Giants manager Gabe Kapler’s press conference after the Giants lost 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays got tense.
For the third time in five games, the 2021 National League Manager of the Year was questioned about a controversial decision either to or to not pinch hit.
First, it was Mark Mathias for Brandon Crawford against Bruce Bochy’s Rangers. Then it was leaving rookie Wade Meckler in to face a lefty on Monday despite the team’s tendency to seek platoon advantages. Then, in the finale, he was pressed on why he pinch hit Austin Slater for Meckler in a near identical situation.
Kapler turned the question around, considering it leading instead of genuine.
“I’m absolutely happy to make the distinction, but I’m just curious if you know the distinction,” Kapler said when asked to explain the difference in calculus for substituting Meckler on Monday versus Wednesday.
The difference was who was available off the bench. On Monday, it was Ramos, the inexperienced rookie who’s been up for days at a time but has been hot recently. On Wednesday: Slater, the struggling outfielder who has a career .984 OPS in pinch situations.
“This is not a disrespect to Ramos in any way, but I think Ramos has like four career pinch-hit at-bats,” Kapler said. “Slater’s one of the best pinch hitters in baseball. I don’t mind, of course, explaining something, but I just sometimes wonder if the question is ‘Hey, can you say it?’ Or if that distinction isn’t clear. I’m just curious about that.”
Kapler added: “Would you agree that (Slater)’s one of the five best right-handed pinch hitters over the last three or four years? Do you think that creates a distinction between him and a guy who has four pinch-hit at-bats? I’m not criticizing you at all. I’m just wondering if what you’re asking is for me to say that or whether or not there was a distinction at all for you.”
Kapler’s logic behind inserting Slater for Meckler against a southpaw with the bases loaded may or may not be sound. But it makes total sense why he was probably exasperated: when there are no great options and your team’s shortcomings are Groundhog Day-ing, the normal impulse is frustration.
For all the perception of Kapler’s roboticism and his managerial style being too numbers-based, the postgame dust-up on Wednesday was a neat reminder that he’s human.
Kapler’s reaction to the line of questioning was perhaps uncalled for but hardly out-of-line. It’s not like he flipped his coffee table or shouted expletives. Kapler has every right to express dissatisfaction — particularly when broaching a topic he and the local media have spent so much time discussing in both pre and postgame availabilities.
Still, he should’ve had no problem answering it. Managers might make three or four significant decisions in any given game. They should be capable and prepared to explain any of them to the media. If they can’t rationalize the decisions they make for their team on the field to the public, how would they to their clubhouse? The question certainly didn’t have malicious intent.
Kapler didn’t need to throw anyone under the bus to discuss his decision, either. The skipper could have just said that in this scenario, he had more faith Austin Slater would do damage against a lefty than Meckler, a rookie, would have. Slater’s history in the situation suggests as much. He has evidence on his side. Nobody’s feelings would’ve been hurt.
Kapler also could have more politely demurred. He could have reiterated that the franchise believes in not only Ramos’ long-term talent, but also Meckler’s. He could’ve maintained that it was the right decision and that those managerial calls, over the course of time, will work out in the team’s favor.
Instead, the typically even-keeled manager lost his poise a bit. It was far from a tirade, but he sounded like someone feeling pressure. In his position, who wouldn’t?
Kapler is comfortable making tough decisions to win ballgames, though. And he’s typically happy to explain his thought processes. Even with subjects that require dulling repetition like pinch hitting or SF’s opener strategy — when you talk to the media before and after every single game, there are bound to be common, repeating topics — Kapler is usually patient.
The difference here is that, after answering so many similar questions — the result of making decisions in similar situations — this one struck a nerve.
After Kapler cracked, other reporters followed up.
Is Slater fully healthy? Doesn’t the move say something about Meckler, too? How do you balance long-term track record with short-term trends?
“I actually think we had almost the identical conversation earlier in the year where Slates and others were coming up and getting big hits and we were talking about how cool it was,” Kapler said. “And I said, look, it’s not always going to be like this. Sometimes guys are going to come up in the biggest moments, they’re going to strikeout and ground into double plays. And when that happens, I’m totally expecting these sort of conversations and questions. This one in particular seemed pretty turnkey with, again, one of the best pinch-hitters in baseball over the past three or four seasons.”
This particular decision wasn’t as cut-and-dry as Kapler thinks it was. Slater was hitless in his last 15 plate appearances and hitting .121 since July 1. The raw Ramos was 4-for-12 since getting called up, including a scorched double off lefty Aroldis Chapman and his first career homer. Meckler — the actual hitter in question — had three hits in his first three games while earning praise for his elite plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills.
Facing a 6-1 deficit, it’s highly unlikely any decision would have swung the game in the Giants’ favor — especially when they’ve been statistically the worst offense in baseball for months.
In the past, though, when the Giants have been rolling, they’ve used similar line-change moves to inspire massive comebacks. Yet as they’ve gone 19-22 in their last 41 games, those kind of game-changing moves have been scarce. That can’t be fun for Kapler.
Kapler might be frustrated with having to repeat himself. He might be agitated that many of the same moves he’s made that have worked wonders in the past haven’t panned out in recent weeks.
But really, the truth is that he’s probably most irritated by the quality of buttons he has to push.
“We’re trying to make as many decisions at the margins that will help us win baseball games as possible,” Kapler said.
At some point, more roster talent will expand the margins. Until then, Kapler will have more tough decisions to make and answer for.