Despite an early report that franchise icon Chase Utley would be a consideration, the Philadelphia Phillies hired Rob Thomson as Gabe Kapler’s bench coach in December of 2017, one of the first moves the franchise made after hiring the first-time manager.
Whether it was an arranged marriage or not, Thomson and Kapler spoke glowingly about their time together before what may be the most crucial series remaining on the schedule for both the Phillies and the latter’s current employer, the San Francisco Giants.
“A lot about how to treat people,” Thomson said when asked what he learned in two years as bench coach for Kapler. “Because he treated people outstandingly. He treated me as well as anybody has ever treated me. He was outstanding.”
Prior to joining the staff in Philadelphia, Thomson had spent a decade working in a variety of roles under Joe Girardi with the New York Yankees. While he was brought in to be the “baseball guy” to balance out Kapler’s new-school mindset and lack of coaching experience, the Phillies did attempt to flip the switch completely to an analytical mindset before the 2018 season. Despite coming from an organization that’s now accused of being too analytically focused in the Yankees, Thomson said he gained quite a bit of knowledge working under Kapler.
“I actually learned a lot about the analytic side of the game,” Thomson continued. “And I always think that you’ve got to have a balance there. Some people think differently than that and that’s fine, but he taught me a lot about the numbers.” (Editor’s note: This quote sounded differently than it looks. Thomson wasn’t taking a dig at Kapler, but seemingly referring to people who don’t believe advanced information should be used at all.)
On the flip side, Kapler — who has a palpable intensity whenever he steps in the room — praised Thomson, seemingly aware he was a good balance to him personality wise.
“Thoms is just kind of a calming presence, always,” Kapler said in the visitor’s dugout before the series opener Monday. “[He’s] ultra-prepared … very, very experienced … and just a great guy, so just really nice to be around him.”
While the Phillies have played the Giants twice in San Francisco since Thomson replaced Girardi as manager, this will mark the first time Thomson has managed against Kapler at Citizens Bank Park.
The last time that Kapler and the Giants visited Philadelphia was Memorial Day 2022. San Francisco took two games out of three from the Phillies. Despite the Phillies salvaging the final game of the series, Girardi was fired as manager following the series. The Phillies were 22-29. San Francisco was 27-22. It wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like a lifetime has passed since then.
The decision to replace Girardi with Thomson proved to be one of the best moves in the decorated career of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies played well enough under Thomson to sneak in as the NL’s third Wild Card representative, eventually reaching the World Series before being defeated by the Houston Astros in six games.
Kapler, for one, isn’t caught off guard by the success Thomson has had as skipper with the Phillies.
“Not surprising at all,” Kapler said. “As I mentioned, I think that comes from his preparation and his obviously very competitive desire to win. He’s just a good baseball guy. He’s been around a long time, and seen it from a lot of different angles and applies that to his management style in game.”
As far as staying in touch, Thomson said that he and Kapler will send a text to each other once in a while. But it’s possible they’ll see each other quite a bit in the coming months, with the Phillies and Giants currently on a postseason collision course.
“I think we’re both pretty busy and we’ve got our own thing going on. But I respect him a great deal,” Thomson said.
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