The Philadelphia Phillies are not making the necessary changes to their coaching staff to succeed. Mike Calitri has been reassigned from bench coach to major league field coordinator. This announcement came during the Phillies’ annual end-of-season press conference. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team would prefer to hire a bench coach with previous managerial experience. Former Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and former Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez could be good fits for the role. Moving Calitri around does not accomplish much, if anything.
Dombrowski also said that the Phillies are working on a contract extension for manager Rob Thomson. This comes after the team decided to retain Thomson as manager for the 2026 season. Thomson is currently under contract to manage the Phillies through the 2026 season. It is a bizarre decision to keep Thomson as manager without mandating significant changes to the rest of the coaching staff. The Phillies are doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome. If this team were going to win the World Series with this staff, it already would have happened. This most likely would have come in 2023.
Phillies Deciding Not To Make Necessary Changes
Lack Of Coaching Staff Adjustments
Bringing back hitting coach Kevin Long is a major mistake after the offensive failures of the last four postseasons. Long has been the Phillies’ hitting coach since 2022. The players have largely remained the same during that span as well. It is clear that something needs to change in that area, but the Phillies have refused to do it. Furthermore, Long has not been very successful at developing younger talent at the plate. Brandon Marsh has looked overmatched in the postseason for four years now. Marsh has a .214/.281/.369 line with three home runs and 10 RBI in 36 postseason games. Additionally, Marsh has a 78 wRC+ along with an abysmal 34.8% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate in the postseason. The players need to change if the coaches stay the same.
Roster Shakeup Does Not Appear To Be Imminent
The Phillies need a roster overhaul this offseason. Based on what Dombrowski said during the press conference, that does not appear to be in the cards. Dombrowski said the club will keep an open mind about potential changes. However, that is the same thing Dombrowski said at the 2024 end-of-season press conference. Outside of trading for Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies did not make a major offseason move. The team would like to keep Kyle Schwarber, according to Dombrowski. José Alvarado will be back with the Phillies in all likelihood as well, based on what Dombrowski said. The Phillies have to decide on a club option for Alvarado in the coming weeks. Dombrowski was non-committal when asked about the future of Nick Castellanos.
Potential For Younger Players To Arrive In The Big Leagues And Get A Larger Role
Dombrowski named Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller, Gabriel Rincones Jr., and Andrew Painter as players who could emerge on the 2026 Phillies. As it pertains to Miller, Dombrowski stated that if Miller is called up, he will be an everyday player for the Phillies. It would not be a surprise whatsoever to see Crawford be a starting outfielder for the Phillies from the get-go in 2026. With Ranger Suárez a free agent this offseason and Zack Wheeler out for the first part of 2026, Painter being in the opening-day rotation would be a reasonable idea. Dombrowski also mentioned Otto Kemp, who spent a decent amount of time with the Phillies this season, as someone who could have an elevated role in 2026.
Main Photo Credits: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
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