Don Mattingly Has Plan for Filling Out Phillies Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies checked off the most important item on their offseason to-do list by hiring Don Mattingly as manager.

He was the interim manager in place of Rob Thomson after the team’s 9-19 start to the 2026 season, and it makes sense to bring him back for at least one more season. The team responded to him, finishing 79-55, but with the uncertainty of the labor dispute, having a person in charge who is familiar with the roster makes a lot of sense.

Teams won’t be allowed to contact players once the lockout is in place, which would create a major obstacle for a manager who is new to a franchise. Mattingly also has the respect of players on the team, with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto among the players who supported him coming back.

Now that Mattingly has the job, he can turn his attention to filling out the staff under him. That process has already begun, with hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson both being let go.

Don Mattingly reveals what he is looking for in coaching staff

At the press conference announcing his hiring and signing of a two-year contract, Mattingly discussed what he is looking for in his coaches on the staff around him.

“It was Thomson’s team,” Mattingly said, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required), after signing a new contract. “I took over (in late April) and just kind of drove the car from there. … There are things I want to do differently, and you guys that watch the playoffs and what’s happening — it is hard to score. I think defense is at a premium. It’s an area I really would like to push. … You guys probably heard me talk a lot more about playing the game clean, playing it right, doing all the things. But those are things that you get a chance to really push on in spring training and try to get your message across.”

One of those vacancies has been filled already. The Phillies hired former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to take over for Dickerson as the infield coach. According to Varnes, while Mattingly wasn’t a driving force in the hiring, he was part of the conversations with Mendoza during the interview process.

What the former Mets manager impressed Mattingly the most with was the excitement he showed at having the opportunity to work with the Philadelphia infielders.

A similar process is expected to play out when it comes to hiring the other members of the coaching staff. The hitting coach is going to be an important part of the coaching staff, with Mattingly having a vision for how he wants his team to be with the bat compared to how Thomson handled things.

The roster needs work, but it will be interesting to see how much the Phillies’ philosophies change in 2027 as well. Mattingly has his opinion of what he thinks works best on the field and will look to put that into place during the offseason and in spring training.