Rob Thomson Finished Third in 2025 NL Manager of the Year Voting

In his third full season as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Rob Thomson finished third in voting for the 2025 National League’s Manager of the Year Award. Thomson led the Phillies to the second-best record in baseball, their fourth straight postseason appearance, and to Philadelphia’s 13th NL East title.

That still wasn’t enough for Thomson to become Philadelphia’s second skipper (Larry Bowa in 2001) to take home the honor of being the NL’s best GM.

Thomson had 32 points made up of one first place vote, seven second place votes, and six third place votes. The Associated Press' Dan Gelston was the only first place vote for Thomson. Thomson previously came in fifth place in 2022 and 2024.

The voting committee consisting of 30 voters from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ruled Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy as the top skipper in the NL. Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona was the runner-up in voting. Murphy became the first manager in the NL since Bobby Cox in 2005 to win the MOY title in consecutive seasons. Murphy’s Brewers finished with a league-leading 97 wins.

Thomson’s Phillies had one less win.

The 2025 season wasn’t a walk in the park for the Phillies as they faced adversity before the season even started. Coming off of a National League Division Series loss to the New York Mets, MLB writers and analysts considered the Phillies as a team ranked second or even third in the NL East standings. With a healthy Atlanta Braves squad and the Mets landing top free agent Juan Soto, the Phillies were looked upon as a wildcard team at best.

The Phillies were also without southpaw Ranger Suárez for the first two months of the season and starting outfielder Brandon Marsh missed a chunk of time too early in the year. The injuries piled up as Aaron Nola was sidelined due to a fractured ribcage and sprained right ankle for half of the season. Philadelphia’s ace in Zack Wheeler had his 2025 campaign end abruptly in August as he tended to a blood clot in his right shoulder. Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm were all out for a handful of games as well.

Other setbacks for the Phillies included Jose Alvarado’s 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy and a bullpen with a 4.68 ERA ranked towards the bottom of the league by June. There was drama with Nick Castellanos’ playing time and his future as a Phillie that had to be navigated all year. Thomson’s club still continued to win with the cards they were dealt.

Philadelphia persevered and put together a nine-game win streak, a six-game win streak, and multiple four-game win streaks. Before you knew it, the Phillies held a commanding 13-game lead in the NL East. Not too shabby for a team considered to be a lock for a wildcard.

Trea Turner walks it off for the @Phillies in the 10th! pic.twitter.com/wp38AgVJhi
— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2025

Philadelphia’s late season success came after Thomson’s decision to operate a platoon outfield system. The move worked to a tee and the Phillies went 17-8 in September while utilizing this strategy with each player playing a key part in the Phillies push for the postseason.

The Phillies Platoon’s Month of September:

Brandon Marsh: .338/.400/.603 | 3 HR | 13 RBI

Harrison Bader: .314/.352/.471 | 3 HR | 10 RBI

Nick Castellanos: .250/.281/.385 | 1 HR | 11 RBI

Max Kepler: .228/.318/.474 | 4 HR | 10 RBI

Weston Wilson: .171/.261/.366 | 2 HR | 6 RBI

It’s important to note the BBWAA focuses only on the regular season when determining a winner. Had the award included the postseason, Thomson most likely wouldn’t be a finalist.

Once the calendar turned to October, Thomson’s future as a manager seemed uncertain. He made the wrong decisions in the NLDS matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers that cost the Phillies their season. The Bryson Stott bunt, turning to Orion Kerkering with inherited runners on multiple occasions, and letting David Robertson go back out in Game 1 plays on repeat in Phillies fans heads still to this day.

It was another abysmal postseason and early exit after a triumphant regular season for the Phillies which left plenty hoping Thomson would be out of a job.

Do you think the Phillies should fire Rob Thomson?
— WIP Morning Show (@WIPMorningShow) October 10, 2024

Philadelphia’s President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made it crystal clear that Thomson wasn’t going anywhere. Dombrowski began his end of the season press conference stating Thomson will not only be back for the 2026 season, but his contract will be extended.

Thomson’s .580-win percentage is the highest amongst Phillies managers (162 games minimum), and his 346 victories are 10th most between Philadelphia’s skippers.

Based on his resume and the Phillies still World Series contenders, it’s safe to say Thomson will be considered for the Manager of the Year Award once more.

“I’ve said it many times, the last four years have been the most fun of my career. It has to do with the people in the organization, the players, staff, front office, the fanbase, how I’m treated by you [the media]. I feel like I’m treated very fairly. As long as I’m happy and my family’s happy, I’m having fun, and they want me, I’ll manage.”

The Phillies Platoon’s Month of September:

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