Phillies

Did “Public Perception” Influence the Decision to Fire Gabe Kapler?

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 11th, 2019 · 10:08 AM EDT

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Didn’t see this clip yesterday but it’s worth sharing today.

On MLB Network, Jon Heyman touched on a concept that we’ve heard before, the idea that John Middleton and the Phillies seem to take public perception into account when making important franchise decisions.

Have a listen:

.@JonHeyman & @Ken_Rosenthal weigh in on the #Phillies' dismissal of Gabe Kapler. #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/7tZ9OcNHdg

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 10, 2019

Heyman:

Even if they brought (Kapler) back, he would have been back in a weakened position at this point. I think John Middleton, the owner, surveyed the front office, he talked to the players, he saw what was out there in terms of the public perception. I think the front office was generally supportive of Gabe Kapler, and the players were, too. But the public perception was against him at this point. They had two rough finishes in a row, only improved by half a game, and I think that was the bottom line.

What do we make of that?

If Middleton really did weigh fan opinion in hiring and firing decisions, you’d have to think Matt Klentak would also be out the door, so that’s the only hang up I have with the “public perception” narrative.

Joe Giglio at WIP has been on this topic for weeks, and I agree with him when he says things like this:

Let me be clear: It’s not our fault (regardless of where you stood on this) that Gabe Kapler is gone. Fans don’t fire coaches and managers. The problem is any organization allowing our temperature (positive or negative) to guide major decisions. It’s not smart.

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) October 11, 2019

Yes, agreed. It’s one thing if public perception manifests itself in shitty attendance and a loss of revenue, in which case you’d absolutely be justified in making whatever move you want to make. But if you remove those tangible things from the equation to instead factor baseline fan opinion into the organizational process, then it seems like folly to me.

Back in March, Middleton openly admitted that a Todd Zolecki Twitter poll helped the Phillies understand a fan preference for Bryce Harper over Manny Machado, so that’s an instance of a prior occasion where they did allow the temperature of the fan base to influence a critical offseason strategy.

Something to think about, the “public perception” storyline.