2) Gabe Kapler might be the worst possible NY Mets replacement for Buck Showalter
Ugh. Maybe the worst case scenario for the Mets would be to bring in Gabe Kapler. It’s not because he’s a guy who marches to the beat of his own drum. There are just too many red flags from his time as a manager for the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies beforehand to stay far away from him.
Kapler was run out of Philadelphia after two years of playing as close to average as possible. He went to the San Francisco Giants where the same trend continued with one exception: the 2021 season. Somehow the Giants defied the odds and won 107 games in the regular season. They didn’t do anything in the postseason then came back to finish at .500 in 2022 and three games below it at the time of Kapler’s firing.
Kapler’s managerial style is described by some as “genius” whereas others would get irked by it. It’s all about the analytics with him. Whether he was at fault or not with the Giants, it surely weighed on the fans like it did in Philadelphia.
What’s scary is that Kapler could fit well with a President of Baseball Operations like Stearns. However, it does seem like Stearns would be wise enough to pick someone more moldable.