5 Things to know about Joe Girardi’s replacement Rob Thomson

What should fans know about new Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson?

After weeks of speculation, the Philadelphia Phillies announced Friday that they’ve fired Joe Girardi.

In his place, they’ve promoted coach Rob Thomson to interim manager.

Here are five things to know about the new skipper:

1. Thompson came from the Yankees

Thomson served under Girardi as the Yankees bench coach and third-base coach from 2008-17. Together with current Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long, Thomson and Girardi guided the Yankees to their most recent championship in 2009.

2. Thomson has filled in for Girardi before

On April 8, 2008, then-Yankees manager Girardi fell ill and Thompson stepped in to serve as manager against the Tampa Bay Rays.

3. Thomson wanted to manage the Yankees

After Girardi’s time in the Bronx was up, Thomson tried to succeed him as Yankees manager. Here’s what Thomson said about their different leadership styles at the time:

"“I am a new voice, I am a fresh voice.As much as I respect Joe, everybody is a little bit different. They have different ways of going about their business. One of my strengths is the trust that the players have in me, I believe. And I think that’s one of the things that kind of stands out.I think one of my strengths is my communication skills; being able to reach people, build relationships, gain trust. Once you do that, you can start implementing other things because then you’ve got the trust of the player. I think that’s one of my strengths.”"

4. The Phillies hired Thomson before Girardi

When the Yankees didn’t pick Thomson to replace Girardi after the 2017 season, he headed to Philadelphia and has been with the Phillies ever since.

5. Thomson has extensive experience working with minor leaguers

Thomson’s coaching career began in the minors, first with the Tigers, and then with the Yankees. Girardi drew criticism of his management of Alec Bohm in 2021, and the Phillies have a long history of struggling to develop prospects. Hopefully, Thomson can help.