What they’re saying about the Phillies: Rob Thomson’s job security, Alec Bohm on the trade block, and more
As the Phillies' struggles mount, so does the pressure on Rob Thomson to turn things around. Here’s a look at what some national media are saying about the team.
The Phillies are struggling. Not quite as badly as the New York Mets, but it’s getting pretty ugly.
In fourth place in the National League East at 8-13 with only the Mets (7-15) behind them, the Phillies were swept by the Atlanta Braves at home this weekend and have lost five straight going into Monday’s game against the Cubs.
Is it time to panic? Probably not. It’s still early and it’s not like they’ve lost 11 straight — yes, that’s another shot at the Mets — but there are certainly reasons for concern. However, manager Rob Thomson is confident they can turn it around.
“We’re disappointed, we’re frustrated,” Thomson said after Sunday’s loss. “I know they’re trying hard, sometimes trying too hard. I think guys are upset. We’re off to a slow start here, but it’s going to get better.”
» READ MORE: Phillies’ frustration boils over after sweep by Braves drops them to 8-13. ‘At some point, it’s going to change.’
Before this weekend’s debacle at Citizens Bank Park, Inquirer beat writers Scott Lauber and Lochlahn March took a look at some of the Phillies’ issues and what’s really worth (and not worth) agonizing over.
But Philly sports fans are not patient. And while the Sixers and Flyers are taking some of the focus away from the slumping Phillies, that time will eventually end. Can the Phillies right the ship before fans begin calling for Thomson’s job? Is it too late? What will they do at the trade deadline? Here’s a look at what some national media outlets are saying about the team.
Thomson on the hot seat?
Whenever a team with a payroll as large — and expectations as high — as the Phillies starts off slowly, it immediately finds itself under a microscope, from the fans all the way up to ownership. In his latest column for The Athletic, longtime baseball insider Ken Rosenthal spent considerable time discussing the Phillies’ struggles and whether that will lead to Thomson losing his job, despite the team making the playoffs in each of his four seasons at the helm and winning back-to-back division titles.
Here are three quick takeaways from Rosenthal’s story as it relates to Thomson …
» READ MORE: Taking stock of the Phillies’ start: What’s worth worrying about (and not), Zack Wheeler’s return, and more
An early change has worked in the past
One reason the Phillies could be more likely to make this change is that they’ve had recent success with a similar move, when they fired Joe Girardi just 51 games into the 2022 season. Thomson helped lead the Phillies to a World Series berth that year. Twenty years earlier, the man now in charge of the Phillies, president Dave Dombrowski, was behind one of the earliest managerial firings in MLB history:
A potential replacement for Thomson
The Phillies have a veteran manager sitting in their dugout every night — bench coach Don Mattingly. Rosenthal points out that it’s uncertain if he’d even be interested in the job, especially with his son Preston as the team’s general manager.
» READ MORE: Addition of Felix Reyes could mean more time in left field for Kyle Schwarber
The fans may play a role
Rosenthal noted how fans emptied out of Citizens Bank Park early Saturday night despite the team trailing by just two runs, which is a worse indicator than boos. It suggests the fans either didn’t care or didn’t have any faith in a comeback.
Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber believes the Phillies can play their way out of their slump.
“We always talk about the sense of urgency. The sense of urgency is there,” Schwarber told reporters Sunday. “The want’s there. The desire’s there. The will. And we all believe in ourselves. There’s no doubt in that. Just take it on the chin and keep moving forward.
“It’s a glaring moment just because it’s the start of the year, and no one wants to be in this position to start the year off. But we’ve been in these spots before. This team knows how to fight its way out of holes.”
Alec Bohm traded at the deadline?
With Alec Bohm eligible for free agency after the season and top prospect Aidan Miller waiting in the wings, it wasn’t hard to envision a scenario in which Bohm would be traded. With the Phillies struggling, especially at the plate, could dealing Bohm be a way to shake things up?
It’s unlikely a trade happens this early in the season, but the trade deadline is always looming, even if it’s three months off. Over at ESPN, they took a look at one player from each team they believed could be moved ahead of the deadline, and perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise whom they picked from the Phillies …
» READ MORE: Phillies will try something different to help the struggling Taijuan Walker
Power rankings free fall
Just like with their place in the NL East standings, the Phillies have been quickly plummeting down various power ranking lists around the country, highlighted by them falling from inside the top 10 to outside the top 20 in just one week at MLB.com …
A 12-spot drop is brutal. But, hey, it could be worse — the Mets fell 16 spots.
In Trea Turner and Justin Crawford, the Phillies have two of baseball's fastest players at the top and bottom of their batting order. It's a baserunning coach's dream. Paco Figueroa sat down with "Phillies Extra" to discuss his philosophy on baserunning and how the Phillies might be able to leverage the elite speed of Turner and Crawford to boost an offense that has struggled to score runs early in the season. Watch here.
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