Giants hire Gabe Kapler

After two seasons, a 161-163 record, no playoff appearances, and a rocky relationship with fans and media alike, the Phillies fired Gabe Kapler, as you may remember.

Well, his unemployment did not last long.

The San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday that they had hired Kapler to be Bruce Bochy’s successor, to manage a team that has lost 272 games over the past three seasons.

Kapler, 44, inherits an aging Major League roster that could also lose franchise icons Madison Bumgarner and Pablo Sandoval, as well as standout reliever Will Smith, to free agency. The Giants are the Giants, though, after all, and they may yet find a way to conjure up some witchcraft that propels them into the playoffs.

I digress!

Kapler will look to reassert his position as a long-term managerial hopeful in the wake of his unceremonious exit from Philadelphia, as the Phillies eventually hired Joe Girardi in a move in favor of more experience and a general distaste for complete September collapses. He received a three-year deal, and some kind parting words.

The Giants visit Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series in August 2020, which happens to coincide with Alumni Weekend.