Gabe Kapler Out as the Manager of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco, CA (PSF) After almost 4 seasons as the Manager of the San Francisco Giants, Gabe Kapler was fired Friday morning. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was one of the first to report this.
Kapler departs with a 295-248 record as the Manager of the Giants, the 3rd-highest winning percentage in franchise history, though it is buoyed by the 2021 season in which Kapler received National League Manager of the Year honors and won 107 games. They fell a game short of advancing past the NLDS that year.
His yearly records are:
2020: 29-31
2021: 107-55
2022: 81-81
2023: 78-81 (fired)
Throughout Kapler’s up-and-down tenure, the cloud of mediocrity hung over the team each year, which left fans questioning whether he was the right fit for the Giants. Endless platoons, constant rotational overturn both in the pitching rotation and in the lineup, and analytics-driven decisions became Giants baseball when Gabe Kapler took over the team. They never had a standout offense or pitching staff during his tenure, always placing right in the middle of the pack or slightly below league average.
Over the past few weeks, the turmoil inside the Giants’ clubhouse and front office began to come to light. Team leaders such as Logan Webb suggested that the team needs to prioritize “a winning culture”, and that he was “sick of losing”.
Kapler has been known to be well-liked by the players and to have close relationships with many of the players. But there is a difference between a friendly, functional culture and a winning culture. It now seems apparent that although Kapler was a good friend to the players, the “managerial buddy” did not translate to a winning culture. Kapler let too many of the players operate on their own program, which seemed to have created a lack of cohesion in the clubhouse and a lower sense of urgency to win baseball games. The frustration of mediocrity and losing finally surfaced, and Logan Webb spoke up about it. It was not as a shot to Kapler, but possibly a suggestion that the culture Kapler created in the locker room was not a winning culture.
For a Major League Baseball team, that is unacceptable, and the Fans, Players, Front Office, and Giants’ Leadership Greg & Charles Johnson seemingly feel this way. Thus, Kapler was fired.
Former SFG Manager Gabe Kapler (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Kapler’s future became murkier once players began speaking up. His future with the Giants seemed to be in jeopardy, but many wondered if the Giants would really fire him with a year left on his deal. However, once Farhan Zaidi navigated around a question about Gabe Kapler’s role in 2024 and did not give a definitive answer, many knew Kapler’s time in San Francisco was finished.
It’s clear that the Front Office and Ownership had heard the fan uproar about the Giants’ play, the players’ dissatisfaction with their results and play, and the way the roster was utilized this year. All of these issues pointed back to Kapler. By looking to “improve across the board”, management likely realized that a new philosophy needed to implemented, since Kapler’s was no longer effective.
Farhan Zaidi has heard the criticism. He has agreed that the team construction needs to be reevaluated. He agreed that the short-term deals and platooning limit the upside of the team. Farhan has owned up to his mistakes. Now, he is on the clock. They fired the leader of the team they built, but as the one who built the team, he is next in line to go if the Giants do not improve.
Many also feel Kapler was the scapegoat for the Giants’ ineptitude. Although a big portion of the struggles lied directly on Kapler’s shoulders, there is some truth in this.
Although the analytical approach and attempts to outwork other teams ultimately ended up failing, when Kapler was given high-quality everday players with less of a need to play matchups and platoons, Kapler found much more success.
2021 was the year when the team was considerably more talented. The Giants’ 2021 roster was considerably more talented, led by Buster Posey, Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, and breakout years from Logan Webb, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford. When you compare this roster to the current roster, there is not a single player, besides maybe Wilmer Flores, who has performed to the level of the 2021 stars. Kapler was a dealt an unwinnable hand, and still managed to play almost .500 ball with a plethora of overpaid veterans, extremely inexperienced rookies, and fringe-roster players acquired from other teams. Kapler got what he could out of the players, but with the players he worked with .500 ball always seemed like the ceiling.
This seems to be a potential turning point for the San Francisco Giants. A new manager may bring a new culture and a new philosophy. Fortunately, this means that 2023 may be the final year that the Giants are considered the League’s most boring and uninteresting team.
