Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber rightfully gives vote of confidence to Don Mattingly amid rumors about Alex Cora

9 hours ago 5

When the Philadelphia Phillies decided to move on from skipper Rob Thomson, plenty of questions arose about whether it was the right decision for a team that wanted to win a World Series.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, they ultimately couldn't achieve that goal, losing in the Wild Card round to the Atlanta Braves.

Still, interim skipper Don Mattingly did a lot of good for the organization, and there's something to be said for that.

However, according to the latest reports, it seems certain he won't return to Philadelphia as manager, though he could stay on the staff in some capacity.

Speaking to reporters, some players didn't seem to have much to say about whether they wanted Mattingly around. That includes Bryce Harper, who didn't want to speak about it at the moment.

As for another top player on the roster, he made his feelings clear.

“I felt like he did a great job for us when we were in that tough spot,” Kyle Schwarber said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia, “and the way that he was able to get us to turn that page from a really hard time where you lose a guy -- you lost our manager who brought us to a lot of important games -- and I felt like his demeanor was great for us.”

Schwarber hit the nail right on the head here, as Mattingly was put in a tough spot and ultimately excelled in it.

This Phillies team has a boatload of talent, but it never felt like it reached its full potential. Mattingly at least got them closer to that than Thomson did earlier in the year.