Rob Thomson's tenure as manager of the Phillies has come to a close. As most managerial tenures do, things ended on a sour note for Thomson. His Phillies sported a disastrously bad 9-19 record when he was fired, a decision that came shortly after the end of a brutal 10-game losing streak that completely upended the team's dreams of competing this year.
Thomson's exit as manager will hopefully mean the end of this brutal stretch, as the team tries to force itself back into the playoff conversation under interim manager Don Mattingly, but it also marks the end of an era of Phillies baseball. Franchise icon Larry Bowa took to social media not long after Thomson's dismissal to offer words of appreciation for the outgoing manager, and his comments are worth listening to for any Phillies fan.
Bowa called it an "honor" to have worked alongside Thomson in recent years, adding that his work in the dugout had given Phillies fans lifelong memories. That's a respectful and accurate way to commend Thomson after his 625 games on the job across the past five seasons. While the ultimate success is determined by World Series rings, Thomson did get the Phillies an NL pennant in his very first season. His .568 winning percentage as manager is nothing to scoff at, either.
It's hard to argue with the notion that the Phillies needed to make a change. 9-19 through 28 games is not what anyone in the Phillies organization was expecting entering the year, least of all a front office and ownership group that invested hundreds of millions into the roster this past offseason. The Phillies have consistently operated in the deep end of the free agent, trade, and extension markets in recent years, and that comes with expectations that Thomson's club ultimately failed to meet.
Even so, the end of Thomson's tenure as manager need not mean the end of his tenure as a valued and respected member of the Phillies community. Bowa proves that more than just about anyone; he spent 12 years with the Phillies during his playing career and won the 1980 World Series with the club, then went on to serve as manager from 2001 to 2004.
Even after leaving the dugout, Bowa has remained a key part of the Phillies' organization for quite some time now, including nearly ten years as a senior advisor in the front office. Thomson could certainly follow suit. If his classy departure from the team is anything to go by, the former skipper has every intention of remaining a part of the Phillies family going forward.
Rob Thomson is hardly the only one to blame for the Phillies' brutal start
As Thomson exits, it's worth acknowledging that he is hardly alone in deserving blame for the team's struggles. The way those dollars were spent by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and the rest of the front office is worthy of some criticism, given how much of it was used on feel-good reunions and extensions with existing players despite the team as presently constructed struggling to make an impact in the postseason in recent years.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently argued that longtime Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who recently turned down an offer from Dombrowski to manage the Phillies in Thomson's stead, may not have all that much interest in doing so even after the season ends if the roster doesn't turn itself around in a big way going forward. It's hard to argue with that assessment. While stars like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Zack Wheeler are all beloved and successful, they're also aging and expensive.
It gets worse when one considers that those are the successful contracts; deals for players like Aaron Nola and J.T. Realmuto could turn into albatrosses in a hurry. Perhaps Bowa's kind words to Thomson on his way out the door were something of an acknowledgement of how difficult a situation he found himself in this year, in addition to being a heartfelt farewell for his colleague.
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