The Phillies officially announced the hiring of new manager Gabe Kapler, a 42-year-old (w ho will be their youngest manager since Terry Francona) from the LA Dodger organization.
Other then managing briefly a Class-A ball in the Red Sox organization, Kapler has zero experience managing a professional baseball team.He was the Director of Player Development for the Dodgers before being hired by the Phils.
Kapler is a big analytics guy and a fitness nut. He is a Matt Klentak clone. Klentak wanted his own guy. Old-school managers, like Pete Mackannin, are dinosaurs in baseball now. It's all about numbers and geeky, nerdy crap.
I'll give Kapler a chance until I see different, but on the surface, I don't like the signing.
Ex-Yankee skipper Joe Girardi was available but didn't even get an interview. Girardi is not a "retreat"- he recently took the young Yanks to the brink of the World Series.
Whereas I'm happy the Phillies didn't hire another washed-up, by the book veteran like a Dusty Baker or Buck Showalter, I didn't exactly see them hiring a guy who has no managerial experience on the big league level either.
Klentak has his neck firmly in the noose now. Sink or swim with Kapler. Team president Andy MacFailure is already on record as saying that a general manager only has so many managers to hire and fire.
Maybe Kapler will bring a fresh, new perspective to the team. They do need a more positive attitude with this group of young players. No more striving to be .500, wanting to be mediocre. They need to hustle, play small-ball and execute the fundamentals, yet stress the long-ball as well in cozy Citizens Bank Park.
Perhaps Kapler will bring along Dodger hitting coach Mark Mcguire to tutor fellow slugger Rhys Hoskins? The Dodgers system is always packed with prospects,e specially pitcihng, and maybe Kapler can help Phillies scouts and coaches in that aspect.
Kapler comes to town after the World Series ends a tthe end of the week. I'll have more of an opinion then.
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