The fate of Phillies manager Gabe Kapler hangs in the balance, someone's balance. Who? We don't exactly know.
His job status, as of Monday—the day after a very disappointing 81-81 seasons, is very much up in the air. General Manager Matt Klentak has backed his skipper multiple times over recent weeks. The big boss, Managing Partner John Middleton, hasn't publicly shared his opinion on the matter. President Andy MacPhail scoffed at the notion of any staff changes at his mid-season press gathering. That was before former hitting coach John Mallee was fired, but the rumblings going around is that was Middleton's call.
Kapler may be safe. He may not be. Time will tell.
A piece I wrote for 94WIP.com last week got some flak on Twitter, especially the line, "Gabe Kapler isn't why the Phillies aren't making the playoffs."
"Gabe Kapler isn't why the Phillies aren't making the playoffs."https://t.co/cHnQaErG4W
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 26, 2019If you think that piece was meant to defend Kapler, it wasn't. He's not perfect, but not terrible either. This team played so poorly and inconsistent, it didn't matter if Joe Torre or Connie Mack was in the Phils dugout. They have problems. Kapler is just the unpopular manager who takes a lot of grief for those issues. Replacing him won't magically put the Phillies into October baseball. At first, it will appease a rightfully frustrated fan base.
If Kapler returns in 2020, it's not the end of the world. But, two things must improve, for his sake and the Phillies.
First, he should be less reliant on numbers. Kapler is a smart guy and a baseball junkie. He's more than capable of using his gut instinct a little more. It doesn't sound good when he defends a struggling player based on small sample size, but tries to rationalize a failed decision based on past history that is just as tiny. Not walking Freddie Freeman in the Phils final game against the Braves was irresponsible, so much so that the Atlanta Fox Sports South telecast criticized the decision even though it worked in their favor. There were other instances where Kapler explained why he used a pinch hitter in one spot, but not another, based on a small dosage of statistics. In fairness, the moves that don't work are much more highlighted than those that do. Kapler wasn't 0-for the season, but there were a lot of moves that backfired, especially in September.
Second, even though he improved in this category in 2019, Kapler still speaks too highly about players during losses or when someone is struggling. Simply acknowledging poor team performance or general lack of hustle as unacceptable isn't enough. I'm not saying he should start ripping players to the point where it's detrimental, but publicly holding someone accountable every now and then might light a fire under a team that needs some life.
Kapler has proven that he's able to adjust. He did a little bit this season with his postgame commentary. If both of those things above improve, especially the first one, there's no reason Kapler can't be successful in Philadelphia with a better, healthier roster. His commitment to this city is as good as anyone who's been in his type of position, regardless of the sport. Kapler is a good guy who works his tale off. It's obvious, especially based on his use of numbers, his preparation is top notch. Sometimes, regardless of what it is life, you can be over prepared. Kapler may be over prepared, but it's a sign that he really, really cares. Nothing wrong with that.
Kapler, in a sense, is a lot like Sixers head coach Brett Brown. He's very talkative during press availabilities, but is unpopular with portions of the fan base. Doug Pederson, on the other hand, is beloved by the fans even though his press conferences aren't as interesting. Winning is what matters, especially winning it all. Kapler is capable of doing that with a better roster. It's only matter of time to see if he gets that chance.
