NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 10, 2022

Dave Dombrowski

Rob Thomson

Sam Fuld

Truist Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Dave, why was it important for you to do this right now? And can you take us through maybe when it started to come together, whether it was a day ago, a couple days ago?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: Well, as you know, there's Major League Baseball rules about interview process and the time with an interim. I just felt, first of all, for quite a while I have felt that Rob is the right person but I also understand the guidelines.

But I thought we had reached a point at this time that I could go to the commissioner's office and ask them that I don't know what else you would have to do from a managerial perspective to earn a contract extension.

And my mind was totally made up to be in a position that Rob's the right person for the job. It just so happened that even though it's in my mind, you still want to do it in a proper fashion.

And the way it turned out in the playoffs here, with us winning on Saturday, it gave me a little bit of time because I think that it's still hanging over your head then as an organization -- are they going to bring him back, not going to bring him back from a player perspective, from a coaching staff perspective. And I think it's good to solidify that, if you can.

The timing worked out well in that situation. So when we got in, I asked Topper if he could come to my room yesterday, and we really talked about it yesterday for the first time. But of course I discussed it with other people in the baseball operations and also talked about it to John Middleton to let him know what was taking place.

Q. Dave, when in your mind had Rob convinced you that he was the right guy for this job, not vis-a-vis getting permission, but just you came to the decision in your mind, let me see what everybody else thinks, let me see what John thinks? And, Rob, was there ever any question? You could have been a free agent, if I'm not mistaken. You have to say yes. Was there any question that you would maybe hold out?

ROB THOMSON: No, no question at all. This is the only place I would want to be moving forward. And I haven't really thought about it because I've got so many other things I really need to think about and focus on. So it really wasn't on my mind until yesterday when Dave asked me to go to his room after we dropped our bags off.

And then I started thinking about it and I thought, well, maybe this is what it's about.

But, no, I wouldn't have held out or wanted to go any place else. This is a really good ballclub we have now and I see even better things in the future because of our player development department and our scouting department. So I think it's just kind of a perfect spot.

Q. How often does he call you to his hotel room?

ROB THOMSON: That's the first time.

Q. Dave, when in your heart of hearts did you know Rob was the guy and you were going to start advocating for him?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: Well, all along I've been very impressed with the job that he's done. But when you have information -- so for me I knew we couldn't do anything until the end of the season. So you're continually gathering information.

And I've been continually impressed on how he's handled everything throughout the year. And so the mind has really been leaning that way for an extended period. But like everything else, you continue to take information in all the time.

So it's really been a lengthy period where I have felt that way. I mean, you're always in a position, you just never can tell what happens for a certain individual in any circumstances of life. So you continue to gather information.

But really, I think from all of our perspective you keep saying what else do you need to do? And I think a couple of things. One is not only with my perspective, but from a team perspective and the respect that the players and staff have for Topper. I think you could see that all along.

The communication aspect, willing to handle the issues as they've come up. Open mindedness to different ideas that are presented to him when you're doing that job because there's a lot of different things.

You had a lot of those different factors that were involved. It's been for quite a while. But, again, always knowing I couldn't tackle this because of baseball rules. So you take that in. And we really want -- I called the commissioner to make sure and get his approval.

It was really a matter of what else would you need to do, and, like Rob said, he said I'm not in for sham interviews. I'm for promoting minorities and I agree with that totally and giving them the opportunities. But it's also a situation where it's tough to top what he has done.

Q. Dave, did the two-year term, was that designed to coincide with the rest of your term as GM as president of baseball ops?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: That was part of it. To me it just seemed like a likely good term based upon it. But I do think there's a coinciding with my situation sure makes sense.

Q. Dave and Sam, there's a ton of reasons obviously why you guys were able to turn it around from 22-29, but you're the first team since '09, I believe, to change the manager in season and make the playoffs. From where you guys sit, what was it about Rob and how much of -- I know you can't quantify it, but how much of an impact was a new voice and a new manager?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: Well, we've said all along, right off the bat, we jumped and started off quickly. So you could tell there was an immediate impact right off the bat. And for me to sit back and tell anybody that I expected us to win our first eight games with him as a manager, I would be lying to you. I mean, you're hoping for an impact, but it's not like you're expecting that necessarily right off the bat.

But I think just the overall change of atmosphere and communication and just the way the clubhouse felt when you're around, and it's not being negative towards the past but it was just different, and you could tell we were playing with a relaxed but focused approach.

