are near the top in hitting into double plays and that is certainly part of the reason. .
Von;
Wrote that he lost me when he let a 7 run lead evaporate against the Mets.
Don’t know why he kept putting Alvarado out there.
Terrible roster. Little coaching. Still say that Harper will want out within the next few years if things don’t radically change.
If Bench coach Rob Thomson had the answers then why didn’t he share them with Girardi? The new meta is good defense and pitching depth. Dombrowski built a team with below average defenders at almost every position. That didn’t happen on accident either. A lot has been said about signing 2 DHs this offseason, but Bohm is the worst defensive 3rd basemen in the league. The phillies have not had an answer in centre for years. Bryce Harper is a below defender as well. Didi also a not a great defender. So what does DD do? He signs two big money DHs.
And that entire phillies pen is a disaster, Joe can only use the guys he’s given.
Bc Thomson is an advisor and final decisions and accountability falls on JG. This is on DD who counted on his signings slugging their way to a title. Does DD get let go after the season too? Ownership isn’t going to give him an even higher budget.
Yeah, it’s not like DD was going to fire himself or admit, “Hey everyone, this is really my fault. Give Joe another chance with someone who can do a better job than I did.”
When the fault lies with the guy in charge, they always ask, “Whose fault is this?!”
Maybe Joe wasn’t good, maybe he needed to go, but I highly doubt he’s the reason for the Phillies catastrophic failure. He’s certainly not the reason for their 11-year postseason drought (although, neither is DD). But, if Joe needed to go because he wasn’t good, isn’t THAT also DD’a fault? Seems like a trend is all I’m saying……
They spent stupid money to put together a stupid team.
Notice that Kapler has gone on and started to win games after he was fired from the Phillies. I expect Joe will do the same.
“Started to win games”? Kapler skippered the Giants to a club-record 107 wins just last year.
That’s what I was saying.
he should never have been hired by philadelphia. st. louis should have hired him first
he wouldn’t of worked in stl just like schlidt (whom we shouldn’t of fired) because mo wants a yes man in charge so he can be both pbo and manger
Didn’t know the Orioles are doing well on defense this year. Maybe Philly can swap some players.
That game where the Phillies blew a 6 run lead to the Mets in the 9th inning was the beginning of the end.
Beginning of the beginning for the Mets.
Thought it was 7 run lead. But yes, that’s where he lost me.
“A new voice is needed in the clubhouse.” ….and here’s the bench coach
I’d like them to hire someone from the MLBTR forums. Seem to be a lot of baseball experts on here so should be an easy transition to running the show.
I’m not helping the Phillies- I’m a Mets fan
You can’t win with a crappy bullpen. Don’t know how many times as I follow the line scores/ box scores, the Phil’s have tied a game late or taken an emotional lead , only to cough it up right back right away in the ninth or tenth. Had to be very tough on fans. Joe paid for it.
Now fix the defense ASAP, and then work on the bullpen issues…
Just do what they do in MLB The Show. Earn points and spend those points on bumping your players defense points up. In a few weeks, Philly will be stringing together numerous shutouts and no-hitters due to the tight defensive skills.
Meet Rob Thomson https://baseballhalloffame.ca/hall-of-famer/rob-thomson/
These statements have to be copy and paste at this point. We respect (former coach) and thank him…. Moving forward we have full confidence in (new coach) that he can right the ship and lead us to the promise land
What’s the old saying about pitching and defense wins championships?
What is something the Phillies dont have? Pitching and defense.
Why is this Joes fault? GM and owner and clueless per usual and another manager takes a bullet for lack of direction and common sense.
B I N G O !
Phillies have very good starting pitching.
Starting pitchers seldom go even 7 innings anymore.
Phillies have plenty of time to lose any leads they have when the starters are pulled.
Only the Yankees and Padres starters are better. https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=2022&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=&enddate=
Baseball fired the wrong Joe.
Maddon shouldn’t be far behind
Too bad you can’t fire ownership.
The real reason the Phillies aren’t good?
First rd picks:
2013-jp crawford-gone
2015 cornelius randolph- bust
2016- mickey moniak- epic bust
2017-adam hasely- bust
The jury is out on alec bohm and bryson stott. This team failed their rebuild in epic fashion. Their other draft picks failed as well.
