"I think if you watch Jonathan, you see how he gets excited. He was already getting all fired up when I was just talking to him. I could tell he was really happy about coming here," Manuel said. "He's really fired up about it, and I already know Jim Thome. What Thome is going to bring to us is the intangibles. He's going to be talking about hitting 24 hours a day. He's going to be talking to our players, and he's going to be very positive and upbeat."
Those intangibles are exactly what Amaro and Manuel said they are looking for this offseason. They want players who will fit well into the Phillies' current clubhouse and provide more leadership for the team. Of course, Amaro also wants players who he believes can produce on the field.
"Clearly, Jim has a great history with us. I think more than anything else, he helps bring a great voice and a great piece of experience to our clubhouse," Amaro said. "He's still a power threat, but I think more than anything he will be a heck of a mentor for some of our guys. He's just a good person to have in our clubhouse, and I'm hopeful after talking to him that he will be able to play enough to warrant the fact that we brought him back."
Thome was a fan-favorite in Philly from 2003-05 and has a .277 career batting average with 604 homers and 1,674 RBI. He posted a .256 average with 15 home runs and 50 RBI with the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians last season.
"He definitely will help us with our batting," said Manuel, who has maintained a close relationship with Thome over the years. "He's going to make the other manager think because he's got 600 home runs, and I don't think anybody just gave him those. He can still hit them."
