The Philadelphia Phillies have pulled off a 180-degree transformation of their season since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager. The Phillies have been one of MLB's top offenses under Mattingly, and they're feasting against all inferior opponents, which is the secret sauce fueling Mattingly's 14-4 record at the helm entering a new week.
There are a few Phillies bats who look like different performers all of a sudden under Donnie Baseball. Let's do a quick rundown.
3 Phillies players who are looking different under Don Mattingly
Alec Bohm
Bohm is hitting .304 with two home runs and nine RBI in 15 games played since Mattingly was named interim manager. Pre-Mattingly, Bohm was slashing 143/.218/.194 with one homer in 27 games. Night and day. Bohm went 2-for-4 in Mattingly's debut with an RBI double, and he's been really solid at the plate since, looking like the 2024 version of himself that made an All-Star team but then disappeared in 2025.
ALEC SAID LET'S GO BOHM! pic.twitter.com/giEbv7YHc9
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 1, 2026
Kyle Schwarber/Bryce Harper
It's not like either of these superstars is a different person under Mattingly (they've always been highly productive players), which is why I'm giving each of them a "half-point" on this list. Nonetheless, both Schwarber and Harper have upped their production under Mattingly.
Schwarber was at .196 with nine home runs in 28 games under Thomson. Since Mattingly took over, he's exploded as a slugger (even by his standard), smashing 11 home runs with a .296 batting average during the stretch. Schwarber has even brushed shoulders with Mattingly (the player) in the record books along the way.
Harper was at .260 with six homers pre-Mattingly (18 games), and post-Mattingly, he's hit .323 with five homers.
Don Mattingly's winning mentality has become contagious in Philadelphia
Mattingly is bringing winning (and awesome offense) everywhere he goes of late. Last season, he was a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays as they came within one win of the World Series title, using a scrappy and powerful offensive approach to drive their greatness. Curiously, the Blue Jays are struggling offensively in 2026. Maybe they are missing that special Mattingly magic.
Guys like Harper and Schwarber were bound to start heating up as the season progressed, but there's just been way too much direct correlation with Mattingly's arrival and the Phillies' overall quality of play increase to ignore. The win column is the most obvious and important indication of that. Winners of four straight, the Mattingly Phils are back to .500 after a disastrous start to the season under Thomson.
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