Dave Dombrowski is only a good gm when he inherits an excellent farm he can trade for established major leaguers.
@Astros more than one thing can be true. Everyone knows why the Phillies suck. Drafting, development and scouting are issues that are being addressed but it’ll take years to see if it works. At the same time, even with this flawed roster, Girardi is responsible for some losses. You don’t fire a manager to fix every problem. You fire a manager to fix the managerial issue. Girardi needed to go. He was bad. That’s addressed. The development issue is to be determined.
You fire a manager to fix the managerial issue.
============================
That’s about it. Firing Girardi doesn’t fix every problem, but it might fix one problem.
@ Astros2017Champs2;
Revisionist history that continues.
I watched it. Dombrowski built a great farm system in Montreal that kept an underfunded team in contention as it constantly lost free agents. When he came to Detroit they had next to no one in the farm system worth a darn. He built a great farm system and was able to acquire young players such as Miggy and Max by including prospects in trades for them. The did the same thing in Miami as he did in Detroit.
Apparently your baseball knowledge goes back to when the Red Sox hired Dombrowski….and he did what he was supposed to do – WIN NOW – and he won a championship. That’s bad?
Moniak was a stretch at the time. Gamble to help boost bonuses down the draft.
Phillies always pick underslot 1st round. If Mokiak was the #2 pick no one but Phillies fans would talk about it.
Knee jerk reaction by ego laden Dombrowski. You can’t look at the Mets right now as they are off to a incredible start but guess what…probably not sustainable according to Fangraphs. Right now your playing for the wild card(s) and have had a slow start, the talent is there offensively and at the top of the rotation. The first two months you’ve probably played the most games against HOT teams the Mets, Dodgers etc than anyone else.
DD did this to save his own hide rather than getting the boot like he did in Detroit and Boston.
Not sustainable but they do have an almost double digit lead in their division and the games still count. They’ve afforded more time for Scherzer and DeGrom to get ready… or perhaps skip a start in Sept.
White Sox bring in Girardi, Phillies bring in La Russa.
Would switching the captains of the Titanic and Hindenburg have resulted in different outcomes? Probably not. But couldn’t have been any worse either. I have more experience in Chicago and I think TLR might prefer Chicago bars to Philly bars!
@ For Love of the Game:
This is an honest question (although I like your comparison): Did the captain/pilot of the Hindenburg something wrong? Is he mainly to blame for the disaster?
Gruß,
BSHH
Balloon full of extremely flammable gas. What could possibly have gone wrong with that?
Here you go. https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/
Very unbalanced roster: good starting rotation, offense and speed, very bad defense and bullpen.
Run diff says the Phillies are about a .500 team. The starting rotation and above average offense compensate for the bad defense and shaky bullpen. So I expect the Phillies to gravitate back toward the breakeven mark. That could put them on the fringes of contention for a wild card in the new era of six teams getting to the playoffs in each league.
A few breaks – like not blowing six-run leads in the ninth, ouch! – could actually net a wild card for Philadelphia. Anyway, if the Phillies do just catch a bit of luck and make it back to .500, the new manager will enjoy endless plaudits.
It is clear that one of the Phillies many problems was Joe Girardi. They eliminated one of their problems today. Baby steps. Might be a breath of fresh air to dispose of the smarminess emanating from the manager’s seat.
Pirates should hire him and fire Derek Skeletonman
Familiar story: “GM assembles overpriced ill-fitting parts, fires manager when it doesn’t work.”
Yet Dombrowski, who brought in all of these defensively and pitching challenged players – keeps his job.
Only in America.
Specifically what should he have done with the roster and farm system he inherited?
Do they ride Thomson the rest of the season and hire a manager this winter? They might as well because there is no one available who can overcome the horrible roster construction that lies at the heart of this team’s failures. They can begin trading off pieces to at least improve the defense, but where do you start? I’m not sure they can even trade Castellanos or Schwarber this early in their contracts.
I can’t find anything about either of their contracts having a no trade clause so yeah they could trade them whenever if they can find another team dumb enough to take on their contracts.
