Gabe Kapler, Giants Agree to Contract Extension Through 2024 Season
The San Francisco Giants announced Friday that they have extended manager Gabe Kapler's contract through the 2024 season.
Kapler, who has managed San Francisco for two seasons, is fresh off leading the Giants to an MLB-best 107-55 regular-season record.
The former MLB outfielder played in the bigs from 1998-2010. He worked as the Los Angeles Dodgers' director of player development before the Philadelphia Phillies signed him to be their manager in Oct. 2017.
Kapler was in Philadelphia for two seasons, amassing a 161-163 before being fired. San Francisco then hired Kapler, who led the Giants to a 29-31 record in 2020.
San Francisco's fantastic 2021 campaign has now led to a well-deserved contract extension for the 46-year-old as the Giants, who fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, will be seeking their fourth World Series win since 2010.
Kapler enters the 2022 season with the unique challenge of piloting a team that just lost a franchise legend in Buster Posey, who retired Nov. 4.
The three-time World Series champion just came off a season where he guided a pitching staff with a 3.24 ERA (second-best in the NL) while hitting .304 (.889 OPS) with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.
The Giants also had the second-oldest MLB roster by average age (28.5 years) last season, per ESPN.com, so it's possible players take a dip in their individual performances in 2022 as they advance in their careers.
Still, Kapler just led a 107-win team, and the Giants should likely be competitive deep into the season at worst in 2022. At any rate, he appears to be the person for the job as San Francisco looks to string together another prosperous era in the Bay Area.
