The Giants are set to interview ex-Phillies manager Gabe Kapler for their vacant managerial position, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Add Kapler’s name to a growing list of known candidates for the San Francisco job, which includes internal options Ron Wotus and Hensley Meulens, as well as Royals quality control/catching coach Pedro Grifol and Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay.
Among that group, it’s notable that Kapler is the only candidate with big-league managerial experience. Even so, Kapler has managed just two years at the MLB level and just got out of his first managing gig. That’s not to say that he’s unfit to return to an MLB dugout; it’s not uncommon for first-time managers to experience growing pains before finding success in their second crack at the job.
Of course, Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi is familiar with Kapler from their time together in the Dodgers organization, where Kapler served as the director of player development, with Heyman going as far as to say that Zaidi “loves” Kapler.
The 44-year-old Kapler has certainly come under his fair share of scrutiny after two disappointing seasons in Philadelphia. A pair of September collapses have seen his teams come up short of the postseason, which, coupled with rising expectations for the team, ultimately spelled his demise. However, Kapler’s intent on managing again, and there’s reason to believe that he could draw significant interest. He reportedly received a glowing recommendation from Zaidi himself while interviewing for the Phillies job, while Phillies GM Matt Klentak expressed confidence in Kapler before ownership overruled him.
While Kapler could be viewed as a favorite for the position, there’s still plenty of ground to cover before a match is made. Reports indicate that Zaidi intends to interview more than a half-dozen candidates before arriving at a decision. Still, Kapler is certainly a name to watch in the Giants’ developing search for Bruce Bochy’s successor.
mattwild1
i don’t care if him and Zaidi are best buds, he’s not a good manager and doesn’t deserve to be considered for the position.
T_Rexx2
I liked Kapler. I hope he gets another shot, but the last 2 collapses are inexcusable. He had to be let go, even though it wasn’t entirely his fault.
dimitrila
No, he didn’t have to be let go.
DarkSide830
yes he did. he did a terrible job and public sentiment wanted him gone.
dimitrila
Again I’m not seeing how he did a terrible job. As for public sentiment, it’s Philly. The reputation of their public sentiment is historically problematic.
htbnm57
By all means, hire him and push back your rebuild 2 years or more.
htbnm57
Look at the Phillies August and September records the last two years and tell me the teams didn’t quit on him .
frank_costanza
Just looked. The teams didn’t quit on him.
htbnm57
Most of the returning players from last year regressed with the exception of Kingery who had a brutal rookie year.
htbnm57
It’s not what you say in interviews it’s the effort and results that were clearly not there.
nbgiant25
@DarkSide830
Yes, because mob rule is always the smart way to go.
Woods Rider
In any sport, the manager is the PR person for the field club. Gabe was DOA in Philly. The majority of fans never gave him a chance. If the fans don’t like the manager, then that manager is screwed.
Think of it the other way, look at Larry Bowa in Philly. Man is a God.
Dingerz
It’s from not trading Bumgarner and Smith and now probably hiring Kapler… at least Zaidi got us Dubon and Yaz.
lowtalker1
What happens if he wasn’t the problem but instead the gm and owner of the Phillies were the problem? Shrugs
frank_costanza
+1
DarkSide830
than Klentak is fired. the only reason he is still around is because he was just extended. Middleton is smart enough to know he might not be the best option, but he’s also smart enough to know he can light a fire under Klentak’s butt if he wishes too, and if it doesn’t work than he is gone before the 2020 World Series ends.
kahnkobra
Dubon was a hell of a pick up
petefrompp
I keep hearing this narrative. I can’t yet judge FZ on not trading Bumgarner and Smith. I say this only because we don’t know if any legitimate offers were ever received in trade talks.
