Gabe Kapler’s communication can help Giants transition, Ben Davis says

For the first time since 2006, someone other than Bruce Bochy will manage the Giants on Opening Day next season.

San Francisco hired former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler to succeed Bochy on Tuesday. Kapler managed the Phillies for the last two seasons, going 161-163 in Philadelphia before being fired last month.

During that time, Kapler's work ethic impressed NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Ben Davis.

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"You're gonna get a hard worker in Gabe Kapler," Davis said Tuesday of the new Giants manager on "SportsNet Central." "Gabe is a guy that I played against -- not only in the minor leagues, but in the big leagues -- and seeing him here in Philadelphia the last couple of seasons, just how hard he and his staff work, it's really something to be complimented. He's worried about the game at hand. He will think toward a potential series, but he is more focused on that game that night or that particular day than anyone I've ever seen."

Davis, who played in 486 MLB games, said Kapler values communication with his players, which he believes should help the manager as he inherits a veteran clubhouse.

The Giants' rebuild is underway, but they had one of the oldest teams in the majors last season. All of the returning players will have played for no other manager in San Francisco other than Bochy, and the entirety of the Giants' core came up with Bochy as a fixture in the dugout.

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Davis said Kapler's ability to communicate should help that transition.

"I saw it with some of the guys here and how he treated them," Davis said of Kapler's time in Philadelphia. "He basically always has an open-door policy. [He says,] 'You wanna talk? We'll sit down and talk. We'll go over it. We'll discuss things.' So, I think that communication lines are always going to be open. It's something that he really strives for in that managerial position."