Should Kapler Be Fired?

[zambonir]

Yeah no chance Klentak would ever hire Scioscia.

I don't see much to the Heyman item. I'm sure there are plenty of areas of disagreement. The old cliche is that you can't trade 25 players but we've already heard another rumor that the Phillies are willing to trade 23 of them so it's pretty clear what they might think of any player who doesn't agree with the direction of the franchise, and based on the team's record and individual performances nobody besides Nola played well enough to have that kind of credibility. Arrieta and Santana kind of do but they've made positive public statements already. I don't see how Hunter and Neshek can be anything but happy with how the manager used them (and supported them during struggles in Hunter's case); if they still wish they were playing for a manager who manages bullpens like everybody else, oh well.

https://fancredsports.com/articles/inside-baseball-mlb-notes-cashman-has-scouts-adv

[EastFallowfield]

I was thinking of this one from Casey Stengel:

The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their minds.

[phillychuck]

I remember Casey's quote as follows. "In every clubhouse there are 5 guys who love you, 5 guys who hate you, and 15 who are on the fence. The secret of good managing is to keep the 5 guys who hate you away from the 15 guys who are on the fence."

[EastFallowfield]

That's what i get for trusting google

[schillingfan]

I always think about the Bowa quote that if the lights went off in the room there would be 24 guys jumping on him. (Rollins being the exception.)

[phillychuck]

You and google are probably right, although my guess is he said it more than once and differently each time. I just remembered it the way I wrote it above, probably mis-quoted to me from a friend.

I think it's funnier with all 25 guys in it...

[EastFallowfield]

Yes it is.

MacPhail says he's gonna get Kapler to be more publicly pessimistic next year, so the Phils fans can relate to him more

[zambonir]

Haha did he really?

It is basic media training is all. Deciding what version of yourself to put out there. But also, deciding who your audience is (i.e. the fans, media or your own players).

[EastFallowfield]

"I watched this happen to Dusty Baker, said MacPhail, who was the Cubs' president while Baker was the manager. "If you're just overly positive, overly positive, then you lose credibility with the fans after a while. You have to find a way to craft a message that is not critical of your players or negative but acknowledge that there's some areas like the rest of us we need to make some improvements."

[EastFallowfield]

Cubs fans grousing about all the lineups they used this year because their 95 win team is down a run in the playoffs

[xogfog]

Report: FBI, Department of Justice probing Dodgers’ Latin American player...

This is potentially troubling if Kapler is involved and to what degree. If the worst is proven, we might need a new manager anyway as Kapler might be banned from baseball. Luckily this does not involve the Phillies organization other than Kapler.

[Philsmania]

One thing is certain, the Philadelphia media--and not just the blowhards on WIP--doesn't like Kapler. He rubs them the wrong way, somehow.

[zambonir]

I don't think Kapler is involved in any way shape or form and it's unfortunate/unfair they are tying him to this. There is no reason to think the direct of player dev had anything to do with the signing of an overage Cuban free agent, or the signing of anyone, nor would he have supervised anyone involved in such things.

Seems more likely the Braves could be involved, since Anthopolous worked for the Dodgers (is he the one giving testimony?) and they acquired the player.

Latin American scouting has always basically been a criminal enterprise. This looks kind of political tbh, since it involves two unfriendly countries. Which is not to say it isn't deserved, and that reform isn't desperately needed.

I'll pick Kapler and Klentak over Cataldi any day, meanwhile. I noticed Cataldi ripped Klentak for not having any good players besides Nola and Hoskins. While I also think that is incorrect, he also hasn't actually acquired any players besides the four free agents and Velasquez. So if he has failed up to this point it's because he didn't recognize how bad the inherited major league talent pool actually was. But I don't think that's a serious argument. He got 7 WAR from his free agents and 7 more wins (in theory) from internal growth with a lot of development from the pitching staff and a handful of position players (if not as many as we'd like). Hoskins and Herrera probably should have given them three or four more wins and that is the one area where everyone failed in some way.

[andyb]

While I also think that is incorrect, he also hasn't actually acquired any players besides the four free agents and Velasquez

Though one could argue that on balance the 4 free agents and the Giles-Velasquez deal were decent.

The moves that really did not help were the recent deadline moves though the cost there was minor (other than Kilome which is what I assume was the intention).

This winter presents the first real challenge over what moves are needed to compete (and when). The free agent class is more consequential and the roster is mis-matched at the moment (players out of position, need to decide which young players are keepers). Klentak was hesitant in deals prior to this year other than Giles. There was a valid reason in that they needed to learn more about their young core. Now that much of that is done, the constraints on potential dealing are potentially off.

[zambonir]

Though one could argue that on balance the 4 free agents and the Giles-Velasquez deal were decent.

Agreed, but no judgment either way. I just don't think people recognize the biggest factor in the glacial rebuild pace is not the front office overhaul or data revolution but the actual roster. We are rightly disappointed with Klentak's drafts so far but that doesn't change the fact that he did not inherit the sort of talent Luhnow and Theo did.

And of course the Phillies delayed their rebuild, so except for the Hamels deal there weren't any big deadline seller hauls, just lottery tickets and spare parts like Pivetta (Eflin probably the most valuable acquisition of that period but that wasn't a deadline deal). The Astros started their rebuild when we acquired Oswalt in 2010 and the Cubs were still trading vets for value (Russell) in 2014. It's not spin when Klentak says things are on schedule, though it doesn't excuse the bad drafting or the indecisive front office moves (the Astros were still doing scouting housecleaning 3-4 years in but not at the higher levels).

[Squire]

"All I ask is for an apology, my 75 cents back...and for him to be fired"

[Ric20]

Kapler does not only needs to be Fired he will be mark it down !The guy just has never fit he here in Philly much like Chip Kelly ! Plus he never did anything to deserve the job in the first place !

[schillingfan]

I agree he doesn’t fit here in Philly, but that’s not a good reason for firing anybody. You can’t run a team based on who the fans like. If the Phillies did, they wouldn’t have won the World Series in 2008 as the fans who now all love Charlie, hated Cholly.

[Ric20]

Kapler will be fired not because of how we fans feel about him get it right he has no skills to be a manager & it don't help that he can not connect with Philly !

[Ric20]

That is total BS !