During the Phillies end-of-season press conference, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski announced that Mike Calitri will transition from bench coach to Major League Field Coordinator and the club
will pursue another voice on the bench. No other coaching changes are planned and Phillies fans seem very excited about it.
Because the off-season is boring and generally sucks, here are a few names to keep an eye on as Rob Thomson and the Phillies search for a new bench coach.
Rob Thomson connections
Derek Shelton makes the most sense for what the Phillies seem to be looking for. Thomson said he would be “very involved” in the search and Dombrowski said they want an “experienced guy.” From 2020-2025, Shelton took on the unenviable task of managing the rebuilding Pirates and posted a record of 306-440. That might sound bad at first, but it’s important to remember that those Pirates teams were trying to be bad.
Shelton and Thomson have shared a deep past, as they both worked in the Yankees organization during the late 90s and early 2000s. Shelton managed the Yankees Gulf Coast League team in 2000 and 2001 then took over their Short Season A-ball team in 2002.
As recently as 2023, Shelton was part of Thomson’s all-star game coaching staff. Shelton will interview with the Minnesota Twins for their manager job but if he doesn’t get it, there’s a good chance he’s in the Phillies dugout in 2026.
Miguel Cairo was a long-time major-league infielder who played for the Yankees from 2004-2007 while Thomson was in the front office. Cairo was the Washington Nationals’ interim manager after Davey Martinez was fired and finished with a record of 29-43.
Cairo has worked with Tony La Russa in Chicago, Buck Showalter with the Mets, and Martinez with the Nationals. He played for managers like La Russa, Joe Torre, Charlie Manuel, and Dusty Baker over his 16-season playing career. Plenty of experience even if it’s not exactly as a manager.
Francisco Cervelli might not have the previous manager experience the Phillies are looking for but was a former big league catcher for 12 seasons and played for the Yankees when Thomson was the bench and third base coach from 2008-2014.
Cervelli’s coaching career isn’t extensive either. He was hired by the Padres as a catching instructor in 2022 but will represent Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic as their manager. Former backstops tend to be prime bench coach or manager candidates.
Other Former MLB Managers
Brandon Hyde went through a difficult rebuild in Baltimore but got to see the plan progress in back-to-back postseason appearances in 2023 and 24. Unfortunately, Hyde was given an awful pitching staff in 2025 and was fired midseason. He finished with a record of 421-492 during that span.
Despite that record, Hyde is still generating manager interest, recently speaking with the Giants.
Former Phillies Outfielder Grady Sizemore was given an impossible situation in 2024 with that White Sox roster but managed to go 13-32 to finish the season. The White Sox were impressed enough to bring him back as their offensive coordinator for this season under Will Venable.
The best connection I can come up with is that he played under John Farrell in 2014, who was the Red Sox manager under Dombrowski from 2015-2017. It’s not the best but maybe he wants to reunite with Philadelphia in a larger role.
Tony Mansolino was the interim manager for the Orioles after Hyde was fired and actually finished one game over .500 in 2019. He spent part of the 2008 season in the Phillies’ minor leagues, splitting time between Clearwater and Reading.
Luis Rojas never worked with Rob Thomson in the Yankees organization but the franchise connection might not hurt here. Rojas managed the New York Mets for two seasons, going 103-119 in that span before going to their cross-town rivals.
There is one thing in common with many of these Phillies players: a hard time winning in Queens.
I want this to happen
Andrew Knapp retired before the 2025 season and has previously expressed interest in becoming a manager down the line. He played for the Phillies when Rob Thomson was the bench coach from 2018-2021 and infamously batted leadoff two times during the Gabe Kapler era.
Knapp has played under managers like Kapler, Shelton, Scott Servais, and Bob Melvin. It would be a massive step, one the Phillies probably do not want to take, but it would be fun if he’s considered.
