Monday afternoon the Philadelphia Phillies named Gabe Kapler as their new manager. The Kapler signing is one of many managerial moves organizations have made in recent weeks, as the Washington Nationals named David Martinez as their new manager, after firing Dusty Baker. The Boston Red Sox signed Alex Cora as their new manager and the New York Yankees fired longtime manager Joe Girardi last Thursday.
The Philadelphia Phillies Name Gabe Kapler As Their New Manager
As baseball continues to trend more towards analytics, team president Andy Mcphail wants to point the Phillies in that direction. Philadelphia ranked dead last among the four major US sports in analytics during 2015, and as Mcphail’s analytical group continues to grow, signing Kapler is a huge stride in making the Philadelphia Phillies more analytical.
Kapler was one of three finalists for the job, the other two finalists were former Red Sox manager John Farrell, and Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs manager Dusty Wathan. Being a minor league manager, Wathan helped develop a number of Phillies players including Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco, and Nick Williams.
Kapler, 42, played 12 major league seasons including four seasons with the Red Sox. He was the director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers before becoming the Phillies new manager. His strong background in analytics made him the best candidate for the job.
Phillies principle owner John Middleton hired Mcphail in June 2015 in order to focus more on analytics within the organization. Middleton also brought on Matt Klentak as the Phillies general manager four months later. Klentak is an Ivy League graduate with a background in analytics who promised Middleton he would take a balanced approach.
Signing Kapler also shows the Philadelphia Phillies following another trend; hiring younger managers. Managers are becoming an extension of the front office and will need to be able to communicate the intelligence from the front office to the players on the field rather than taking matters into their own hands. As baseball continues to trend more towards analytics, managers such as Cora and Kapler will be in high demand.
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