The suspense is over and Gabe Kapler is gone. Whether it was the right decision is debatable.
Now, the Phillies search begins for a new manager.
Here are four names that will certainly come up in the team's search:
Joe Girardi: If the Phillies are going to go after Girardi, they will need to make a move quickly and they will be fighting an uphill battle. Girardi has interviewed with the Chicago Cubs and is rumored to be interviewing for the New York Mets job as well. Girardi is an analytics-driven manager that would likely appeal to the front office and has had success in the majors before, winning the World Series in 2009 over the Phillies.
Carlos Beltran: Beltran has yet to be a manager in the majors but has long been viewed as one of the best up-and-coming candidates around the league. Beltran's leadership played a pivotal role in the Houston Astros' World Series in 2017. An excellent hitter that embraced the analytics he learned in Houston, Beltran nearly got the Yankees job in 2017.
Dusty Baker: If the Phillies want to go with an old-school, proven manager, than Dusty Baker makes sense. Baker has 22-years of experience managing, including perhaps most importantly time with Bryce Harper during his days with the Washington Nationals. Baker has spoken very highly of Harper in the past, and if the Phillies' front office asks Harper his input, Baker could quickly make his way up the list of candidates.
Buck Showalter: Showalter has ties to the front office, and according to recent reports, might be the favorite at this point to land the job. Showalter has been a manager for 20 years and has a .506 winning percentage during stints with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles.
"If they fired Gabe, I think Buck would be the presumed leader in the clubhouse in terms of who replacing Gabe, if they make that change. Joe Girardi, I think, is a similar type of a manager," MLB Insider Todd Zolecki said this week with Angelo Cataldi on the morning show. "But yeah, Buck, Andy MacPhail hired him to be the Orioles manager years ago. He worked with (Phillies GM) Matt (Klentak), he worked with Ned Rice the assistant GM, he has relationships with all of those guys. That would make a lot of sense."
A three-time AL Manager of the Year, Showalter has to be viewed as a strong candidate to be the Phillies' next manager.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
