October 27, 2023
Rob Thomson has a strong case for the craziest two years out of anyone in baseball right now.
Last April, he was the Phillies' bench coach under Joe Girardi, and quietly had his retirement on the horizon.
But now, he's the Phillies' full-time manager, having guided the club through back-to-back late-season pushes to the playoffs and back-to-back appearances in the NLCS, where they've both times looked as if they caught lightning in a bottle, all while their home ballpark turned into one of the most electric places on earth – even though this season ultimately, painfully, fell short of their World Series expectations.
It's been quite the ride, but suddenly one where Thomson and the Phillies have to start thinking about where it goes next as the 2024 season will be the last on Thomson's current two-year contract.
But right now, they haven't talked about anything yet in regards to a possible extension, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said during his exit interview on Thursday. Their season only just ended, and the sting of the seven-game NLCS defeat to the Diamondbacks is still fresh.
They'll get to it though, Dombrowski added. And as for any potential uncertainty or concern Thomson might have over his contract:
"That doesn't really bother me," he said. "My whole career, I've never worried about my contract, never worried about the length of my contract, I've never worried about getting fired, because I can't control it. I just can't, so I leave it alone. I put my head down and do my work and whatever happens happens."
And while the final result of the 2023 season is disappointing right now, it's hard to argue that the overall body of work Thomson has put together so far isn't impressive.
Since taking over for Girardi as manager at the start of June 2022, the Phillies have gone 155-118 across the past two regular seasons, and in the postseason, have stormed right through it up until hitting a wall against the Astros in the World Series last year and then against the Diamondbacks in the NLCS for this one.
On the whole, he's had the Phillies playing good baseball – not to say that they can't be better, which everyone has been quick to point out right now, including Thomson himself – and he can see that continuing well beyond 2024.
"Believe me, I love this city, this organization, this team," Thomson said. "I've never had as much fun in my life as I've had the last couple of years. So yeah, I can envision that."
Definitely a far cry from the retirement plans he originally had.
"Well, we just played in the World Series last year," Dombrowski said. "We played in the NLCS and were one game away from going to the World Series again this year, I think he's done a tremendous job in steering our club."
Before Thomson and Dombrowski took the podium on Thursday, the Phillies announced that bullpen coach Dave Lundquist and assistant hitting coach Jason Camilli wouldn't be returning for 2024.
"Yeah, we just wanted tweaks on the responsibilities and get some new voices," Thomson later said, but to what extent isn't immediately clear.
The rest of the coaching staff, however – from Kevin Long to Caleb Cotham, Dusty Wathan, and so on – will be returning, the club said.
The Phillies announced today that bullpen coach Dave Lundquist and assistant hitting coach Jason Camilli will not return to the major league staff for the 2024 season. The remainder of the major league coaching staff will return for next season.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 26, 2023
Camilli, meanwhile, joined the Phillies shortly after Kevin Long did as their hitting coach in the fall of 2021.
Thomson said both did a tremendous job while they were here and had no doubts that they will land somewhere else in the majors.
Since the Phillies didn't make it to the World Series, we'll never know if Rhys Hoskins would've made the roster for the final round.
His goal since suffering an ACL tear way back in the spring was always to rehab in enough time to make it back for a late postseason return, and once the Phillies made it there, Thomson speculated throughout that if Hoskins was going to be added to a playoff roster, the World Series likely would've been the round to do it for – provided there was a fit.
After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the playoff run ahead of the Wild Card Series against Miami, Hoskins flew down to the Phillies' complex in Clearwater to continue rehabbing and take live batting practice as part of their postseason "Stay Ready" camp.
He flew back up to be in the dugout with his teammates for the do-or-die Game 7 of the NLCS on Tuesday night. Afterward, he said he felt ready to go had the Phillies advanced, though acknowledged it ultimately wasn't his decision.
They didn't though, and that decision never got to be made.
But if it did...
"Not sure, because we never really talked about it, we never got to that point," Thomson said. "But I can tell you this, he was doing really well down there. Really, really well. His running was coming along. I'm not sure – we would've had to sit down and look at Texas' roster and see where that fit would be for a pinch hitter, so we never really got there."
"I've said this all along and I'll say it again, but I would love to be back here." pic.twitter.com/juMUHzj2ZM
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 25, 2023
Hoskins, along with Aaron Nola, who are the two longest-tenured Phillies, are set to become free agents after the World Series concludes.
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