With great power, comes great responsibility.
That line always hits when it comes to talking about coaching and managing in high-level sports.
As does this one: Pressure is a privilege.
When it comes to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, he has great responsibility in stewarding a team trying to get over a championship hump. That job also comes with major pressure, perhaps now more than ever.
But should Thomson’s seat actually be hot to start the 2026 season season?
I thought Thomson did a good job in the regular season last year. I also thought he did a poor job in the postseason. Both of those things can be true. It happens all the time in Major League Baseball.
In totality, Topper has been a very good Phillies manager. The team has qualified for four consecutive postseasons under his watch. He’s led them to a World Series. He’s steady. It’s easy to like Topper, and hope he can help the team have a parade down Broad Street.
Yet this year feels different. A sense of urgency has arrived over the team in a way that we haven’t seen before. It’s evident when talking to Zack Wheeler and J.T. Realmuto. It’s evident by Bryce Harper’s offseason. An older team is getting older. There’s only so many chances this group will have. If things aren’t going to plan or there’s a better option, the Phillies owe it to their players and the fan base to exercise it.
You can choose to look at the addition of Don Mattingly as the team’s bench coach as nothing more than adding a good baseball mind to the staff. I choose to look at it as a hedge: Mattingly should help Thomson. But if the Phillies falter early (totally unacceptable considering the soft April schedule), Topper should be on the hot seat—with Mattingly capable of taking the reigns.
Something tells me this WIP Midday Show caller would be all for a change, if necessary.
Are you giving the Phillies a clean slate?
No executive loves starting pitching quite like Dave Dombrowski. I talked about the Cristopher Sanchez extension on WIP Daily.
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