There are multiple potential Philadelphia Phillies managerial replacements if Rob Thomson is fired by the team. With an 8-13 start to the season after an offseason that lacked making necessary changes Thomson is firmly on the hot seat. Heading into play on April 20 the Phillies have a major league worst -38 run differential. The Phillies have also already lost more home series in 2026 before the calendar turns to May than they did all of last season. This has been an extremely predictable start for the Phillies after running it back again and expecting things to go differently with an aging core. Changes need to be made immediately and Thomson might end up taking the fall.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that bench coach Don Mattingly and third base coach Dusty Wathan are candidates for a possible interim manager nod. Mattingly has previous MLB managerial experience. This includes a 889-950 record between stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins. Meanwhile Wathan does not. There are other internal and external options the Phillies could turn to. Back in 2022 when Thomson took over mid-season for Joe Girardi he did not have any previous MLB managerial experience. Some outside the box thinking could be useful here. That might even involve bringing in someone from outside of the organization.
Potential Phillies Managerial Replacements
Paco Figueroa – Phillies First Base Coach
Another internal option already on the major league staff is Figueroa who has been on the Phillies staff since 2019. In addition to being the first base coach Figueroa is also the Phillies outfield coach. Figueroa has also been base running coach for the Phillies. Making Figueroa interim manager would allow for some familiarity while also getting a new perspective in the manager’s chair. Someone else would have to take over first base coaching duties in this scenario. Regardless of who takes over there will need to be some staff rearranging if Thomson is dismissed as manager. It is also possible that an interim manager decides to make additional staff changes after taking over.
Anthony Contreras – Lehigh Valley IronPigs Manager
If the Phillies want to take a page out of an NHL playbook Contreras could be an option to be interim manager. Contreras has been the IronPigs manager since 2022 leading them to at least 80 wins in each of the last three seasons. Last season the IronPigs finished 87-61 which was the third best full season record in the International League. This season the IronPigs are 11-10. Having Contreras take over for Thomson would be a bold move but it is worth considering. Outside of Mattingly joining on the Phillies coaching staff has largely remained the same since 2022. This move would bring in a completely new view of things to the Phillies clubhouse. Some of the players are already familiar with Contreras from spending time in Triple-A.
Wild Cards – Someone not currently in the Phillies organization
This option is not tried often but as they say desperate times call for desperate measures. If they make a change the Phillies should place a call to Joe Maddon to see if he wants to manage again. Maddon would probably say no, but it is worth seeing if he would accept the offer. Jimmy Rollins is another intriguing managerial candidate. However, Rollins would probably not leave his television job to be an interim manager. Rollins does not have any managerial experience though. The Indianapolis Colts tried something similar with Jeff Saturday in 2022 that failed. With that being said the role of an MLB manager and an NFL head coach are different because of the dynamics in each sport. Baseball is more of a fundamentals game and football is more strategical.
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
