The Philadelphia Phillies went through some major changes in 2026, perhaps none more impactful than the firing of longtime manager Rob Thomson less than a month into the season. Interim skipper Don Mattingly righted the ship for the rest of the regular season, while the rest of the coaching staff had its ups and downs. Continuing our series of Phillies report cards, next up are the coaches.
Rob Thomson (Manager): F
This one feels wrong to give to such a beloved figure, but what else could a 9-19 start to the season have earned? Coming into the 2026 campaign, Topper sported a tremendous 346-251 record in almost four years as the club’s manager and had led his team to a National League pennant back in 2022. Well, the wheels came off this past season, partly due to the flawed roster he was given, and he paid the price. Topper will be missed by the Phillies’ faithful, but his brief 2026 performance was a total flop.
Don Mattingly (Interim Manager): A-
It’s hard to find fault with Don Mattingly’s performance after taking over Thomson’s sinking ship. The baseball lifer led his squad to a 79-55 record to finish the regular season, culminating in a playoff berth that seemed unlikely when he was handed the reins. He’s taken some heat for the way he used his bullpen and the decision to start Aaron Nola in the decisive third game of the Wild Card Series, but Mattingly did a good enough job to be re-upped for two more seasons at the helm. The benchmark will be high for Mattingly in 2027.
Caleb Cotham (Pitching Coach): A+
There isn't much else to say about Caleb Cotham at this point. The former New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds hurler took over as the Phils’ pitching coach ahead of the 2021 season and has become one of the best in the game at his craft.
Cotham’s pitching staff led all of baseball with 1,577 strikeouts in 2026. The 38-year-old has turned previously unheralded pitchers Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Ranger Suárez into All-Stars, and even engineered a turnaround for floundering rookie Andrew Painter down the stretch this past season.
The Phillies had a few terrific, and a few terrible coaches
Kevin Long (Hitting Coach): F
It appears the organization agrees with this grade, considering the fact that hitting coach Kevin Long was fired not long after the Phillies’ season ended. Long has a solid reputation around the sport and has been a personal favorite of Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and others, but his time had come. The Phillies’ offense was last in the sport in terms of OPS+, and only two Phillies hitters (Harper and Schwarber) were above league average. Hopefully, newly minted hitting coach Peter Fatse will have more luck in 2027.
Bobby Dickerson (Infield Coach): F
This is much the same situation as Kevin Long, as longtime infield coach Bobby Dickerson had an excellent reputation around the sport, but was shown the door alongside Long two weeks ago. Aside from Bryson Stott, the Phillies’ infield was graded out poorly, with Harper, Alec Bohm, and Trea Turner combining for -30 Fielding Run Value according to Statcast. It’s hard to determine how much of the blame belongs to the players and how much should go to the coaching, but either way, their 2026 performance was unacceptable.
Paco Figueroa (Outfield Coach): C
Outfield coach Paco Figueroa was spared the coaching guillotine this offseason. The Phillies as a whole were a rough defensive group, but the outfielders were better than the infielders. Left fielder Brandon Marsh produced middling results, but Figueroa was able to get a passable (if unspectacular) showing from rookie Justin Crawford in center. Crawford’s platoonmate, Derek Hill, was a Gold Glove-caliber defender, while Adolis García was the first excellent right fielder to roam the grass at Citizens Bank Park in years before he suffered a season-ending arm injury.
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