5 candidates to replace Gabe Kapler if the SF Giants fire him

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If someone wants to get San Francisco Giants fans really riled up, all they would have to do is ask a group of them their thoughts on Giants manager Gabe Kapler. For some, Kapler has done his absolute best to get the most out of a Giants' roster that clearly has some issues. For others, Kapler is a guy that over-manages games and who has done precious little to help the Giants get over the hump the last couple of years.

For the moment, the team's public line is that the Giants intend to keep Kapler around for 2024 at least. This does make a certain amount of sense as the team has voiced a desire to keep Farhan Zaidi around as well and Zaidi has been a big Kapler backer. At the end of the day, the players have to perform and given what the Giants had to work with this year, Kapler and the team haven't done all that badly and they could very well sneak into the playoffs despite their struggles of late.

However, it is a bit strange that the team keeps talking about extending these guys without actually, you know, extending them. The reality is that when a team struggles down the stretch like the Giants have, the manager can very quickly find themselves on the hot seat and this is particularly true of a polarizing figure like Gabe Kapler.

Here are 5 candidates to replace Gabe Kapler if the SF Giants move on from him

To be clear, this isn't an argument for the Giants to let Gabe Kapler go. There are some good reasons to keep the guy around including the fact that Kapler is just two seasons removed from a 107 win season and winning NL Manager of the Year. This is just an acknowledgment of the reality of the sport (and optics) of baseball. When a team is good, the manager is generally considered good. When a team struggles, the manager is blamed. That isn't particularly fair, but if the Giants feel like a change is needed to get over the hump and Zaidi feels like he is starting to get some heat from above, a change in leadership could indeed come to pass.

Let's take a look at some managerial candidates to replace Kapler if that is the direction the Giants go in.

Kai Correa - Giants Bench Coach

It is very fair to look at internal options that may exist in the Giants’ organization because it is very hard to find a new manager from the outside in a timely manner that is both someone you want who is also available. Kai Correa has been with the team since 2020 as their bench coach and has already created buzz as a managerial candidate.

There are some real positives here. Correa is already well-versed in analytics as well as defensive coaching and is also very familiar with how to communicate that data to the clubhouse in a useful way which is not a small deal. Correa is also young which should (in theory) allow him to relate better to younger players as they join the big league team from the minor league ranks. If the Giants decide to go with someone inside the organization, Correa may be the leading contender.

Tony Mansolino - Orioles Third Base Coach

The Baltimore Orioles are a league laughingstock no longer and one of their coaches that may very well be worth poaching is third base coach Tony Mansolino. Mansolino doesn't have oodles of experience coaching in the big leagues, but he comes from a baseball family and he has coached for a long time in the minors. With all of the young guys that the Giants are going to be playing over the next couple of years, having a manager that is used to dealing with younger guys trying to figure things out could be really helpful.

When it comes to a candidate like Mansolino, the Giants may be hesitant to hire him if they want more of a "sure thing" given their playoff aspirations. There aren't going to be a ton of those types of guys available, however, and the Orioles are clearly turning into a well coached, prepared, and well-rounded team under their current coaching staff who seem to know how to use data effectively. Mansolino would carry some risk given his lack of major league coaching experience, but the upside is significant as well.

Rodney Linares - Rays Bench Coach

It seems like every year, another Rays' coach gets poached to help run another team and Tampa still finds another guy to fill in and turn into the next manager-in-waiting. The Rays have several viable candidates to choose from here, but Rodney Linares is the pick for the Giants. Linares has a lengthy resume of being a minor league coach with Houston before joining Tampa's coaching staff. The organization clearly likes him over there as he was promoted to bench coach after Matt Quatraro volunteered as tribute to manage the Royals.

Not only has Linares coached for two teams that are at or near the top of the analytics game, but he also has experience with player development and has connections to the international side of the game as well with his work with the Dominican Winter League and the World Baseball Classic. His rise through the coaching ranks has been swift, but Linares checks a lot of boxes especially when you consider that finding a manager with this level of experience in implementing data into actual coaching is very, very difficult.

George Lombard - Tigers Bench Coach

Former Dodgers first base coach and current Tigers bench coach George Lombard could be candidate for the Giants as a compromise between old school and new school. He has been coaching with AJ Hinch in Detroit so he clearly has experience is using data effectively, but Lombard is also a former player and is very adept at continuing to develop young players especially in regards to baserunning and defense.

Once the 2023 season comes to an end, Lombard is likely to be in high demand which could force the Giants' hand if they want a crack at him. He has interviewed for managerial openings recently and given the number of openings we could see this offseason, it doesn't seem super likely that he will be on the market for long. One thing that the Giants have going for them is that they are almost assuredly going to be going for it over the next few years which could be appealing to candidates that want to coach a winning team.

Unfortunately, he did also work for the Dodgers previously, but we can forgive him for that….probably.

Walt Weiss - Braves Bench Coach

This last one is tougher to envision happening for a number of reasons, but Walt Weiss would be a fine option to replace Kapler if the Giants decide to move on. Weiss is the only candidate here that actually has experience managing in the big leagues and while his time in Colorado wasn't overly successful, no one has figured out how to win there successfully. He also has been a very highly regarded bench coach for the Braves since the 2018 season and they are clearly doing a lot of things right over there.

One potential issue in getting Weiss is that he may be eyeing the Braves' job long-term. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker hasn't shown signs of slowing down, but he has been in the game for a long time and is 67 years old. At some point, he will call it a career and taking over the Braves' juggernaut has to be appealing to a guy like Weiss. The Giants may also prefer a younger, more data-driven skipper and that is a reasonable position. The Braves certainly utilize analytics effectively, but Weiss comes across as having some old school tendencies which may not be a great fit for the Giants' organizational philosophy.

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