Nine of ten times, you are only as good a manager, in-game, as the players you have on the roster. Better players put managers in fewer positions to make critical decisions during a game and better players more often perform as the manager hopes when those critical decisions are made. Better players make you look better, worse players make you look worse.
He was a lame duck manager who would have been fired at the end of the year any way. He wasn’t DD’s guy. Girardi was dealt a stupid roster. That’s not his fault, but the decisions he makes are. The fact that even the Phillies announcers, some of the biggest homers you’ll ever see, were left questioning Girardi’s decisions game after game tells you a lot. Baffling mistakes that cost the Phillies games. Bottom line: bad teams cannot afford bad managers. The Phillies aren’t bad because of Girardi, but they were worse because of him. Firing him is just step 1 into fixing this team. Let’s see if it sparks something. All the people defending him here clearly haven’t been watching. And to all the Yankee fans who warned me about Girardi, you were 100% correct.
It’s not what you want.
This just foreshadows Dombrowski’s firing. I don’t see the Phillies turning this around. They are going to be in worse shape then when the Howard/Rollins era ended. If they keep this up they should shut Harper down by the break and blow it up for as many prospects as they can harvest in deals. No one should be off the table if the price is right.
Trade for prospects. Yeah, this has just worked out so well for them. Other than Zach Eflin, name one prospect who has come to the Phillies in a trade and actually panned out in the last 20 years
Not gonna happen. Dombrowski has built playoffs and World Series contending teams every place he was worked.
Phillies were badly constructed when he was hired…That is why he was hired.
It takes time to clean up the messes by the former front office
and put your own team out there,
Why fire the manager if you keep all the coaches?
The team is flat. Beyond the issues with the bullpen and the defense, there is just a malaise around the team, no life. Maybe the change shakes things up a bit. If not, they bring in a manager in the off-season with a different personality.
The Phillies lousy play the past several seasons is the result of recklessly throwing money at what they think are the best players available. No long term plan just get these players on the team and let the win totals roll. I’m sorry but you don’t need sabermetrics to explain the problem.
LOL
They had a long-term plan. Did you miss the 6-7 year rebuild? It failed. One of the worst rebuilds in modern MLB history. The situation since it dawned on the owner that he had a mess on his hands is why the situation is where it is today.
You ready for another 5-6 year rebuild?
No I saw the “rebuild.” Yeah that’s always a great idea. Then they started throwing money around. I’m sorry but if there ever was a plan it went out the window long ago.
Was it Dombrowski that started throwing the money around? He came a year after it started.
He inherited an older team that played poor D, no bullpen, a few starting pitchers, and some questionable prospects in the highs minors.
I believe Dombrowski would be best walking away from that mess. He doesn’t need this at his age. He’s over the pseudo-cap, has next to nothing to trade – the guy’s that are good with reasonable salaries that are attractive to other teams are what he needs to keep, the overpaid FA’s he signed won’t bring back much in trade. They have to wait for the farm system which will take another 2-3 years to have an affect, and I don’t see Harper wanting to waste what is left of his prime there.
I agree with what you said there. The way they operate is like someone with no baseball sense is calling the shots. They have turned themselves into a mess.
They had a long-term plan.
============================
They rushed it. They signed Santana, pushing Hoskins to LF. They signed Arrieta for $25 per. They traded Crawford. They kept adding salary. They never had that young base of kids.
You can say there was a long-term plan and they really really tried but wow did they do a terrible job trying to make it work. Results speak for itself. Talk about the “rebuild” all you want. It looks like the entire process is run by amateurs. Keep telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about. The results are right there for all to see.
First Canadian born manager in 80 years… he deserves a shot after all those years helping the Yankees. I know his brother Rick who had a MLB tryout but told me he just could not hit the curve ball. . … all the best to the new manager..
Dang, Canadian? That managers office should be polite and tidy, atleast.
Next Angel manager
NO!!!!!
Montoya could be fired if the Jays have another disappointing finish.
Alec Bohm is Rick Schu. Now move Schmidty to first!
Ah yes, blame the manager for the decade long incompetence of the front office across three regimes
Yet Moore, Matheny and Eldred still reign supreme in Kansas City.
