The Phillies have called on Charlie Manuel to help the team during their hitting slump. The Phillies offense is among the worst in the league and it helps that Manuel led a slugging Phillies team to the World Series title in 2008.
What to Know
- Charlie Manuel led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series and 5 NL East titles in nine seasons as manager.
- He replaces John Malee as hitting coach for the rest of the 2019 season.
- The Phillies have were in 4th place in the NL East with a 60-58 record entering Tuesday night's game.
Amid a summer slump that has seen the Phillies drop out of a playoff spot, the team is bringing back a legend to hopefully jump-start the offense.
The Phillies have named World Series-winning former manager Charlie Manuel as hitting coach for the remainder of the season, the team announced Tuesday morning.
Manuel, 75, replaces John Mallee, who was fired, the Phillies said.
NBC Sports Philadelphia summed up the move to Manuel as a stunning one calling it a return to "hitting season," a favorite term of Manuel's.
He has been working as a senior advisor to general manager Matt Klentak.
Manuel became the most winning manager in Phillies history during his tenure from 2005 until he was fired during the 2013 season. The Phillies went 780 and 636 in the regular season under Manuel. He led the Phillies to five division crowns and the 2008 World Series.
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With 44 games remaining in what so far has been an underwhelming season, the Phillies hope that Manuel can spark an offense that has been wildly inconsistent all season.
The Phillies have been a disappointing offense and have been even worse since the All-Star break, ranking 25th or worse in the majors in runs, batting average, OPS and extra-base hits. Coming off of a 2-5 road trip, it seemed some sort of change was coming.
Manuel, a feared slugger in Japan during his playing days, has experience as a hitting coach. He served as the Cleveland Indians' hitting coach in two stints in the 1980s and 90s. The Indians twice led the major leagues in homers during that time.
