The Phillies have hired their 55th manager in the history of the franchise, and he's arguably the most accomplished manager the team has ever brought into the fold. His last managing job was a ten year period with the New York Yankees. In that time, he had a winning season every year and averaged 91 wins per season.
I cannot overstate how excellent this news is. Joe Girardi is a highly experienced and highly successful manager with a reputation of adapting to analytics without overusing them and allowing them to hinder his ability to make decisions. I believe that replacing Gabe Kapler with Joe Girardi is an upgrade on the level of the Phillies signing Bryce Harper to replace Nick Williams.