Poorly constructed team. But ultimately he shoulders responsibility for some suspect in game calls. But he’s been on double secret probation since the 9th inning implosion vs NYM. That was the MLB equivalent of the Jets butt fumble
So, it begins…With Joe out, does Thompson realign the lineup? Swarber leading off never made sense….With Segura out, I don’t see a leadoff hitter…I think we might see some changes in personnel sooner than later….
For me, I’ll tune in and see if there are any significant changes in how Thompson handles his roster..
LOL
John McGraw, Casey Stengel, and Connie Mack couldn’t handle that roster.
And don’t think Dombrowski is wild about it. He should never have taken the job. Anyone that did was going to be doomed for years no matter what they did.
Sounds like Tommy Pham needs to smack a B or three.
Didn’t the Phillies management realize the Angels are in town, that’s an easy 3 wins right there for them.
Guarantee they do not sweep the Angels.
Kapler might still be their manager if the cronies at the top hadn’t fooled themselves into believing the team was going somewhere.
This comment aged badly…
Oops, wrong comment. Apologies.
Somebody call Freddy Galvis and ask him to come back to be manager
The Phillies were stupid to hire him in the first place. Piss poor owner running a team horribly (but not “poorly”). What a waste.
the question is why was Thomson promoted to Interim Manager and not Dusty Wathan? he was interviewed for the position during the past 2 hires, and should have gotten it both times, and then was retained as third base coach. Dombrowski needs to go and someone with more of a connection to the organization needs to replace him
It’s a shame Girardi had to take a hit. On paper, this is a .500 team. I’m not sure why they are assuming they’d do better with little pitching. High payroll doesn’t mean you have a good team. I call them 500 Phils.
I think you hit the nail on the head. On paper this is a .500 team and they are 7 games under .500. That is on the manager
Still early in the season. I think by the end of the year, no matter who manager is, they’ll be around .500. 7 games under is not far off.
If they finish at .500, firing Girardi was well worth it. That’s a big swing.
If only they did something sooner – maybe the Mets record would not have been inflated. Then again if only they didn’t play the Nats and Backs 100x this season already
You should get a better hobby other than being butt hurt by the Mets.
Maybe Herr Donald can swing a bat?
It sounds like the whole team outside the SP is struggling. Not really fair to put that on him.
The ChiSox should follow suit, but that seems very doubtful.
Feel sorry for Hahn as his hands are tied thanks to King Jerry,
Last time i checked TLR doesn’t swing a bat or pitch. His team has been beset by injuries #2 starter Lynn, LF Jimenez, Robert, Anderson and Moncada have on average missed half of the season so far. CWS team is 28th in hitting and #23rd in pitching, I’d say their lucky to be hovering around .500 in a weak division.
FYI, whitesox fans but TLR will never be fired by the boss, but a resignation or retirement could be upcoming
With expanded playoffs, you can’t give up on a season. I bet more manager firings occur as teams look for a spark. .
With Girardi gone and an interim manager with zero previous experience taking over, how long will it be before the Phillies go into “sell” mode?
Of course, the player who could have brought back the most, Segura, is now gone till Labor Day.
But with another wasted season inevitable, how long before Harper pulls the plug, has his TJ surgery and tells the club, “See you in February!”
Sell mode us definitely around the corner
Well, there’s always Aaron Nola. He should yield a nice prospect (or player-controlled) haul.
Nola for a prospect. That’s funny. Maybe they could get another Enyel de Los Santos, or Phillippe Aumont, or Ben Lively, or Jake Thompson, or Darnell Sweeney, or etc. etc.
Not his fault! Not his fault but manager always the scapegoat
… With the mind of Dave D, the best thing for the team is a new owner. It’s stupid to fire the persons with the least fault for their own mistakes
Time for Dallas Green. Get ready to ship players go the Cubs.
Guess Dombrowski couldn’t fire himself.
DD built a seriously flawed team with very good starting pitching and good offense but really bad defense that should still be playing .500 ball based on runs scored vs runs given up. They are 7 games below .500. That is the manager’s responsibility. So Girardi gets the axe.
Who’s gonna be the team who hires him and wins 100 games next year?
They should have axed Dombrowski as well.
