Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Gabe Kapler

Discover the career path of Gabe Kapler, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Gabe Kapler, nicknamed "Kap", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Currently, he serves as the assistant general manager of the Miami Marlins.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1995: Signed by Detroit Tigers

In 1995, Gabe Kapler was drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers after being offered a $10,000 signing bonus. He then played for the Jamestown Jammers.

1996: Minor League All-Star

In 1996, Gabe Kapler was an All-Star in the minor leagues.

1996: Led South Atlantic League in Hits

In 1996, while playing with the Fayetteville Generals, Gabe Kapler led the Class A South Atlantic League in hits (157), doubles (45), extra-base hits (71), and total bases (280).

1997: Led Florida State League in Doubles

In 1997, Gabe Kapler led the Class A+ Florida State League in doubles (40) and total bases (262) playing for the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

1997: Minor League All-Star

In 1997, Gabe Kapler was an All-Star in the minor leagues.

1998: MLB Debut

In 1998, Gabe Kapler began his major league career, playing for the Detroit Tigers.

1998: Minor League Player of the Year

In 1998, Gabe Kapler was recognized as Minor League Player of the Year by national publications, and was also named an All-Star.

1998: Southern League MVP

In 1998, Gabe Kapler won the Class AA Southern League Most Valuable Player Award while playing for the Jacksonville Suns, leading the league in multiple categories including home runs and RBIs. He also earned numerous All-Star honors and Minor League Player of the Year awards.

November 1999: Traded to the Texas Rangers

In November 1999, Gabe Kapler was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Texas Rangers along with several other players.

1999: First Career Home Run

On April 30, 1999, Gabe Kapler hit his first career home run against Albie Lopez of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

2000: Strong Performance for Rangers

In 2000, Gabe Kapler had a strong season for the Texas Rangers, including two home runs on Opening Day, a 28-game hitting streak, and being named American League Player of the Week on July 30. He finished the season batting .302 with 14 home runs.

2001: Solid Season with the Rangers

In 2001, Gabe Kapler had a solid season with the Texas Rangers, hitting 17 home runs, scoring 77 runs, and stealing 23 bases. He batted .267 and had a .997 fielding percentage.

July 2002: Traded to Colorado Rockies

In July 2002, Gabe Kapler was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Colorado Rockies.

June 28, 2003: Acquired by the Boston Red Sox

On June 28, 2003, Gabe Kapler was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Colorado Rockies.

2004: Played Career-High Games

In 2004, Gabe Kapler played a career-high 136 games, batting .272 with 6 home runs and leading the team with 6 outfield assists. On Patriots' Day 2004, he drove in the game-winning run against the Yankees.

2004: World Series Champion

In 2004, Gabe Kapler was on the field when the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series title in 86 years.

2004: Departure to Yomiuri Giants

Less than a month after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, Gabe Kapler left to play for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

July 2005: Re-signed by the Red Sox

In July 2005, Gabe Kapler was re-signed by the Boston Red Sox after clearing Japanese Central League waivers.

2005: Played for Yomiuri Giants

In 2005, Gabe Kapler played part of the season for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Central League.

2005: Inactive List in Japan

In 2005, after struggling in 38 games in Japan, Gabe Kapler was placed on the inactive list by the Yomiuri Giants mid-season.

December 12, 2006: Retirement Announcement

On December 12, 2006, Gabe Kapler announced his retirement from professional baseball.

September 20, 2007: Desire to Return to MLB

On September 20, 2007, Gabe Kapler announced his desire to return to play Major League Baseball.

2007: Managed Greenville Drive

In 2007, Gabe Kapler managed the Boston Red Sox's Single-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive.

April 5, 2008: First Pinch-Hit Home Run

On April 5, 2008, Gabe Kapler hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career for the Milwaukee Brewers against the San Francisco Giants.

October 30, 2008: Filed for Free Agency

On October 30, 2008, Gabe Kapler filed for free agency.

2008: Success Against Left-Handed Pitching

In 2008, Gabe Kapler demonstrated significant success against left-handed pitchers, hitting .304 with a .577 slugging percentage, ranking him 9th-best in the Major Leagues, highlighting his value as a player against left-handed pitching.

2008: Home Run Record and Jewish Comeback Player of the Year Award

In 2008, Gabe Kapler hit his 69th career home run, surpassing Art Shamsky and Lou Boudreau for 9th on the all-time list for home runs by Jewish major leaguers. Also in 2008, Kapler was the unanimous winner of the Jewish Comeback Player of the Year award.

2008: Signed with Milwaukee Brewers

In 2008, Gabe Kapler signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

January 12, 2009: Signed with Tampa Bay Rays

On January 12, 2009, Gabe Kapler signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays for $1,000,018, with the extra $18 representing the symbol for "life" in Judaism.

