Where does Joe Girardi’s tenure rank on the all-time list of Phillies managers?
The now-former Phillies skipper finished with a sub-.500 record at the helm.
The Phillies announced Friday that they were moving on from manager Joe Girardi after 2½ seasons at the helm and no playoff appearances or even a .500 record to show for it, even though the team has the reigning National League MVP and a payroll well north of $200 million.
The club’s flaws go beyond the manager, but given the current situation, there wasn’t much else that could be done to try to spark a team that is 22-29 and 12 games off the pace in the NL East.
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Overall in his 273 games as the Phillies manager, Girardi, who won a World Series and went 910-710 (.562) with the Yankees, finished with a .484 winning percentage. So, where does that rank on the all-time list of Phillies skippers (who have managed at least 100 games)?
As you can see, Girardi slots right begin Gene Mauch and three spots behind Gabe Kapler, who was run out of town before catching on in San Francisco, where he was named NL Manager of the Year last season. And while Girardi’s record puts him ahead of guys like Jim Fregosi and Eddie Sawyer, both of those managers won a pennant and took the Phillies to the World Series. Girardi never even made the playoffs.
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So how will interim boss Rob Thomson compare? That remains to be seen. He’ll have at least 100 games under his belt by the end of this season if the team keeps its word and leaves him in place for the duration. But if the Phillies don’t totally pack it in, there’s at least a chance that he could finish the year with a better winning percentage than his predecessor.