The situation in Philly is a reminder that roster configuration matters. I understand the adage — “get the best player you can get” — it seems that’s what the Phillies did, and I see nothing wrong with that. But Philadelphia was already a shaky defensive club in ’21, and hampered their flexibility more-so with their offseason moves. Maybe certain players they wanted to reel in fell out of their reach, leading them to make the moves they did, but ’22 has been unfortunate thus far. Like many pundits have said, along with this article — there’s still talent there to right the ship, but it needs to happen sooner than later.
After they lost 5 of 6 and sank to 7 games under .500 this is something I am sure all Phillies fans were expecting.
Just goes to show, you should never hire a manager who can’t field the ball.
. . . wait . . . that doesn’t sound right.
Never mind.
Dude, Trevino hit a shot tonight! Love that kid, man.
He’s a good’n!
I think we may have our catcher! Like a real, live starting catcher! Capable of hitting AND catching…
Carp hit another blast too, man. What in the world is going on? This is awesome….
Where did he get fired. Into the sun?
Maddon is next. He’s not even signed beyond this season
If you want to murder your farm system, sign long-term albatross contracts that will cripple your payroll for years to come and take your team out of any thought of contention almost instantly then hire DD!!!
What does this guy have on all these teams? How does he keep getting hired. He’s run almost every franchise he’s touched into the ground that eventually needed a complete gut and rebuild.
I’m just curious, is anyone here a fan of DD and actually supports his moves? I feel like it’s a one sided argument with all of us.
Yeah, I could see the appeal for certain fans with DD getting immediate results for the teams he did. I am not a fan of that style of operation, even though I’ve been a proponent of trading prospects, I do think there’s a balance.
There is one, and only one, exception. If you can trade for and extend Juan Soto (won’t happen, just using him as the example), then you dump your farm, imo, if you’re the Yankees. But only consider it for someone that a young, proven, generational talent like that.
Dombroswski signed a half-dozen current members of this team’s 26 last off-season without giving away a prospect save two 2021 late round picks, but okay.
DarkSide: My assessment was referring to his prior teams, when he won. I don’t recall DD winning without dumping the farm, but it’s possible he did. I’m far from an expert on DD.
Are you a proponent of DD? Or are you in favor of moving on to someone else?
okay, well this is his CURRENT team. The Phillies have not subtracted from the farm in any meaningful way while he has been here. Team is not perfectly constructed, but none of the contracts are albatrosses and lots of money comes off the books this off-season. And quite frankly I don’t even know how you can say the WS part with the rings the man has. DD teams get results, that simple. I’d imagine you wouldn’t feel this strong about him if he didn’t win in Boston…
DarkSide: “And quite frankly I don’t even know how you can say the WS part”
I don’t know what that means; I didn’t reference anything about that. I said he gets immediate results which is why he has fans, and it seems you agree with that, no?
Also, I don’t get the Boston reference or what that has to do with me saying he gets results (other than confirming it, perhaps?) Are you sure you are replying to my comment?
The Phillies also haven’t really gotten any good results from DD. I can understand their owner not wanting to rebuild again, especially with Harper around, but there are just so many holes in that team
Rings and pennants. DD has rings and pennants. The Phillies farm system didn’t get murdered by DD since he has been there. He hasn’t traded any of them away. He has $90 million coming off the books at the end of this season and in 2023 his defense will immensely improve just by having Segura and Harper back in their positions even if he doesn’t make any moves. If Stott steps up with the bat. then the defense gets even better. Move Bohm to 1B full time and it improves more. Of course that means he would have to trade Hoskins which is not a bad move. I just don’t see what DD did wrong other than hiring Girardi.
I actually do have a lot of respect for Dombrowski, but I also acknowledge that he absolutely trades a lot of prospects that are ranked highly in the farm.
To me, it’s about winning and losing trades. It usually takes years to tell, but we can see Dombrowski won when he got Miggy, Scherzer, and more. He definitely gave up potential at the time, and sometimes fan favorites like Granderson. However, he wasn’t overpaying, and he was certainly in it to win a championship this year and next. It didn’t happen with the Tigers, but you have to admit, like the Phillies in ’10, you knew they had a good chance.
