Who Will Manage the Phillies in 2027? Breaking Down the Candidates

When Dave Dombrowski relieved Rob Thomson of his duties after a 9-19 start, he was very clear about how he saw Alex Cora. The Phillies President of Baseball Operations made his case in April, and he did not hold back.

“I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. If Alex Cora decides he’s managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That’s how good he is.”

Cora decided he was going to take time off and spend it with his family, then has now decided he will not manage next season, and that leaves the Phils with a thinner list.

These are the logical choices for the next manager of the Phillies and their pros and cons:

Brad Ausmus

A former big league catcher, Ausmus managed the Detroit Tigers from 2014-2017 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.

Pros: He won the AL Central in his first year in Detroit and has the temperament for a clubhouse full of veterans.

Cons: The Tigers were swept in the 2014 Division Series, and the Angels went 72-90 under him. He has not managed since. The 2019 Angels had Mike Trout and a young Shohei Ohtani, and the expectations were high for a division title. His on-field decisions were called into question as early as May of that season, and those voices only got louder as the season progressed.

Rocco Baldelli

A former Major League outfielder, Baldelli spent seven seasons running the Minnesota Twins and became one of the game’s most respected young managers.

Pros: He was the 2019 AL Manager of the Year and won three division titles. He also ended Minnesota’s long postseason losing streak in 2023, and young players tend to thrive under him.

Cons: That 2023 series is the only one he has won. He also has never managed in a passionate market like Philadelphia. He was more known for how he managed younger players, and not balancing a room of veterans with championship expectations. This will be a new challenge for a manager with limited experience as a skipper.

David Ross

Ross caught for 15 seasons, won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, then managed the club from 2020-2023.

Pros: He understands the player’s side and guided Chicago to a division title in 2020. He is well respected by veterans and played with Kyle Schwarber on the Cubs World Series-winning team.

Cons: Those Cubs were swept in the first round by Mattingly’s Miami Marlins. Ross was let go after missing the 2023 postseason by a single game, and his in-game decisions were heavily scrutinized by Chicago. In-game mistakes will be amplified by the media in Philly, and given how he reacted to the criticism in Chicago, this is something that should be a cause of concern.

Bob Melvin

The dark horse candidate because of his age and past effectiveness as a manager. He has managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, the Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants across more than two decades. A former Major League catcher who understands the game well.

Pros: He owns three Manager of the Year awards and has won with several clubs. Nothing rattles him, and he is generally known as a player’s manager.

Cons: He has never reached a World Series, and his last two stops ended with expectations unmet. He is also the safest, most short-term choice on the list. One of the main knocks on him has been that he hasn’t managed younger players as well as he has veteran players. His tenure with the Padres and Giants didn’t end well because the perception was that he lost the locker room.

Don Mattingly

The 1985 AL MVP at first base for the New York Yankees later managed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Marlins before the Phillies hired him as bench coach in January.

Pros: After a 9-19 start under Thomson, the Phillies were .590 under Mattingly, fourth in the majors behind only the Brewers, Rays and Dodgers. Players trusted his expertise and his calm, and he had the respect of the clubhouse.

Cons: His bullpen management drew the most criticism. September exposed the lineup and bullpen. The Phillies hit 17 homers in September, fewer than any team in baseball, and only the Boston Red Sox scored fewer runs than the Phils, who scored 89 runs all month. Relievers posted a 4.42 ERA, one of the worst marks in the majors, and the club nearly missed the postseason, despite a sizable lead with two weeks to go.

The Verdict

Mattingly is the pick, and the Phillies shouldn’t overthink it. The other four candidates are more than capable of winning with this roster, but each would be starting from scratch with a clubhouse that has already been in the trenches with Mattingly, who carried them into the playoffs. In July, when the Phillies were mired in a losing streak but competing for a wild card spot, Mattingly reiterated his intention to stay with the Phils.

“Oh, I would do it,” Mattingly said. “I committed myself to two years with the Phillies when I came over. But yeah, I think I would like to do it.”

The flaws are fixable. Mattingly was a hitting coach before he was a manager, and he should use that background to bring in his own hitting instructor. An offense that went that cold in September needs a voice in the cage who answers directly to him. If we are being transparent, Kevin Long’s approach is not working.

Mattingly was left with few options thanks in part to injuries and the bullpen arms just not being effective down the stretch. It’s hard to fault Mattingly for the bullpen choices he made, because the only ones who were consistently getting outs down the stretch were Alex McFarlane and Jhoan Duran, and he had to lean on both to get into the playoffs at all, so both were fatigued in the Atlanta series. For as much criticism as Mattingly has gotten for this, I can’t see him being left with any other choice.

Cora was Dombrowski’s first choice, and he made it clear in April. Mattingly took the job and pulled the team into the playoffs. Giving Mattingly the job is the only choice that actually makes sense at this point.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: