Phillies rumor: Mike Scioscia interested in manager job, Maddon too?

The Phillies could turn to a couple of hometown guys if they change managers this offseason.

If the Phillies decide to move on from Gabe Kapler after two seasons, they could have their choice of two Pennsylvania baseball legends.

According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, former Angels manager Mike Scioscia is interested in being the Phillies next manager. Additionally, current Cubs manager and West Hazelton native Joe Maddon would be a candidate should Kapler be fired.

Here’s what Heyman had to say on his “Big Time Baseball” podcast released on Monday.

“I’ve also heard Mike Scioscia is very interested in this job, not a shocker. He did step away from the Angels, was not going to be retained there. They went towards analytics, away from old school. But it would be interesting to see whether Scioscia could be a candidate, and Joe Maddon as well. Another guy from Pennsylvania.”

Scioscia grew up less than 20 miles from Veterans Stadium in Upper Darby and has three World Series rings (two as a player) on his resume. He won 1,650 games at the helm in Anaheim but only once won 100 games, and that was before Mike Trout came along.

Maddon would be a superstar hire that would cost Middleton a couple extra bucks, but we’ve seen him shell out to get the guy he wants. A three-time Manager of the Year and the guy who helped break the Cubs curse, Maddon managed from across the diamond when the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.

While also a little bit more old school, Maddon is unconventional but has a ring and more than 1,200 wins behind him.

Going with Scioscia or Maddon would certainly signal a shift back to a traditional manager after the Phillies fired Pete Mackanin in favor of Kapler. Heyman mentioned owner John Middleton’s hiring of Charlie Manuel as hitting coach as a sign that Middleton wants to take a slight step back from the analytics approach brought in by Andy MacPhail and Matt Klentak, but not completely abandon the franchise’s direction when it comes to using the new numbers available.

Both Maddon and Scioscia have trended towards Hall of Fame careers, though both sit another championship and a couple hundred wins short of that. They could cement their legacy with a hometown championship with the Phillies should Kapler be fired this offseason, something that could be very much possible if Philadelphia misses the wild card after a second major collapse.