I certainly don’t think he’s perfect.
I’m sure he won’t be out of work for too long
He will replace Maddon when he’s fired….
It baffles me the number of people who don’t get this move. The man has been a dissapointment since he was brought in. Say what you want about DD, but he added talent to a 82 win team last season and yet somehow things have gotten worse and just looking at this team play recently shows a lack of motivation. This team has plenty of issues, but if you can’t see that Joe was one of them, I don’t know what team you are looking at.
I don’t phollow the Phillies, and defensive metrics are a debatable subject, but when most of them show the team’s defense as among the worst in the league, it seems likely to me that they’re comparatively bad fielders. It’s one thing to add talent. It’s another thing to add talent that fits the needs of the team. Are you sure Dombrowski did that?
The thing no one understands is the defense was bad last season to. This is not a matter of them completely eschewing defense in one off-season. The problem is they ran into the Harper injury and now the Segura injury and all the defensive plans have gone to heck.
Well, if the defense was bad last season and Dombrowski did nothing to fix that, did he add what the team needed?
Last season the Phillies had the worst bullpen in baseball. This season they are middle of the pack. Their starting pitching is near the top of the league this season. DD added offense in spots where the offense was weak, specifically Camargo (IF), Castellanos (LF), and Schwarber (DH).
IMHO, the Phillies needed a SS more than adding Schwarber. Bohm is a defensive nightmare. He should be the DH and if he was Camargo could man 3B.
Considering the improvement to the pitching staff, the Phillies should be playing .500 ball. That they weren’t and had lost 5 of 6 before Girardi was canned, his firing made sense.
Best comment!
He added talent but didn’t address any of their needs. This team could already hit and had enough starting pitching to work with. They needed a massive overhaul of the bullpen and some position players that could actually play the positions they were assigned. Roster construction is very important, you can just throw square pegs in round holes and expect success.
Again, you clearly don’t know the Phillies here. The team could hit in 2021, but the offense was Harper and no one else last season. It looked great on paper last season – as it has this season – but didn’t deliver. The bullpen? He did exactly that. This team has exactly zero current members who went wire-to-wire in 2020 in it’s bullpen and only one member (Brogdon) period. Last off-season alone he brought in Hand, Knebel, and Familia, as well as a few depth guys as well. The issue with the Phillies was there were too many holes, not wrongly-sized ones.
Actually, in a lot of ways the Phillies remind me of recent Yankees teams. Reliant on offense to overcome deplorable defense, hampered by injuries to key players. Essentially a one-dimensional offense that results in all-or-nothing outcomes, often (Schwarber, Hoskins, etc).
I wonder if they would have some success trying to model a retool after the Yankees. They may not be as successful, which is fine, but they could drastically change their roster, address defensive weaknesses, and balance the strengths.
They did completely overhaul the bullpen and it has gone from the worst in baseball to middle of the pack.
So the Phillies nearly swept the Dodgers in Dodger stadium except for Knebel blowing it in the 4th game. Therefore, how does Girardi get fired? Of course 1 series doesn’t make a season, but it’s hardly Girardi’s fault for the construction of this roster.
The Phillies lack of ability to develop talent through the draft/amateur free agent signings is the issue. Not the big free agent deals surprisingly
Is Dallas Green Available?
I wish the Orioles would sign Joey G, I still like him despite the miserable failure it was in Philly
Poor Brandon Hyde is really taking one for the team though. Not saying he’s a good manager, I don’t know, honestly. But, he’s taking a beating season after season and it’s only going to hurt his future.
I agree with you about Joe G. I thought he was a really good manager. I disagree with his detractors, in large part. Joe does have his faults, but solid overall.
I should’ve clarified, Joe was good with the Yankees. I’m not really sure how he performed with the Phillies other than reading the comments/articles/opinions. I didn’t watch him closely enough to discern how effectively he managed that team
He just wasn’t a Philly Guy
I thought maybe it would be a good fit, but it was not
Dallas Green is still dead.
Well, that is unfortunate, the Phillies need a good kick in the pants and he would be the man to do it.
