After moving on from Rob Thomson, there were a lot of questions about what the Philadelphia Phillies would look like.
Many suggested that it wasn't fair that Thomson was fired, as the Phillies just weren't able to do enough on the offensive side of baseball, and at some point, that isn't on a skipper.
The Phillies understood a few years ago that this offense had a lot of flaws in it, and instead of Dave Dombrowski fixing them, he continued to run similar teams back and ultimately, even if he says he didn't, put the blame on his manager in Thomson.
However, over the past week or so, since the decision, the Phillies have played a lot better baseball, and that's all started on the offensive side of things. Guys like Bryce Harper have really started to bat at a high level, and he recently spoke about some of the adjustments he made.
“I’m just trying to keep it simple,” Harper said, per MLB.com. “Just stack my at-bats each day and just try to go out there and hit strikes into the field and try to foul stuff off. I think I've said in the past multiple times, I'm just trying to hit strikes and lay off the ones out of the zone.”
Someone like Harper should never be counted out, even if he has a bad year or two. We're talking about a guy who has done nothing but swing the bat at a high level for his entire career, so a few rough games here and there are just absolutely ridiculous to get upset about.
There are some other guys who I can see others questioning a bit more than Harper, though I also think those concerns are unfair, including guys like Trea Turner. Turner has been around this game for a very long time and has been among the elite of the elite.
“He’s getting better,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “You know, the thing about Trea, he's going to hit. And when he's struggling, obviously, he's not happy about it. And he's working. And anytime guys keep working and they have ability, it’s going to come, it’s going to start, it’s going to happen. If he wasn't hitting and not working, it’s different. It’s just believing that when you’re not going good you can work and stay with it.”