And I think everybody thought it was like, hey, this is great. Now I can't tell you I speak for the players, but I will tell you during the season I've had players come up to me say, geez, we just love him. He's just done a great job and don't forget how good a job he's done. That would be mine. Sam, anything to add?

SAM FULD: I think you nailed it. You talked about Thomson's high level of communication and open mindedness and something that I've been familiar with for the entirety of my tenure with the Phillies. And Thomson's been, prior to his term as interim manager, he's been the real quarterback of that coach's room.

And I think that's just continued on at a really high level since taking on the manager role. And he's just got a calm and steadiness about him that I think has just been incredibly helpful in that clubhouse as we've sort of navigated some adversity and some ups and downs, and the stress of trying to break that playoff drought.

And I think Thomson's been incredible in that way in addition to being just a really great communicator. And I think what's special about it is it's with everybody; it's with future Hall of Famers and it's with guys who are on the bubble to be on a roster on any given day.

And I think that's a really tremendous quality that Thomson does a great job of.

Q. Dave, seems like today in baseball there's a certain type of manager that's being hired. And I'm wondering at any point throughout the year did you think about or occur to you or even now of how maybe baseball kind of missed the boat on a guy like Rob, and he probably would never have gotten this opportunity or maybe even other managerial interview again if you had not made the move to replace Joe in June?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: No, I really didn't think about that part of it. I think I thought more about a couple of things. One is, A, you have a good baseball person. Very knowledgeable, very smart about the game on top of it. And anybody you talk to will say that, great communicator.

Why didn't the opportunity come up before? I can't answer that. I've asked a couple of people that question and they seem to scratch their head. I wasn't around him at that point so I couldn't say that.

And then I do think, though, at the point that if maybe this opportunity didn't come, then I don't know if he would have had a chance because a lot of times you're in a position where, he's been in the game such a long time, very well respected I think anywhere you turn.

But it's also a situation where sometimes you get branded in a certain way that you're a No. 2 guy. And I was talking to somebody the other day, I was a younger guy, an assistant general manager -- it was a long time ago; I can barely remember it. It was probably before most of you were born in here.

But it's a situation where I remember you played a different role. My job was not to worry about becoming the general manager; my job was to support the general manager. I wasn't worried about becoming him. I would help him however I could.

I was a lot younger and an opportunity came to me in an unusual time period. I think that happens to people.

But I will also say you never know until somebody gets in that job, when they're a No. 2 person, how they'll respond until they are as a No. 1. You just don't know that.

You think, but you see hirings all the time where somebody comes up and is an outstanding coordinator in any sport, and then you put them in that role and it's not quite the same.

That was one of the things that (indiscernible). He was not overmatched whatsoever. He stepped in right away, dealt with everything, dealt with issues. Felt very comfortable in communication in that regard.

So that quickly became a back thought because that really was not an accurate -- it would not be an accurate assessment about him.

Q. Rob, we know you don't like attention. You've said as much. Rhys said you kind of expressed maybe, gosh, I hope I'm not a distraction. So I'm wondering, as your dream kind of came true today, how uncomfortable are you sitting up there talking about this right now before Game 1?

ROB THOMSON: Completely. I wish we'd get to baseball, really, to tell you the truth. I know we've got to deal with it.

But I really want the spotlight on the players and the series. And baseball is what I want to get to.

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: I want to just add, yesterday when I talked to him and he of course didn't know what was going on, I guess he thought about it after I mentioned it, the one thing when I approached him, he said, maybe I prefer to wait until all this is over because I don't want to be a distraction for anything going on.

And I said, well, in my mind this would not be a distraction, it would be positively regarded by our players, because one thing we always try to do is keep distractions away from them, and anything we possibly do during this time period. I thought it would be just the opposite, although I know he's uncomfortable up here talking.

But I think once we get past this, the focus will be totally on what we need it to be, which is trying to win ballgames.

Q. What does it mean to you to have the interim tag removed from this position? Does it provide relief? Does it impact you day to day?

ROB THOMSON: I don't think it impacts anything today. I'm just very humbled, really. And feel fortunate that John Middleton and Dave and Sam have the confidence in me to run this ballclub for the next couple of years.

And like I said before, it's a really good ballclub now. And it's only going to get better. And for them to have that confidence in me is really humbling.

