Joe Girardi in as Next Philadelphia Phillies Manager
The wait is over in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Phillies have found their next manager. Confirmed by Jon Heyman, Joe Girardi will lead the team next season.
Since parting ways with the New York Yankees in 2017, Girardi has been utilized as an analyst for MLB Network. Girardi joins the Phillies sporting a record of 988-794 throughout his tenure. He won Manager of the Year with the then Florida Marlins in 2006 and delivered a World Series title in 2009 for the Yankees.
Phillies hire Joe Girardi as manager
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 24, 2019
Need for Improvement
Girardi will be called upon to improve what has been an underwhelming team overall. The hyped pitching staff has been severely underwhelming. Jake Arrieta has given up the second-most home runs per nine innings of his career (1.39). Aaron Nola ended the season sporting a FIP of 4.03. David Robertson didn’t help one thing having Tommy John surgery early in the season. The staff overall was 23rd in team FIP (4.33), 20th in strikeout rate (8.62), and 17th in walk rate (3.38).
The offense sputtered as well with guys like Jean Segura posting his lowest WAR since 2015. While he wasn’t terrible, their $330 Million dollar man in Bryce Harper sported a slash line of 260/.372/.510. A far cry from what many had expected from the slugger. The team overall was 19th in BABIP (.293) and swung at over 30 percent of pitches outside the strike zone as noted by Fangraphs.com.
Going Forward
The Phillies, according to Spotrac, will likely own MLB’s eighth-largest payroll. That along with the ability to mix up the lineup could have been two of the biggest selling points for landing Girardi.
That large payroll still allows Girardi and the Phillies to go out and improve their starting rotation with a marquee free agent. The decision to go with Girardi might come as a surprise to most as he represents the polar opposite of Gabe Kapler.
It’s his traditional style that got Girardi ousted from his last managerial job but at the same time, the pressure surrounding the Phillies is great. If anyone knows how to handle pressure, it’s Girardi after three league championship series appearances and one World Series title.
