SAN FRANCISCO — Two years after Gabe Kapler was named National League Manager of the Year, the Giants are looking for a new leader.
The organization on Friday released Kapler, who had one year left on his contract extension after the 2021 season. Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations, said that day that committing to “a level of stability and security for our continued partnership” was a high priority for the Giants, but in the two years since then there has only been one for the organization very little went well.
The Giants, once 13 games over .500, fell apart in the second half and are currently 78-81 and in fourth place in the NL West. Early last week, team officials said publicly and privately that they expected both Zaidi and Kapler to return in 2024, but ultimately the final two months of the season proved so disappointing that someone had to take the fall.
Kapler was hired before the 2019 season and missed the playoffs in three of his four seasons in San Francisco. The exception was 2021, when the Giants won 107 games and stunned the industry by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division title. That earned Kapler an extension, but the Giants finished 81-81 the following season, and this year’s collapse was accompanied by public comments from respected players questioning the organization’s preparation, energy and commitment to building a winning culture.
The decision came after a break in the second half that covered almost all aspects of the game. The Giants were well over .500 for most of the summer and were just 2 1/2 games out of first place in their division on August 1, but over the next two months they proved nearly incapable of winning on the road and were embarrassed on a crucial season-ending road trip and eliminated from the wild-card race with Tuesday’s loss.
The Giants have had the worst offense in baseball since early July and their defense has taken a step backwards in recent weeks. They set a franchise record for strikeouts and led the major leagues in errors, and while the pitching was able to keep the rest of the team afloat for most of the summer, they ultimately paid for having only two reliable starters.
Despite the lackluster play in August, the Giants started September well, and Kapler had the support of management. With Wednesday’s loss, however, the Giants are now just 8-17 in September. They need to win to reach .500, and there’s a strong chance they finish fourth in their division.
Perhaps just as damning was the perception that the clubhouse culture needed to change, one that Zaidi would take to heart during an appearance on KNBR this week. Earlier this week, Kapler said he appreciated the players voicing their opinions and agreed that the standard was not being met. He said he “absolutely” understood how everything affected the person in charge.
“That’s my job,” Kapler said. “I definitely do (that’s what I wear). Everything that happens in the clubhouse, everything that happens on that baseball field, I signed up to be responsible for that.”
This is nothing new for Kapler. He was fired under similar circumstances after just two seasons in Philadelphia, with the team underperforming and failing to live up to expectations in September. Many criticisms were the same. That he relied too much on analysis and not his gut feeling. That he was unable to make contact with his fellow human beings. That he ran a loose business and failed to hold players accountable.
Perhaps just as crucial to ownership was Kapler’s difficulty connecting with the fan base. His first press conference in 2019 was controversial, and although he was extremely active in the community, his front office and staff failed to garner the same response as the previous regime.
For Kapler, this means a second firing in four years and for the Giants, the second search for a manager since Zaidi took over. Four years after making Kapler his hand-picked choice to replace Bruce Bochy, Zaidi is looking for a new partner, knowing he won’t get a third chance.
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