The Yankees looked to replace manager Joe Girardi for 2018 and Rob Thomson, a longtime Yankees coach and coach under Girardi, made the list of possible successors.
"One of my strengths is the trust the players have in me, I believe," Thomson told The North Jersey Record. "Because of that trust, we can implement more things into our game, whether it be analytics or sports science."
Thomson's connection to the Yankees dated back nearly three decades as a coach in the minors and then in the majors, all after a four-season stint as a player himself.
He ultimately didn't get selected to be the Yankees next manager in 2018, but he did go on to reunite with Girardi in Philadelphia, as Girardi's bench coach.
Thomson's long career in baseball began in 1985, taken by the Tigers in the 32nd round of the draft out of the University of Kansas. He went to Kansas out of his native Sarnia, Canada.
Thomson's playing career started at single-A Gastonia and rookie Bristol. He hit .180 in 41 games. He then saw Gastonia again and single-A Lakeland in 1986. He hit for the cycle with Gastonia that July.
He played Lakeland again in 1987 and 1988 to end his playing career. His 1988 season also saw Thomson serve as a minors instructor with the Tigers. He turned coach at AA London for 1989.
Thomson then joined the Yankees for 1990, as a coach at single-A Fort Lauderdale. By 1995, he was managing at short-season Oneonta.
"I think we've got a good team," Thompson told The Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin at the 1995 season's start. "We've got good pitching, with a bullpen that's real strong. I think we'll be above average with the bats."
Thomson eventually held with the Yankees titles of field coordinator, director of player development and vice president of minor league development.
By 2008, he'd earned the title of major league coach. He stayed in the majors with the Yankees for 10 seasons under Girardi, before he signed on with the Phillies as bench coach. Girardi eventually joined him there as manager for 2020.
In 2019, his work earned him a spot in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
"I am humbled and honoured to be inducted into Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame," Thomson said in a statement, according to The Sarnia Journal. "Growing up in Corunna Ontario, I would have never dreamt that such an honour would be bestowed onto me."
- Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, June 15, 1995: Oneonta Yankees
- Poughkeepsie Journal, North Jersey Record, Nov. 10, 2017: Yankees candidate stresses communication
- Sarnia Journal, Feb. 16, 2019: Rob Thomson named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Made the Majors:1,260-33.9%-X
Never Made Majors:2,453-66.1%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:522
10+ Seasons in the Minors:309
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