Once again, former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi dips back into the pool of former Dodger associates to fill the San Francisco Giants’ managerial opening.
On Tuesday, Zaidi hired Gabe Kapler as the new manager in San Francisco. Remember, Kapler was fired a month ago by the Philadelphia Phillies. Now just that quickly, he has a fresh start on the West coast.
Still, Kapler will arrive to high expectations. Notably, the last three managers of the Giants have been Felipe Alou, Dusty Baker, and Bruce Bochy. It’s not exactly a follow-up act that will go smoothly if Kapler doesn’t deliver some competitive baseball in the first few seasons of the deal.
It’s official! Please join us in welcoming our new Manager, Gabe Kapler.#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/YWQWUqp4JP
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) November 13, 2019
Moreover, Zaidi spoke towards his decision to hire Kapler; and his past relationship with him in Los Angeles.
“Gabe’s someone obviously I worked with for three years and got to know personally and obviously know very well from a professional standpoint,” Zaidi said. “I feel really optimistic and confident that once our fan base gets to know him, they’re going to know the person I’ve known personally and professionally and be really excited about him as our next manager. There have been some portrayals of him publicly that I don’t even recognize.”
During the past week – the Giants narrowed the list of candidates to three finalists – Kapler, Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Tampa Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro.
The past two seasons, Kapler had a record 161-163 with the Phillies. This includes an 81-81 campaign in 2019 that got him relieved of his duties.
Right now, San Francisco is likely looking up in the division at the Dodgers, Padres, and DiamondBacks. It’s going to be a tough go of things with how their current roster sits, and he likely had more talent at the MLB level with the Phillies.
