DODGERS Who will be the next MANAGER?

vote, if you must...

 

Dodgers Manager Candidate Profile: Gabe Kapler
by Anthony Irwin | Dodgers Nation — 30 minutes ago



One name that you’ll hear repeatedly as the Dodgers search for their next manager is Gabe Kapler. One question I’ll get regularly in the Dodgers Nation mentions is: “Who is Gabe Kapler?”

He’s probably the most logical candidate to fill Don Mattingly’s recently vacated position, both because of where he comes from and the position he currently holds.

First, it feels important to point out Kapler was born in Hollywood. We here in Southern California have this weird tendency to gravitate towards the bigger name (hence the interest in Dusty Baker, who doesn’t make any sense for the Dodgers – more on that in a separate piece) simply because know who that might be. If we haven’t heard of someone, the understanding is they probably aren’t worth our time. Someone who grew up here – as Kapler has – would grasp this and the culture of the entire area.

In terms of his baseball background, Kapler was a hard-working outfielder and well-rounded player. He spent time with several organizations throughout the league, which, contrary to Mattingly (who spent his entire career with the Yankees) might give him a broader foundation of what works in the MLB.

I’m not saying with any certainty one avenue is better than the other, simply that Kapler’s path offers something different, which is definitely something to keep in mind as you consider a replacement.

Post-retirement, Kapler jumped right back into baseball, as a minor league coach with the Red Sox organization, but after a year of that, decided he wanted back on the field. He made his return to the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers and played another few years before finally retiring officially in 2011.

One thing that shines through Kapler’s career is his passion for baseball. Now, this isn’t extraordinary, as the vast majority of professional baseball players tend to have an incredible love for the game, but Kapler’s inability to stay away is pretty interesting. It’s also probably part of why Andrew Friedman hired him for such an important role as Director or Player Development with the Dodgers very shortly after Friedman arrived in Los Angeles.

Which brings me to the larger point: Friedman, Zaidi and the rest of the organization already seem comfortable with Kapler. During the press conference Thursday afternoon, the only moment where Friedman seemed a little testy was when questions were asked about how communication works between the front office and the manager in regards to daily lineups and other strategic topics. If the manager hired and the front office already have a trust and line of communication, the transition will be all the smoother as the season starts taking shape.



Kapler is also well-versed in the sabermetrics movement within baseball, and while Friedman talked down that importance compared to other managerial qualities, you would have to think someone who’s been around Friedman and the rest of the analytics department would have a greater understanding of the direction the franchise wants to go in over the next few years.

Lastly – and this part cannot possibly be overstated – the Dodgers appear ready to embark on a youth movement. The farm system is littered with prospects getting ready to make the jump to the major leagues if they haven’t done so already. I can’t think of literally anyone else who would have a better understanding of what kind of prospects the Dodgers currently have than the person in charge of their development.

Current Dodgers Prospects
• Corey Seager – Already up
• Joc Pederson – Already up
• Zach Lee – Will contend for the roster this Spring
• Julio Urias – Still a year or more away
• Chris Reed – Might be up in 2015
• Chris Anderson – Might be up in 2015​

Yes, the Dodgers have the resources to spend big, and finding talent that way will be crucial if they hope to take the next step closer to title contention, but guys like Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Zach Lee and on down the list all hope to impact the Dodgers’ immediate fortunes, too, so whoever is hired will have to be able to get as much as possible from those kinds of players as well as the big money acquisitions the Dodgers make.

As I alluded to earlier, Los Angeles sports fans have an inherent desire for the superstar. We know who Dusty Baker is. We know who Mike Scioscia is. We knew who Joe Torre was and, by extension, Don Mattingly before he was hired. Thing is: even though that’s what we’re comfortable with, more often than not, the right choices are made outside one’s comfort zone.

 

Experience not necessarily required for Dodgers next manager
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — October 22, 2015

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers plan to have a manager in place "definitely" by baseball's winter meetings, which take place from Dec. 7-10 in Nashville, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Thursday.

But just what or who are the Dodgers looking for to replace Don Mattingly? That remains to be seen.

Managerial experience, something Mattingly did not have before he was hired to succeed Joe Torre, is not necessarily a prerequisite for the job.

"We'll have candidates who have managerial experience and others who don't," Friedman said Thursday. "For us to cast as wide as a net as we want to, we're going to go into it with an open mind."

We went over some candidates earlier Thursday, profiling Dave Martinez, Gabe Kapler, Bud Black, Tim Wallach and Ron Roenicke. Friedman wouldn't comment on specific candidates just yet, especially this early in the process, but it appears we can now add a few more to the speculative list, which certainly isn't complete.

"Different guys have different skill sets, and we're going to keep an open mind about who is the best fit," Friedman explained. "Whatever we perceive to not be that person's strengths we'll look to fill that out around him, and figure out ways to help make it as well rounded as possible."

The next manager will definitely have input in the Dodgers coaching staff, which leaves the entirety of the current staff in limbo. Friedman said Dodgers coaches were free to look elsewhere for jobs should they so desire.

The new manager doesn't necessarily need to be at the forefront of advanced statistics to get hired, either.

"I don’t think fluency with that stuff is as necessary as just openness to ideas," general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "One of the things we enjoyed with Donnie was that he was very open to new ideas. Our communication was very good both ways. He learned some from us, we learned some from him.

"We're looking for someone that can lead."

 

agreed
they want someone they can mold who is going to do things their way
and i think it's also why they rushed kapler through the system so quickly

 

lol, he is
gotta say... dodgers nation made some big changes, and so far... meh

 

another thing about kapler
he's 40 and only 5 years removed from his playing days
he may be able to relate to the players better than dbb
a lot of guys still active who played with/vs kap

 

FRIEDMAN: "Gabe, we're thinking of making a managerial change."
KAPLER: "And?..."
FRIEDMAN: "Well, we like what we've seen from you but..."
KAPLER: "But what?..."
FRIEDMAN: "Well, we just think that Welcome Back Kotter show you did in the 70's may have some backlash."
KAPLER: "Asshole, that was Gabe Kaplan."
FRIEDMAN: "Oh, in that case, never mind."
KAPLER: [thinking] "wow, idiot."

 

psych!!!