Is Phillies' Skipper Rob Thomson Best Manager in MLB?

The Philadelphia Phillies are in their second consecutive National League Championship Series and a lot of that has to do with their manager Rob Thomson. Has he proved he's the best in the MLB?

The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the National League Championship Series after eliminating their division rivals and MLB's best team Atlanta Braves on Thursday.

It's now the second consecutive season that the Phillies have reached this round of the playoffs after missing the postseason every year since 2011.

The superstar players get the headlines, but maybe the most important person in that clubhouse is the skipper.

Rob Thomson took over as Philadelphia's interim manager in 2022.

Since that point, he's taken the Phillies to the World Series and back-to-back NLCS appearances.

So, has Thomson emerged as the best manager in the MLB?

Based on overall numbers, no one would give him that title. His career record as a manager is 155-118.

But considering he took over in 2022 when Philadelphia was 22-29, he was responsible for the turnaround that vaulted that team to a World Series run.

The Phillies defeated the 93-win St. Louis Cardinals on the road during the Wild Card series. They eliminated the 101-win Braves in the NLDS and then dispatched the 89-win San Diego Padres in the NLCS.

All of those teams had a better record than Philadelphia that season.

This year, Thomson is back at it again, sweeping their divisional opponent Miami Marlins and beating Atlanta, who had won an MLB best 104 games.

There's something to be said about a manager who elevates his team when the calendar turns to October.

While he doesn't have the gaudy regular season win numbers like others across the league, Thomson has proven when the games mean more, he and his team will deliver.

Yes, the roster of players are extremely talented, but Topper has elevated this team to new heights since taking over.

That's what elite managers do.