Odds to Be Phillies Next Manager Favor Showalter at +250, Girardi at +350
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: April 22, 2020 at 3:29 pm EDTPublished:
- Former Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter is the +250 favorite to be named the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
- Gabe Kapler was fired as manager of the Phillies on Thursday
- Philadelphia was 161-163 in two seasons with Kapler as skipper
Will the Philadelphia Phillies be the next stop for Buck Showalter? Oddsmakers believe that to be the most logical path for the team to take.
The Phillies fired manager Gabe Kapler on Thursday, just two seasons after giving the former major-league outfielder his first big-league managerial position.
The Phillies were two games below .500 (161-163) with Kapler in charge.
Showalter is the +250 favorite to be hired as Philadelphia’s next manager.
Philadelphia Phillies Next Manager Odds
| Manager | Odds |
|---|---|
| Buck Showalter | +250 |
| Joe Girardi | +350 |
| Dusty Wathan | +450 |
| John Farrell | +600 |
| Dusty Baker | +750 |
| Joe Espada | +750 |
| Joe Maddon | +1000 |
| Rob Thomson | +1000 |
| Charlie Manuel | +1200 |
| Mike Scioscia | +1400 |
*Odds taken on 10/11/19.
The Phillies finished fourth in the National League East Division this season at 81-81. They were 16 games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves and eight games out of the second NL Wild Card playoff position.
Kapler Crapped Out With Phillies
If you want to make the playoffs, acquire some ex-Detroit Tigers pitchers. Both the Washington Nationals (Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez) and Houston Astros (Justin Verlander) are getting great mileage from former Tigers hurlers.
For your passion and dedication to the Phillies and the city of Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/e5t6XomuxF
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 10, 2019
If you want to make the playoffs, don’t hire an ex-Tiger to manage your team. Kapler is the second to be dismissed already this season. Earlier, the Los Angeles Angels fired Brad Ausmus.
Harper’s Bizarre Phillies Debut
When the Phillies signed free agent outfielder and 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330-million contract in the winter, they immediately moved among the contenders in the 2019 World Series odds.
Philly opened the season at odds of +1300 to win it all, and remained in that ballpark for most of the first two months of the season. At one point in late May, their odds were also low as +850.
February 2019: Bryce Harper leaves Washington, signs 13-year deal with Phillies
October 2019: Phillies miss playoffs finishing 4th place in NL East, Nationals advance to first ever NLCS
Who saw this coming? 🍿 pic.twitter.com/s5I0LttOA3
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 10, 2019
On June 12th, the Phillies lost 2-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks and relinquished first place in the NL East for the final time.
They were nine games above .500 at that point (38-29) but were nine games below .500 the rest of the way (43-52). It was the second year in a row they’d faded badly in the second half under Kapler, finishing with +15000 World Series odds.
A Curt Offer
No one asked but former Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling confidently threw his name out there to be considered as Phillies manager.
Schilling spent nine seasons as a Phillies pitcher. He’s never been a big-league coach or manager. After baseball, the three-time World Series champion worked for ESPN until he was fired in 2016 for making anti-transgender posts to social media.
Friends close to Curt Schilling say he would love to get back into the game, and has significant interest in interviewing for the the #Phillies managerial opening and/or the #RedSox pitching coach job.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 11, 2019
Lately, he hosts his own podcast where he can freely espouse his right-wing political views.
Schilling probably shouldn’t wait by the phone for the Phillies to call.
Showalter Makes Sense
Showalter has history with the front-office staff of the Phillies. It was Phillies president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail who hired Showalter to manage the Baltimore Orioles in 2010. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak, worked in the Orioles’ front office at the time.
On the other hand, McPhail was also CEO of the Cubs when Dusty Baker was hired as manager there.
If #Phillies make managerial change, remember that club president Andy MacPhail was #Cubs CEO when they hired Dusty Baker, and #Orioles president when they hired Buck Showalter; if Philly moves on from Gabe Kapler, his replacement is likely to have @MLB managerial experience.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 8, 2019
The Phillies want an experienced manager. Joe Maddon is likely heading to the Angels but Mike Scioscia could be in play for the Philadelphia job.
Showalter has let it be known that he’d be interested in a return to the show as a manager. With the Orioles, between 2012-16, Baltimore won more games (444) under his direction than any other American League team.
Pick: Buck Showalter (+250).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
