Phillies to hire Joe Girardi as manager

The Phillies’ search for a new manager has finally come to a conclusion.

According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Joe Girardi will be hired by the Philadelphia Phillies to become the 55th manager in franchise history.

Girardi had been reported by Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia to be a finalist for the job along with Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter last week. Girardi interviewed with the Phillies twice before eventually accepting the position.

Philadelphia will be the third stop in the managerial career for Girardi. He managed the Florida Marlins in 2006 and the New York Yankees from 2008-2017. He won the 2006 National League Manager of the Year Award, and also led the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title, defeating the Phillies in six games. Girardi also played in the big leagues for 14 seasons, most notably with the Yankees and Chicago Cubs.

The Phillies job looked to be an attractive one for Girardi for a variety of reasons. The lure of managing stars like Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto in a passionate baseball town cannot be denied. Girardi will have his choice in choosing a hitting coach and pitching coach, with both of those positions being vacant. He will also have the opportunity to coach alongside Phillies’ bench coach Rob Thomson once again. Thomson was on Girardi’s staff in New York from 2008-2017, serving as bench coach in 2008 and 2015-2017, before becoming the Phillies bench coach for the last two seasons.

Girardi will take over for the Phillies in a crucial 2020 season. The Phillies have missed the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons. The last two seasons under Gabe Kapler have provided some early glimpses of hope, but two straight September collapses ultimately sealed the team’s fate of missing out on October baseball. The Phillies will now expect Girardi to change the direction of the franchise and be the one to get them over the hump.

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