The San Francisco Giants were among the handful of teams in need of a new manager at the start of the offseason. Longtime skipper Bruce Bochy retired at the conclusion of the 2019 season, prompting a lengthy search for his replacement.
Leading the charge was former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi, who switched sides in the rivalry to become Giants president of baseball operations last November.
Zaidi interviewed many candidates — some of which he was familiar with from his time in L.A. Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren reportedly garnered consideration, although he was not considered a finalist for the position.
Former Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler also entered the picture just one month after being fired by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was long considered a frontrunner for the Giants’ managerial vacancy considering his previous ties with Zaidi.
Kapler departed the Dodgers in 2017 to accept a position as Phillies manager — a stint that lasted all of two seasons. His tenure in L.A. additionally ended poorly following accusations that he mishandled an alleged assault two years prior.
Kapler expressed disappointment in himself and regrets how the situation played out, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“The thing I probably want to convey most is the biggest mistake that I made was naively believing that I could handle some of these situations by myself,” Kapler told Amy G. “What I should have done is I should have reached out to experts in the field that might have been able to advise on how to handle these situations better. I feel a lot of remorse that — I’m sorry that I wasn’t better equipped to support the victims in these cases. Even though I acted with the best of intentions to try to support and help, I didn’t execute on that well.
“I’m really disappointed in myself about that,” Kapler continued. “But I also see this as an opportunity. A moment that can lead to a movement and better outcomes and I see this as a real opportunity to do things different the next time around and to figure out ways not just to protect victims of physical assault, not just to protect victims of sexual assault, but to support victims. To use this platform and educate players about how to be better when these situations come up. I take that responsibility very seriously, I know I have a lot to learn about it. I’ll always do the best job that I can in getting the most information and counsel and help from the experts in the field.”
Zaidi previously apologized for the Dodgers’ handling of allegations against Kapler.
Despite the checkered past, Kapler has the full support and confidence of the Giants front office.
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