Rob Thomson and the ties that brought him to (and kept him in) Philadelphia

Rob Thomson's journey to becoming Phillies manager is kind of fascinating, especially the last five years or so. Gabe Kapler played a significant role in getting him here. Joe Girardi played a significant role in keeping him here. Now he's trying to get the Phillies to a place that neither Kapler nor Girardi could.

Let's try to piece this all together and tell you a little about Thomson in the process.

HOW HE ARRIVED IN PHILADELPHIA

The 58-year-old former minor-league catcher spent 28 years with the Yankees as a coach at the minor- and big-league levels. He worked on Joe Torre's staff. He was bench coach during Girardi's time as Yankees skipper.

When Girardi was let go after the 2017 season, Thomson was one of five, along with Eric Wedge, Hensley Meulens and Carlos Beltran, to interview for the job that eventually went to Aaron Boone.

There was some lag time between when Thomson found out he would not get the job and Boone's hiring. Thomson likely would have been a candidate for a position on Boone's staff, but he couldn't take any chances. So when the Phillies called to see if he had interest in becoming bench coach to the newly hired Kapler, Thomson listened.

WHY THE PHILLIES WANTED THOMSON

Kapler had never managed in the majors and the Phillies wanted to fortify him with a veteran baseball mind. Word is they went above normal pay scale for a bench coach to lure Thomson to Philadelphia.

Kapler, as we learned during his two years here, is a man who does his homework. He caffeined-up and dug in on Thomson.

"I contacted no fewer than 20 people about Rob and heard nothing even remotely negative," Kapler said during his first spring with the Phillies. "I weigh that more than a six-hour interview. You might nail the interview, but you can't fake your career."

One of the people Kapler reached out to was, you guessed it, Girardi.

"He told me Rob was an incredible teammate," Kapler said. "In my opinion, that's the best compliment anyone in baseball can give."

LOYALTY IS WORD 1

Thomson has some John Vukovich in him -- and that's a big compliment. Vukovich had summa cum laude baseball acumen and a tireless work ethic. Thomson is right out of that mold, maybe with a little softer edge than the hard-nosed but good-hearted Vukovich. During spring training, the question isn't whether Thomson will arrive before dawn. It's how many hours before dawn he'll pull into the parking lot. Thomson's earliest recorded arrival: 2:36 a.m., early in spring training 2020.

But being a baseball lifer who can plan a training camp, prepare and instruct players, and assist on strategy does not alone help a man survive on a big-league coaching staff.

Vukovich used to say the reason he lasted so long on big-league staffs in Philadelphia and Chicago was he was always loyal to the manager.

Whether it was Torre, Girardi or Kapler, Thomson was guided by the same principle.

"I'm here to support Gabe in any way I can, be there for support, let him know that I've got his back all the time," Thomson said in the spring of 2018.

After Kapler was fired by the Phillies, Thomson said, "I loved my time with Gabe, I really did. He treated me like gold. He treats everyone like gold. He's a wonderful person. He has a great managerial career ahead of him. I believe that. I just love the guy."

And after Girardi was fired last week, he made his feelings about him known.

"There's a bond there that will never be broken," Thomson said.

TRUST IN THE ROOM MATTERS

Trust between the clubhouse and the skipper is a manager's No. 1 currency. A manager is done if the players don't believe he knows what he's doing. A manager is done if the players don't think he has their back.

Torre had an Atticus Finch quality to him when he managed the Yankees. He won the respect and trust of a talented roster and that enabled him to get the most out of that roster.

Thomson watched Torre, learned from him.

"Joe Torre was really into relationships and gaining trust with a player and that taught me a lot," Thomson said. "Before you can really help players, they have to be able to trust you first."

Judging from the comments of Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and others in the clubhouse, Thomson has built that trust over his five years with the Phillies. Now, he must use it to get the most out of them, though trust won't turn a poor defense into an air-tight defense. Managers can only do so much, but at the outset, and after a three-game winning start, Thomson appears to have this group's trust.

WHAT HIS FORMER BOSS SAYS

It wasn't easy for Thomson to leave the Yankees after 28 years and join the Phillies in 2018. Though Thomson didn't get the Yankees' manager job, the club was disappointed to lose him.

"It was tough to see him leave," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said at the time. "He is a great coach, an exceptional baseball man. His knowledge of the game is off the charts.

"He's tough. He will be brutally honest. He'll say what a player needs to hear, not necessarily what a player wants to hear. And he'll always relate well to players because he always has their best interest at heart.

"Rob Thomson will keep the rudder steady every step of the way."

Five years later, Thomson has proven to be this guy. That's why he's getting a chance to see if he can take the Phillies where his two previous bosses couldn't.

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