Look at the running links shared by MLB Trade Rumors this whole season – they continually tell the story of teams not valuing Bumgarner very highly-
I’m a Giants fan and totally biased, but I think Bum has value, but what if the league doesn’t value him? Do you trade a franchise Icon for some scrubs?? Unless we get information saying some franchise was willing to give up a couple of top 100 prospects – I can’t state if FZ made a good move or a bad move.
All I can say is the A’s and Dodgers most likely wish they would have traded for Bumgarner. Bumgarner to the A’s made so much sense it’s ridiculous.
I have the same sentiment regarding Smith , minus the emotional attachment. My assumption is the offers didn’t meet a reasonable expectation.
Just my 2 cents
CONservative governMENt
Hensley Meulens deserves a shot, especially with a rebuilding team.
Kapler has some red flags character-wise from his time with the Dodgers. Not sure why he’d be sought after given that he doesn’t seem to be a good manager in the first place.
talking baseball
Hensley Meulens was a terrible hitting coach and as a bench coach I don’t know.
I really don’t want him to manage the Giants. If you want someone in-house then it should be Ron Wotus, he’s been with the Giants for 32 years and has done everything except manager at the big league level. He has a fiery personality that might wake up the veterans and motivate the rookies.
Jean Matrac
@talking baseball.
I have no personal knowledge as to whether Meulens was a good or bad hitting coach, and neither do you. If you think it’s quantifiable by a team’s BA, or HR totals you are completely misguided.
There are a lot of professional hitters in every team’s organization, both active and now coaching. If a hitting coach, or any coach for that matter, is not doing a good job, he doesn’t last. I’m not sure why you think you’re a better judge of Meulens’ coaching ability than the those in the Giant’s org.
rightyspecialist
Wotus / Meulens just coached the Giants their 3rd consecutive below .500 losing season and Giants fans think that Zaidi should reward someone from that coaching staff w/ the managerial job? Really? Farhan was not hired to do that ridiculous nonsense. They had Bobby Evans for that sort of thing
azcrook
Wotus deserves a shot well before Meulens…..he is well experienced as a major coach and has been a very successful minor league manager. He is also very well liked in the clubhouse and his appointment would be a positive step by management in keeping some of your key free agents.
kahnkobra
Zaidi knows about those flags , so he’s going to hire him
keysox
No
JayRyder
Of Course.
If not the Manager. Farhan knows him well from the Dodgers for other positions. . .
Might be a steal.
Farhan’s Still building his front office. And stated. Sometimes the best Managers are ones onto their second stint. Not Their First. !
– My Opinion. I’d pass as a Manager at This point. But he might be cool as an organizational guy. Farhan would know better than me.
imgman09
WOTUS!
its_happening
SF has an offseason question; are they trying to win or trying to rebuild. If a rebuild is in the cards then hire Kapler. Let him and the team grow together. If SF is really trying to win, hire the best manager. No argument can/should be made for Kapler being the best manager.
SFGiants74
They already started rebuilding. What are you talking about?
its_happening
They have started absolutely nothing, Vince. When they do it will have been a year too late. So, what are you talking about?
gmenfan
They dabbled their toes in rebuilding and blurred the lines between tearing down and contending. If they had accepted the full rebuild mindset, Bumgarner and Smith would not have finished the season on the roster.
its_happening
gmen – exactly.
frank_costanza
Good move. I know I’m in the minority in saying this but he’s a good manager. Really curious to see what he could do with an organization that knows what it’s doing.
gmenfan
Serenity now !!!
frank_costanza
HOOCHIE MAMA
richard dangler
Can we (the posting community) get an apology from mlb trade rumors for their aggressive censorship regarding the Tyler Skaggs story? Everyone who posted at that time who said he was clearly an addict had their posts removed. I’m sure this site will ignore the facts that came out today.
Deleted Userrrrr
Comment removed in 5… 4… 3… 2…
DarkSide830
no, I hope it stays up like Sampson’s did. no reason to not have to own one’s stupidity.
champion1701
Irrelevant. This is a private website, they can choose what is discussed and frankly the talk of his addiction is disrespectful and MLBTR has the right to not allow disrespectful comments to remain on their website.
