Anthony Mazziotti
Jon Heyman broke the story on Sunday night.
Jim Salisbury confirmed the Heyman report:
Hearing same as @JonHeyman Phillies are poised to hire Gabe Kapler as skipper
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) October 30, 2017
The Phillies have yet to make an official announcement, but it is looking like the new skipper will be Gabe Kapler. Kapler, 42, is currently the Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kapler is a former outfielder, playing for over 12 seasons in the MLB for seven different teams. His time as a player, paired with his deep love of analytics, and the time spent running the farm system in LA make him the dream candidate for Matt Klentak and the Phillies brass.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the baseball field from a lot of different angles,” Kapler told the New York Times in 2008. “From a highly touted prospect, to a 57th-round draft pick in the lowest of the minor leagues, from a starter to a bench player, I’ve run the gamut.”
Fun facts:
1. Kapler’s only coaching experience came in 2007 as the manager of the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, he lead the team to a 58-81 record. He returned to professional baseball the following season. His second time as a coach came in 2012 for team Israel in the World Baseball Classic
2. Kapler is a workout and health freak. He mandated organic food in the Dodgers’ farm system.
3. As I previously mentioned, he is big into sabermetrics, analytics, and numbers. He could be viewed as the future of baseball.
First take: I like the hire. I was big on hiring Dusty Wathan as manager, but Kapler appears to be a good pick as well. I’m intrigued to see the rest of the coaching staff decisions.
Stay tuned for updates on this story.
You can follow Anthony Mazziotti on Twitter (@AntMazziotti) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram