Gabe Kapler has managed in Philly for two seasons and has a record of 161-163. This year was particularly disappointing, as injuries and the failure of young players to develop and improve turned what many thought was a playoff-bound team into a .500 club stuck watching the postseason at home like the rest of us.
While there is a lot of blame to go around for that -- we wrote a good deal about that last week -- the manager is always on the hook for less-than-impressive results. Gabe Kapler is no exception, and many people are either calling for his job or suspect he might be out of it soon, even if he has a year left on his contract.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team is likely to make an announcement on that today. The article speculates about the reasons why the Phillies have neither fired Kapler nor said he’s coming back before today. Short version: they’re either still chewing on it or, perhaps, negotiating with Kapler about taking another role with the team.
If Kapler is fired, the Phillies will become the seventh team with a managerial opening, following the Padres, Pirates, Cubs, Angels, Giants and Royals.
UPDATE: OK, maybe we won’t know Kapler’s fate today.
I am not expecting any announcement or resolution to Phillies personnel matters today. The intrigue continues.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) October 2, 2019