Q. Was it something that was on your mind over the past few weeks as we get close to the end of the season?

ROB THOMSON: No, not really. I was just focused on, one, helping the ballclub get into the playoffs. And then we get into the playoffs and it's a sprint. And we're doing all this work, working on St. Louis and now Atlanta. And that's really all I'm focused on. I'm still focused on that.

Q. Am I allowed to ask you a baseball question?

ROB THOMSON: Yes, please.

Q. Will your roster be the same for this series as the last?

ROB THOMSON: We'll tackle that in the morning. It will be out at 10:00, it's coming out.

Q. Suarez, Wheeler, Nola?

ROB THOMSON: Yes, I can say that. Yes, they'll be on the roster (laughter).

Q. Will you go with your left-handed lineup tomorrow against Fried?

ROB THOMSON: Possibly, yes.

Q. Is that the one we saw against Quintana?

ROB THOMSON: Possibly. It's going to be close.

Q. What do you think you might do in center field?

ROB THOMSON: I haven't talked to the players yet. So I can't reveal that.

Q. Dave, over the past few years, the more significant players in your clubhouse have been very unashamed and vocal about what they want to have happen, whether it's with the roster or otherwise. Did you talk to guys, the $750 million worth of marquee players that you have, about retaining Rob, either directly or indirectly, sort of taking the temperature?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: No, I didn't ask anybody that question directly. I did have a few of the guys from the team during the year just saying I hope you know how important he is to us.

And in a situation like that, not that I don't mind feedback at all, but ultimately you're going to make the decision. But I think the players reactions and the way they handle themselves tell you as much about it than even asking them the question directly.

But I didn't ask the question directly to anybody. But some of them did come up to me and say, hey, this guy's great, tremendous. We need to keep him, that type of thing.

Q. Can you tell us who one or two who might have done that?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: I'd prefer not to because when they did say to it to me they do it confidently.

Q. Rob, to Alex's point, you're 59 years old you've been doing this forever and this is your first contract. Do you feel validated?

ROB THOMSON: I feel awfully good about it. I really do. And very honored, like I said, I really do. It's been in the back of my mind for a lot of years. But the last three, four, five years, I really have never thought about it. And then it just happened. It's funny how life is sometimes.

Q. Back to the timing of it, obviously you could have done it whenever this season ended. I'm curious, in a different world, you might think, well, we need to judge him in the playoffs. But does this kind of highlight the idea you judge a manager from April or in this case June to September, much more than best-of-three, best-of-five, best-of-seven?

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: First of all, when we got done with the season, we didn't have much down time. In fact we had none. We had one day of workout. We flew from Houston and we didn't know where we were going til the day before. There wasn't much -- I wouldn't want to tackle something of this magnitude in a rushed fashion.

Q. I meant after you're done with the postseason.

DAVE DOMBROWSKI: Sure, yes, we could have done it. But with this time period here I didn't feel we were rushed. Thought that we had enough time to deal with it. And my mind was already made up at this point. So if you can get something done to stabilize the organization, all the much better.

So I think that's -- we work from here. We know who our manager is. We go forward in that regard. And you try to settle things in your organization as you go forward and I think this is a huge question mark that's answered. If it was a question mark for people. So that's the reason behind it.

Q. Rob, you talked a lot about believing in the direction of the club regarding scouting, player development. What kind of progress have you seen in the last five years, and even this year, really?

ROB THOMSON: I don't know the exact number, but we've had a number of players come up from Triple-A, from Lehigh Valley, and immediately produced. Immediately put so much energy into the club to help us win games when we had a bunch of injuries, frankly.

And the development of the pitching prospects that are coming and the player, position players that are coming. I just think the organization is built, has been built from the ground up. And we have good, veteran players, and we've got all this youth coming. I just see good times ahead. I really do.

Q. Rob, Ranger said earlier that one of his favorite things about you was you let guys be themselves. In regards to Bohm's season, how important do you think that sentiment was for him? And what does it look like to let Alec be himself?

ROB THOMSON: I think everybody's an individual and you've got to let them be themselves to a certain degree. I think you let them only go so far -- you've got to have a certain amount of discipline in your clubhouse and when you're playing the game.

But I think a lot of Alec's success has also come from Bobby Dickerson and Kevin Long and how they've helped him get through some tough times and keep his confidence and keep him moving forward.

So it's certainly not me. It's a whole bunch of people that have helped him develop and helped him get better so he can be a consistent player.