DarkSide830
+1
jorge78
Really!!??
Down vote for you!
sf fan
The Panda for manager.
champion1701
Panda for Director of Concessions and Fan Experience
Mendoza Line 215
Champion-Please,No.
Panda would eat and drink all of the concessions before anyone else had a chance to.
jekporkins
Only if Boston pays his salary.
phillyballers
Goes on to coach team to WS victory. Phillies then realize they needed to fire McPhail and Klentak.
Starting pitching is overrated anyway.
locutus
Bizarro world when kapler’s the manager in sf and dusty baker gets the gig in philly.
southpaw2153
Kapler is a sabr puppet, so Farhan will most likely hire him.
ericl
Kapler has his head stuck in his I-Pad. He has no feel for the game. He relies solely on the numbers and that doesn’t work. His pitchers hated him because of the way handled the staff & because of the way he positioned the defense.
DadsInDaniaBeach
So, again, I write too express why I think Kapler needed to go..
You guys/gals tell me…
You are down by 1 run..8th inning..runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1st base open and there are two outs..up steps Freddie Freeman..do you walk him, or pitch to him??????
Kapler pitched to him.. 2 runs scored on a base hit…that is just one example..there are so many, there isn’t room here for them….
RunDMC
Kapler gets hired by SF and I am convinced he is LAD’s Trojan horse. Not that they need one.
gmenfan
Who needseed a Trojan horse when you’re already your own worst enemy ?
Frisco500
I dunno. But I randomly ran into Bochy at the park today. He was surveying new locations for the bullpens. Guess this is his version of retirement. His successor is going to have big shoes, er, a big hat to fill.
Gumby82
WOTUS
hopper15
Part of me wonders if Wotus is just a bad interview. He has plenty of experience but no one seems to be willing to give him a shot.
owg666
Phils season ticket holder here. From what I’ve seen over two years, he’s going through growing pains. He definitely gets too chummy with his players, but he’s still young. He needs to find a better balance between analytics and gut feelings. But this year he had a decimated bullpen, lousy starting pitching and dumpster dive replacements. Still managed a .500 record. I think he improved from last year. He needs seasoning. He’s a smart guy, he’ll figure it out.
rightyspecialist
Kapler is arguably one of the better guys the Giants could get. Of all the managerial vacancies,the Giants job is one of the least desirable. Bad team in the beginning of a massive rebuild, they’re gonna lose a lot of games over the next 3 years.That’s risky. Chicago, NY, PHL, SD much better gigs. Top candidates will go there before San Francisco. However, Gabe’s relationship w/ Farhan might trump the potential pit falls of the Giants job. If he’s interviewing he’s clearly interested
antibelt
Ability to have a massive payroll, rebuilt farm system. Increase in wins over last couple of years. Least desirable? Gtfoh
greatd
Clint Hurdle or Brad Ausmus?
Mendoza Line 215
I think that Clint is done.
He is 63 and shows no energy for the job.
He possibly could go to KC for their rebuild as he did play there and they are not real close to contending.
I do not see him anywhere else.
bravesfan
Cause they figure “heck, can’t be any worse right?” This guy took a good team and under performed every year hahaha
frank_costanza
Not sure what rosters you’re talking about.
StandUpGuy
Wow… What a downgrade Kapler would be compared to Bochy. That’s like taking zero steps forward and eleven steps back. I have heard a lit of rumors that Bochy only retired because SF didn’t truly want him anymore and that hr might actually immediately come out of retirement to resign with the Padres. Wouldn’t it be funny if he did that and the Giants actually gave Bochy to a division rival for the sole purpose of replacing him with terrible Gabe Kappler? I mean, I know Giants fans wouldn’t find it funny but everyone else would at least find it funny weird, right? Who would honestly rather have Gabe Kapler at the helm over Bochy. Even more funny would be if Bochy signed with Philadelphia. That would be like SF making a willing trade of Bochy for Kapler. I feel like this is overhyped. Zaidi has to be smarter than that.