I have told you guys for two years now that the Philadelphia Phillies are the worst run team in baseball!! Girardi should have never been hired in the first place, but he ain’t the real problem. This team should have done another rebuild 3 years ago. They keep spending huge dollars to cover holes with player who can’t play defense and strike out a lot. New holes open and the bullpen NEVER gets fixed!
The old adage holds true. Pitching and defense is what wins ballgames. Sluggers are fun to watch, but they also punch out a lot too.
DrDan Everyone that keeps saying that needs to realize the Phillies starting pitching is and has been very good. Their offense has been inconsistent. Their defense bad. They’re getting very good starting pitching.
You know Von, the fact that the rotation has been able to overcome this defense tells me there are other issues at play here. I don’t claim to know what those are; however, firing Girardi is a step in the right direction. Sometimes things like dumb luck play a part, as baseball is a sport that can have a very fine line between winning and losing due to having such a long season.
What Will Happen Next For Joe Girardi?
Back to the TV booth for now…He loves Chicago…maybe has a manager on the White Sox- if they ever decide to drop/retire LaRussa.
I would love him in Toronto! Charlie is alright but Girardi already knows the way to the promise land.
This is so cool…
“23 comments are hidden because you muted the comment authors”
26 now!!! Woooo Hooooo.
Joe added little value if we are being honest. He took the money and kinda just phoned it in.
Either Maddon or the Angels pitching coach is next.
One or both of them should be gone soon if things don’t turn around ASAP.
Is Girardi the answer if Maddon is out?
It is comical that many Phillies fans have been calling for Joe Girardi to be fired for 1-2 years. Then, it happens and they are now griping about that too?!
Make up your minds
Signing 2 DH OF types was a splash the Phillies made and a “roll of the dice”
It will make them look like geniuses when the offense gets hot.
The bullpen is a work in progress. Dombrowski had brought in 3-4 new proven arms and is probably not done.
Just very surprised that Dombrowski has not, yet, “shaken up” that roster with one or more blockbuster deals that is his trademark in building championship and playoffs teams.
If the Phillies don’t start firing on all cylinders soon, and for a protracted period of time, then I expect Dombrowski to be very active at the MLB trade deadline.
The Phillies need to rebuild that Defense with strong, young players with big upside in CF,
SS 2B etc…Realmeato (sp) at catcher is fine. Getting strong Defenders who can also hit and have some speed would take the pressure off the corner OFs and INFs etc…
it’s almost like Phillies fans are a bunch of different people with different opinions and not some hive mind. lol. also Phillies are 2-0 since the Girardi firing, hitting very well. If anything, the firing woke the players up a bit. I know it won’t last, but in my mind the move was already worth it. This team was lifeless and sinking fast. They may still sink, but at least their was a spark.
An outfield consisting of Helen Keller, ray Charles and Stevie wonder would probably be better than what girardi had to work with.
He didn’t have the horses. Bad defensive teams never go anywhere.
Again, more than one thing could be true. Phillies are a poorly constructed team and Girardi mismanaged them. Firing Joe fixes one problem, but not the other. No sane individual puts all the Phillies problems on Joe, and no one thinks this team is perfect now that Joe is gone, but that still doesn’t mean Joe should’ve stayed. Firing him was the right move and it seems to have sparked something within the team. Will it last? Probably not, but they had to do something. You can’t fire the players.
outinleftfield1 day ago
This is so cool…
“23 comments are hidden because you muted the comment authors”
===========================================
Snowflake alert. I’ve never muted anyone but the spammers.
He can still see your comments from his other accounts (Pads Fans, PLTuna).
2 things that I’m sure will never be read.
1. Girardi was dumbfounded by the Castellanos signing. Girardi wanted Kiermaier and the Rays knew it. They wanted, as usual, 2 top 25 pitching prospects but the Phils are trying to build the minors again. Girardi knew a guy like KK could marginalize the 2 hacks on the left and right off KK>
2. Sabr stats. Girardi is still not a huge fan of the gazillion shifts based on count or the eventual breakdown of pitchers who chuck the ball 95+. Coaches like this are now antiquated by the data FO’s.
I still like the guy and hope he gets another team. I really believed he had the Marlins o the right track but of course the owner, who should be in prison, was worried about profit margins not building a franchise.