Top candidates to replace Joe Girardi if the Phillies fired him right now
By Tim Boyle
Phillies: Larry Bowa as the interim manager could yell the players into submission
Larry Bowa is still with the Phillies organization, now in a senior advisor role to the general manager. Would he have a willingness to move down from the executive suite to the field? He just might.
Bowa got his first managerial gig with the San Diego Padres way back in 1987 and only made it 46 games into the 1988 season. He wouldn’t get another chance to manage again until 2001 when he turned the Phillies into a legitimate ball club.
From 2001-2004, Bowa kept the team afloat and sparked an excitement not seen for several years. While their best days wouldn’t come until Charlie Manuel took over, he would later return as a bench coach for the Phillies from 2014-2017.
Bowa’s coaching history for the Phillies wasn’t too successful. However, it’s an easy transition for him to make. If the team isn’t interested in firing Girardi then promoting Thomson into the role, there may not be a better choice within the organization already.
Down in Lehigh Valley, IronPigs skipper Anthony Contreras isn’t quite ready for the job. After the Ryne Sandberg tenure, it’s more advisable to stick with guys who have done it at the major league level anyway. Bowa would simply be a placeholder anyway.
If neither of those choices appeal to you, there is one outside candidate left to look at.