Phillies

Screw It, Let’s Get Joe Girardi

By Bob Wankel

Published: Oct 26th, 2017 · 1:52 PM EDT

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Reports emerged yesterday that the Phillies were “zeroing in” on Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs manager Dusty Wathan to lead the team out of the dreck of its arduous rebuild and into what looks to be its next promising era of baseball. I found the wording of those reports a bit curious. If the Phillies were hellbent on making Wathan the guy, wouldn’t this be a relatively simple hire? He’s already in the organization. He clearly wants the job. Why the delay? It’s fair to at least wonder if the Phillies were waiting to see if any other potential candidates would eventually shake loose–candidates that have, say, managed a World Series winner, navigated the pressures of a demanding big market media and fan base, or recently oversaw a changing of the guard from its last era of greatness to one filled with a new wave of talent. Someone like Joe Girardi, for instance. Oh, hey. Would you look at this:

Joe Girardi will not be back next season as manager of the New York Yankees, the team announced Thursday. Girardi just completed the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract. Sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recommended to owner Hal Steinbrenner that the team change managers.

In an email to local media outlets, Girardi said: “With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back.” He went on to thank the Steinbrenner family and Cashman.

My initial reaction was “no thanks.” I’ve tried to convince myself (somewhat unsuccessfully) that Wathan is the right guy for the job. He has been a successful manager in the Phillies’ minor league system and most of the team’s young core seems to have his back. The move makes sense on a lot of levels, but so does Girardi. The 53-year-old former catcher has been through the grind, has had success at the Major League level, and has proven that he can successfully juggle great expectations, high payrolls, and young talent. It’s both easy and lazy to dismiss Girardi as a guy who babysat teams loaded with monster contracts and premium talent. Yes, the Yankees have limitless spending ability, and, yes, it’s true Girardi has had a fair share of premium talent at his disposal, but that doesn’t mean his job was without challenges. Many of those big contracts belonged to declining players whose names far outweighed their production. He managed to keep the Yankees competitive and relevant in years when the perception of his team’s roster was far different than the reality.

If your primary concern is that Girardi can only manage talented teams with a fuck ton of money, well, it shouldn’t be. You know, because that’s exactly what the Phillies are about to become. The Phillies are loaded with young promising players and equipped with the financial means to bring in elite level free agents when those guys are ready. In some ways, Girardi would be in his element.

Some people may point to error he made during the sixth inning in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Indians as a glaring example of Girardi’s tactical ineptitude, which is both nearsighted and stupid. Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna ruled a pitch by reliever Chad Green hit Cleveland hitter Lonnie Chisenhall. It didn’t. Girardi didn’t challenge it and Francisco Lindor later hit a grand slam that propelled the Indians to an improbable victory. The Yankees fell behind 0-2 in the series and the fans wanted blood in the Bronx. Instead of pointing fingers, Girardi owned his mistake, and his team came back and the won the fucking series—and ultimately fell just a game short of the World Series with a team that was, by the way, picked by only 10 of 35 ESPN baseball analysts and experts before the season to make the playoffs. This is the strongest case for Girardi of all. He just took a young team with budding talent and drove them to the brink of a league championship a year or two ahead of schedule. Does that sound like something you might be interested in? I would. So here’s a suggestion to Andy MacPhail and John Middleton–spare some money on the “stadium upgrades” we don’t need, throw it at Joe Girardi, and let’s win some fucking baseball games.