Rob Thomson, a man I feel nothing about, lost his job. “Topper” never did it for me. He was old, but he didn’t have a Charlie Manuel-level of grandpa charm. He was tame and loved by his players, but he wasn’t as fun as Doug Pederson.
Thomson’s tenure started hot, then stagnated. During his NL pennant year in 2022, the city fell in love with Kyle Schwarber, not Topper. In 2023, our shiny new toy was Trea Turner and optimism was in the air. The beginning of the end was the conclusion of the 2024 playoffs when a hopeful Phillies team was embarrassed by the Mets in the early rounds of the playoffs.
Perhaps the Phillies similarities to the 76ers in recent years has me jaded. I’ve been watching the Sixers religiously my entire life, I cannot tolerate another professional sports team filled with superstars constantly collapsing in the playoffs and changing nothing. Coaching changes mean little to me, because the people making the coaching changes are incompetent. Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, Joe Girardi, Gabe Kepler, are you seeing it?
Rob Thomson was never the problem, nor the solution for the Philadelphia Phillies. His time in Philly will be remembered as a disappointment with some really fun bright spots.
If Thomson’s successor does not win the World Series in the next 2 years, this modern iteration of the Phillies will be remembered for nothing more than Kyle Schwarber homeruns, the viral Bryson Stott AOK clip, and elite pitching from Zach Wheeler. Thomson’s highlights as a manager from a fan perspective are far outweighed by his lowlights.
As a fan, I’m constantly told that “the players love Topper” and I don’t know why. As a fan I also know that he couldn’t manage Nick Castellanos, I know that Topper couldn’t tell Harper to stop poisoning himself on TikTok, and I know that Topper didn’t advocate for major changes to the roster after the 2024 season.
If attempting to try the same thing over and over again while achieving the same result is insanity, then put Thomson in a straight jacket and throw him in a padded room.
In 2025 the Phillies were unceremoniously bounced by the Ohtani super team in the first round of the playoffs, then in 2026 the entire team collapsed.
Rob Thomson seems like a fine man. The loss of his job serves only as a stain on our hundred million dollar players’ resumes, they loved playing for Topper but weren’t good enough to keep playing for him. Thomson was an excellent regular season manager, his winning percentage is one of the best in Phillies history, and he very well may end up on the Phillies Wall of Fame – yet I feel nothing for him. I remember not one quote, there was no defining moment, the Thomson years simply were.
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