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Gabe Kapler Catching Strays in a Poll of Anonymous MLB Players
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Kaci Borowski and The Athletic’s MLB Staff put together an anonymous player poll. In a breakout written by Dennis Lin, one of the questions asked is “Which manager, aside from your own, would you not want to play for?” The top four vote getters were Bud Black (Rockies), Oli Marmol (Cards), Mike Shildt (Padres), and Ron Washington (Angels), then next on the list was:
Gabe Kapler, who hasn’t managed since he was fired by the San Francisco Giants in 2023, got three votes. Other managers receiving multiple votes were Dave Roberts, Mark Kotsay and, before he was let go by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton.
For what it’s worth, Rob Thomson got zero votes here. He also got zero votes when players were asked “Which manager, aside from your own, would you most like to play for?” Bruce Bochy, Terry Francona, and Stephen Vogt were the top mentions in that category. It could mean something, the Topper absence, or it could mean absolutely nothing.
But Gabe Kapler catching strays in 2025? Poor guy. He’s the Marlins’ Assistant GM and hasn’t coached in almost two full years. I guess his reputation wasn’t amazing by the time it ended. This is the same Kapler, by the way, who won NL Manager of the Year in 2021 after leading the Giants to 107 wins. That ended with an NLDS loss to a 106-win Dodgers, while Atlanta won 88 regular season games but claimed the World Series. Shitty outcome for Kap, but that’s the way the seeding turns out sometimes.
You’ll also recall that the intrepid Howard Eskin once had the guts to do what no one else in the media would do, and ask Kapler about coconut oil masturbation at his introductory press conference:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com