Really don't want Kapler. Donnie had enough learning on the job experience and still made little mistakes. His best managed game was game four of the NLDS and he's been with us for five year. If he's gonna manage, he needs to get some time in. Bud Black would be cool to have.
Kapler seems like someone who might overthink certain situations and disrupt the flow of a game. Maybe that's complete BS but it's something I'm thinking about.
Martinez or Black. Teams loved him back in Tampa and in Chicago and hopefully he's learned some from Maddon. Although Maddon does crazy shit every now and then. Bud, I feel, always got the most out of his players. Padres always seemed to play us tough. He got canned for not turning water into wine when he was barely given grapes. Not too high on Kapler. He's a novice, and we've already had to deal with that.
If Kapler is eventually where they want to get to in the future, I hope they keep that shit under wraps with the guys they bring in to interview for what's gonna be his spot down the line. But Kapler has managing experience, so if they feel he's ready so be it. Get the show on the road.
Can we get a former catcher finally??? Except Kevin Kennedy sorry board! Jason Varitek? Not Mike of Los Angeles Anaheim either, not that I wouldn't mind him but he won't leave the Angels.
The McLoan era is officially dead. Time to win a championship. Options: Maddon Wallach AJ Kennedy Reonicke Hershiser Anderson Washington Black Bochy McCarver Reynolds McClendon Buck
LOS ANGELES -- Where will the search for a manager lead Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman? Names floated even before the Dodgers and Don Mattingly parted company on Thursday and included internal candidates Gabe Kapler, Ron Roenicke and Tim Wallach, plus outsiders Bud Black and Dave Martinez. Friedman is a contrarian and could land on names such as Jason Varitek, Alex Cora, Eric Young, Rocco Baldelli or a relative unknown like Clayton McCullough. And there are plenty of successful former managers available, such as Dusty Baker, Ron Washington and Ron Gardenhire. The Dodgers have never had a minority field manager, but the organization of Jackie Robinson does have a minority owner in Magic Johnson. The "Selig Rule," part of retired Commissioner Bud Selig's legacy, requires every club to consider minority candidates "for all general manager, assistant general manager, field manager, director of player development and director of scouting positions." Kapler, 40, the Dodgers' director of player development, is a protégé of Friedman, who acquired him to play for Tampa Bay and mentored him for a post-playing career in the game. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Roenicke, 59, dismissed in May as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, was hired by the Dodgers in August to take over third-base coaching duties. He was drafted and played for the organization and still makes Southern California his home. Wallach, 58, Mattingly's bench coach, has long been considered a manager-in-waiting but was passed over when Joe Torre handed the Dodgers' baton to Mattingly five years ago. Wallach, a lifelong Orange County resident and former All-Star third baseman, reportedly has interviewed for the vacant Washington manager's job. Black, 58, was let go by the Padres as manager this summer after nearly nine years and was manager of the year in 2010. Black managed the Padres while current Dodgers executive Josh Byrnes was general manager in San Diego. Martinez, 51, taps into Friedman's Tampa Bay roots even more deeply than Kaplan. He was the Rays' bench coach, then followed manager Joe Maddon to fill the same role this year with the Cubs, though he was passed over to succeed Maddon at Tampa Bay. Varitek, 43, just interviewed for Seattle's vacant job and played with Boston when Byrnes was there, a connection that shouldn't be minimized, nor should his college education. He's currently a special assistant for the Red Sox. Cora, 40, played his first seven seasons with the Dodgers and most recently has been an ESPN analyst. Young, 48, played twice for the Dodgers as a high-energy leadoff hitter and currently is Colorado's first-base coach. Baldelli, 34, is currently the first-base coach for Tampa Bay and spent three years as a scout and Minor League instructor for Friedman after retiring as a player. McCullough, 35, is the Dodgers' Minor League field coordinator whose father headed Arizona's scouting department.
Kapler seems like the easiest, best and most likeliest route tbh He'll be supplied with a wealth of information from the FO--who he probably already has a good relationship with and agrees with on most accounts--and he supposedly got excellent reviews when he managed for the class a affiliate of the Red Sox. I'd like it
Riddle me this Batmen.... since no one talks about the other guy they fired.... So then, did Kapler engineer the firing of Damon Berryhill, ex-catcher (read: good managers) and PCL manager of the year to keep him out of the job he wants for himself? If so he's a dirty fuck and won't be good for anything positive. Bad juju going in. Was it something else? WTF really happened there?
They still have to do the minority interview dance before any hire which is a pain but I suppose necessary. Curious on the FO time frame for the hire, I suspect before years end however.