Gmen777
I’d rather have Kotsay or Wotus
El Ruso
Yet I can’t see to comment on the Skaggs story. Pure coincidence, I guess.
njmatt82
I liked Kapler. I hope he gets another job. He was just too sunny for Negadelphia.
Mendoza Line 215
They were not going to win this year anyway with the starters that they had and the injuries to the bullpen.
They could have easily gone south like the Pirates did this year.
sacball
I’d rather take Stephen Vogt as a player manager
Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher
If Faidi hires Kapler, the Giants will win the NL West next year. Kapler’s problem in Philly was his inept Ivy League nerd of a GM giving him crappy starting pitching both years.
Only Nola gave the Phillies a chance to win. The other starting pitchers were scratch-off lottery tickets, and you can find them discarded in the parking lots of 7-11s across the country.
I don’t buy that Kapler wasn’t a Philly kind of guy. Lived there all my life and I’m still not sure what the media means by that sobriquet. Fact is, if the Phillies made the playoffs, Kapler would be a Philly kind of guy.
Winning cures everything.
frank_costanza
I am from Philly as well and can’t stand how narrow minded and short sighted the vocal majority of the fan base is. They have very short memories and forget that Doug Peterson and Charlie Manuel were “idiots” until they won. There was enough evidence to suggest that Gabe is a good manager with a bright future but the fan base never got over Nola being pulled on opening day 2018. Who cares about his postgame pressers? Why does he have to sit there and hang his guys out to dry, scream and curse to be accepted? There’s more than one way to motivate and Philly is too stubborn to accept a positive and forward thinking approach. I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of in a stable franchise with a front office that’s willing to support him on the field. It’s absurd that the front office got to play the long game while he had to win now. Talent makes all of the difference in the world. Need an example? The Nationals are two wins away from the World Series with DAVEY FREAKIN’ MARTINEZ as their manager. Has anyone ever watched him manage a game????
Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher
Frank:
A very astute post. And don’t forget about the fan reaction when the Eagles hired Andy Reid instead of one of the bigger names who were available. Could there be an image any more in contradiction with the term, “Philly Guy” than a chubby Mormon from Utah who no one ever heard of until the Eagles hired him?
The Raiders’ Al Davis said it best: “Just win, baby!”. Fact is, the Phillies could hire Humpty Dumpty to manage the team if they fixed their starting pitching and maybe signed an Anthony Rendon and they might win it all.
Unless the manager totally alienates the players, all he really has to do with a good team is post the line up, get out of the way and let ’em play. That’s what Chollie and Fregosi did.
Hope they get it done. Have ardently followed this team every year since 1955 when I was nine-years-old. All I have to show for 65 years of devotion are two WS wins and a season (1964) that still haunts me to this day.
GarryHarris
When I look at a Manager, I start with the bullpen. That’s where the Manager can make the most difference. Its how and when he uses them makes an enormous difference. Bruce Bochy, Buck Showalter and Lou Piniella could get the most from their pens. I thought Gabe Kapler managed a good pen for the personnel he had. Lineup tinkering is part of managing. However, I don’t like when a fast runner bats behind 1-2 slow or poor runners. It negates one asset.
The players not giving 100% is just as much the front office. The Phillies give me the impression of being lawless. They don’t hustle, don’t play defense and don’t respect the Manager.
krillin89
I would say Kapler would be a fine manager for a mid tier team that isn’t in a win now mode. Idk, like the Padres maybe? But the Giants doesn’t really work in my opinion. For a contending team I can definitely see him as a 3rd base coach or something like that for a team with an older manager. Sort of a liaison of sorts
22Leo
I called this. Zaidi is bad. I like the fact that he is going to keep the Giants in the cellar.