Giants: Manager Gabe Kapler’s history of accountability

New San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler wants to create a culture of accountability as the new skipper. But what does his recent history say about that mindset?

Much of the attention during Gabe Kapler’s introductory press conference as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants focused on his handling of a sexual assault incident during his time as the director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.

Those are not the only questions surrounding his future outlook with the Giants, though, after he managed the Philadelphia Phillies to a 161-163 record in two years at the helm.

From an on-the-field standpoint, the 44-year-old has emphasized that he wants to create a culture of accountability:

While it certainly sounds like a good place for Kapler to start, if recent history serves as any indication, he failed miserably at creating a culture of accountability in Philadelphia.

There are plenty of valid criticisms of Giants team president Farhan Zaidi’s choice to fill the managerial void, including his controversial handling of sexual assault allegations, his in-game managing, and even some odd personality traits like the way he eats ice cream.

Creating a culture of accountability is an interesting goal, and perhaps Kapler has a different definition in mind. His Phillies tenure is littered with instances of not holding himself or his players accountable, including the Fortnite incident, the Jean Segura incident, and the Cesar Hernandez incident.

If he can learn from his past mistakes, then great.

However, he is facing a steep uphill battle to prove himself to the San Francisco Giants fan base, especially in the realm of accountability.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the aforementioned previous incidents.

The Jean Segura Incident

This past June, Jean Segura blooped a ball into the left field gap against the Washington Nationals.

Instead of winding up at second base for a double, Segura failed to hustle out of the batter’s box and he had to hold up at first base.

It was not the first time Segura did not hustle out of the batter’s box, either. A similar occurrence took place just a couple of weeks prior, proving it was more of a recurring problem than an isolated incident.

Kapler was asked about the incident against the Nationals, and he termed the occurrence as “unacceptable.” Usually, when a player does not hustle out of the box, the manager tries to send a message to the clubhouse by benching the player the following game or pulling him from the current game.

Despite terming the event as unacceptable, Kapler failed to take action.

This type of incident brings about an interesting debate. Is it wise to sit a player as good as Segura in the middle of a season, just to send a message?

Kapler gave his answer while talking to reporters:

“Jean [Segura] is one of our eight best players. I don’t think taking one of our eight best players and our shortstop out of our lineup is what’s best for the Philadelphia Phillies.”

The Phillies had playoff aspirations, so benching their starting shortstop may not be a wise move. And big picture, sitting a player for a game may not accomplish anything beyond appeasing the media by making his punishment a public display.

Nevertheless, it was a high-profile issue for Kapler.

Instead of holding Segura accountable, he chose inactivity. It remains open for debate whether it was the right move, but it reflects poorly on Kapler’s leadership style.

According to Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation, the incident essentially became a referendum on Kapler’s managerial tenure. Kapler’s failure to handle the situation was another missed opportunity.

The Cesar Hernandez Incident

Later in the 2019 season, the Phillies experienced another incident of failed hustle. This time, it was second baseman Cesar Hernandez.

Not every player is going to hustle on every play like Hunter Pence.

However, when it continues to be an issue, it becomes frustrating from an observer’s standpoint.

When the lack of effort becomes a consistent theme like it was for the Phillies in 2019, it reflects poorly on the manager and his coaches. The fact that it became a recurring theme shows just how little control the Phillies manager had over his players.

Unlike the Segura incident, this example included some actual action on the part of Kapler.

After failing to run out a ground ball in an August game against the Miami Marlins, Hernandez was not in the lineup the following day. Kapler stated that the decision to bench Hernandez was in response to the lack of hustle.

If the story ended there, it would have been some positive growth on Kapler’s part.

Instead, when Hernandez was asked about the benching, he said that it was not related to his lack of hustle in the prior game.

Clearly, there were some mixed signals or crossed wires here.

The confusion eventually made its way back to Kapler, who had to explain to Hernandez that the benching was in direct response to his lack of hustling.

However, Kapler also tried to clear things up by saying: “It’s not a punishment. It’s a response.”

Another prime example of poor or nonexistent communication between the Phillies manager and his players. Kapler wanted to prove that he could hold his players accountable, and he did so by explaining the decision to bench Hernandez to the media, but not to Hernandez himself.

If Kapler really wants to establish a culture of accountability as the new San Francisco Giants manager, then he simply has to do better.

The three incidents referenced above have all taken place in the last 14 months. How much did Kapler learn and grow in the time span? It is hard to tell.

However, if these examples shed any light on Kapler’s ability to breed a culture of accountability, it really does not show any growth at all. The Phillies players seemingly acted a certain way without fear of the consequences.

Fortunately, the San Francisco Giants have a strong, veteran core that can help hold the team accountable if the manager fails to do so. But at some point, coaching flaws like this will be exposed, especially if Kapler does not learn from his past mistakes in Philadelphia.