Rob Thomson deserves more credit for Phillies’ hot start than Dave Dombrowski

I recently ran a series of Twitter/X polls to gauge the region’s satisfaction with the status of the Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles (no Flyers; they’re Processing). The polls weren’t scientific — each got fewer than 300 votes in their 24-hour window, mostly from my specific followers — but they were interesting.

First: Asked about which Eagles employee would be most valuable this season and excluding lightning-rod coach Nick Sirianni, quarterback Jalen Hurts got about 30%, of the vote, new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore got 23%, and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got 13%.

The winner? Security chief Dom DiSandro, at almost 33%. The conclusion: Folks are tired of thinking about the Birds and everybody loves Big Dom.

Second: Asked how they viewed the Sixers’ signing of injury-prone, 34-year-old free-agent wingman Paul George to a four-year, $212 million maximum contract, respondents overwhelmingly loved the move at a rate of more than 60%. Almost everyone else considered the addition of George to be irrelevant. The conclusion: Folks either desperately want the Sixers to win despite clear personnel advantages in Boston and Milwaukee, or folks are resigned to the likelihood that the Sixers will be the third-best team in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future.

The surprise: Twice as many respondents “miss Tobias Harris already” than hated the move. Go, Tobi.

» READ MORE: Even if Paul George was the Sixers’ best option, that doesn’t mean it was a smart move

Third: Asked who deserves more credit for the Phillies’ astonishing start through 87 games, with a nine-game lead over the Braves as they began a three-game set in Atlanta, president Dave Dombrowski got more than 50% of the vote, compared with just over 30% for manager Rob Thomson.

This defies logic.

Then again, more than 10% of the respondents chose the Phillie Phanatic.

The apparent … Indifference? Disrespect? Idiocy? … some feel toward Thomson can be explained only by assuming many Phillies fans have a postseason hangover.

Let’s review.

Thomson salvaged the 2022 season when he was promoted from bench coach to manager after Joe Girardi got fired, then led the Phillies to the World Series for the first time in 13 years.

Thomson in 2023 took the Phillies to within a win of a second straight World Series.

However, Thomson’s bullpen management came under fire both years. He pulled Zack Wheeler early in Game 6 of the World Series, to disastrous results. He then leaned on rookie Orion Kerkering and veteran Craig Kimbrel too long in the 2023 National League championship series.

» READ MORE: The Phillies paid Nick Castellanos $100 million. He needs to step up (again) with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber out.

Further, Thomson seemed inflexible in the way he structured his lineup and his insistence on using inconsistent veteran slugger Nick Castellanos and, last year, using overmatched rookie centerfielder Johan Rojas.

Otherwise, objectively, Thomson was brilliant the last two seasons.

He’s been downright incandescent this season.

The young talent is thriving. Younger pitchers Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez are having career years, and both might be All-Stars when the staffs are named Sunday. Two years removed from saying “I hate this [expletive] place,” young third baseman Alec Bohm is an All-Star starter. Kerkering has allowed five earned runs in 30 appearances entering Friday night’s game.

The team wins no matter what.

When Thomson lost $300 million All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to a hamstring injury at the beginning of May for 38 games, the Phillies were 11 games over .500. When he returned, they were 24 games over .500.

When Thomson lost $115 million catcher J.T. Realmuto about a month ago, the Phillies were 25 games over .500; now, they’re 27 games over.

Since Thomson recently lost $330 million All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper and $79 million rightfielder Kyle Schwarber — on the same night — the Phillies have gone 4-2.

With essentially the same team as last season and with considerably more injury problems 87 games into the season, Thomson has nine more wins this year, an increase of about 19%.

Dombrowski is responsible for every player on the roster, but he inherited most of the consistently good ones: Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Suárez, Sánchez, Harper, Realmuto, Bohm, and Bryson Stott. Yes, he has developed, promoted, and/or retained each of them, but then, Thomson’s arrival in Philly predates Dombrowski, too. Think about it: Dombrowski inherited Thomson, too.

Besides, talent assemblers aren’t given much credit for retaining inherited talent. Generally, they are judged on the talent they acquire themselves.

» READ MORE: How aggressive will the Phillies be at the trade deadline? Let’s look at Dave Dombrowski’s history for clues.

Including Kerkering, whom Dombrowski drafted, he has assembled a fine bullpen, which Thomson deftly manages.

Dombrowski also signed Schwarber and Castellanos before the 2022 season. Schwarber, at four years and $79 million, has been the definition of a one-trick pony: He can bat only leadoff, where he hits only home runs, and occupies the designated hitter spot to do so, since he’s the worst defensive player in baseball. Also, he can’t run.

Castellanos, at five years and $100 million, has earned his money for about one month — April 2023 — among his 17 months as a Phillie, Octobers included.

Dombrowski signed Turner after the 2022 season, and while Turner’s an All-Star now, he was a basket case early last season, and, after yet another bad defensive year, his bat disappeared in the playoffs.

If you want to criticize Thomson for the Phillies losing Games 6 and 7 of the NLCS at home, after taking a 3-2 series lead, understand that the $387 million worth of offense Dombrowski paid to produce in the postseason — Schwarber, Castellanos, and Turner — went 1-for-21 in Games 6 and 7.

Dombrowski also signed starter Taijuan Walker after the 2022 season, for four years and $72 million, but Walker was so bad late last year that he didn’t get to throw a single pitch in the postseason. Now he’s hurt, or something.

Dombrowski paid Kimbrel $10 million for 2023, and Kimbrel made the All-Star team at the age of 35, but he was cooked after the All-Star break.

This year, Dombrowski spent $8 million on 35-year-old Whit Merrifield to be a right-handed-hitting utility man. Merrifield was an All-Star with the Blue Jays last season. He’s hitting .190 for the Phils.

None of the spotlight on Dombrowski’s recent transactions is meant to deride him. Dombrowski has done a wonderful job, but he’s made some mistakes — many more mistakes, and more glaring mistakes — than has Thomson.