October 27, 2009: Kapler Re-Signed by the Rays

On October 27, 2009, Gabe Kapler was re-signed by the Tampa Bay Rays to a one-year contract for $1.05 million. The Rays cited his performance against left-handed pitching and his defensive abilities as key factors in their decision, along with his positive influence on younger players.

2009: Rays player

In 2009 Gabe Kapler played with Tampa Bay Rays team.

2009: Best Slugging Percentage and Batting Stats

In 2009, Gabe Kapler achieved a career-best slugging percentage of .505 and batted .320 with 4 home runs in 75 at-bats. His slugging percentage against left-handers was .680. 64% of his hits in 2009 were for extra bases, leading the major leagues for players with at least 100 plate appearances.

2010: End of MLB Playing Career

In 2010, Gabe Kapler concluded his major league playing career.

2010: Career-Worst Season and Free Agency

In 2010, Gabe Kapler experienced a career-worst season, hitting .210 with two home runs in 59 games. He battled right hip flexor and right ankle injuries during the season and became a free agent after the season.

January 18, 2011: Signs Minor League Contract with Dodgers

On January 18, 2011, Gabe Kapler signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and received an invitation to spring training, marking a new chapter in his baseball career after becoming a free agent.

September 2012: Coaches Israeli National Baseball Team

In September 2012, Gabe Kapler coached for the Israeli national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier, marking his involvement in international baseball competition.

2012: Works with Egraphs

From 2012, Gabe Kapler worked closely with technology startup Egraphs, a company focused on electronic personalized autographs, which was licensed with MLB and the NBA. This marked Kapler's involvement in the tech industry.

2012: Phillies had .500 Record

In 2012, the Philadelphia Phillies achieved a .500 record, which was equaled in 2019 under Gabe Kapler's management, marking a period of similar performance for the team.

August 17, 2013: Joins Fox Sports 1 as Analyst

On August 17, 2013, Gabe Kapler became an analyst for Fox Sports 1 cable network. He appeared frequently on the network's Fox Sports Live program from the network's debut.

2013: World Baseball Classic Qualifier

In 2013, Gabe Kapler coached the Israeli national baseball team in the World Baseball Classic qualifier where they lost to Spain in extra innings in the Pool Finals, failing to qualify for the World Baseball Classic.

2013: Coach for Israeli National Baseball Team

In 2013, Gabe Kapler served as a coach for the Israeli national baseball team in the World Baseball Classic.

2013: Egraphs Closes Operations

In spring 2013, Egraphs, the technology startup Gabe Kapler worked with, closed operations. This ended Kapler's involvement with the electronic autographs company.

March 2014: Appears on MLB Whiparound

In March 2014, Gabe Kapler began appearing on MLB Whiparound from the program's inception, continuing his role as an analyst for Fox Sports 1 cable network.

November 7, 2014: Named Dodgers' Director of Player Development

On November 7, 2014, Gabe Kapler became the Dodgers' director of player development. In this role, he implemented changes such as switching to organic food and removing junk food from the clubhouse.

2014: Director of Player Development for Dodgers

In 2014, Gabe Kapler became the Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2016: Loses Out on Dodgers Manager Position

In 2016, Gabe Kapler was a finalist for the Los Angeles Dodgers' managerial position following Don Mattingly's departure, but he ultimately lost out to Dave Roberts.

October 30, 2017: Hired as Phillies Manager

On October 30, 2017, Gabe Kapler, at the age of 42, was announced as the new manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming the 54th in team history. His preparation and people skills impressed the team during his interview.

2017: End of Tenure with the Dodgers

In 2017, Gabe Kapler's time as the Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers concluded.

2018: Career Stolen Bases and Doubles Ranking

As of 2018, Gabe Kapler was 5th all-time in career stolen bases (behind Brad Ausmus) and 9th all-time in career doubles (behind Sid Gordon) among Jewish major league baseball players.

2018: Phillies overturns

In 2018 the 27 overturns caused by his challenges were tied for the second-most in the majors during Gabe Kapler's time as manager for the Phillies.

2018: Appointment as MLB Manager

In 2018, Gabe Kapler became the eighth Jewish manager in MLB history, joining a list of notable managers.

2018: Manager of Philadelphia Phillies

In 2018, Gabe Kapler became the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

2018: First Season as Phillies Manager

In 2018, Gabe Kapler managed the Phillies to an 80-82 record after inheriting a team that had lost 96 games the prior season. He finished with the second-most wins among Phillies managers after 100 games (56) and emphasized the theme "Be Bold."

November 2019: Hired as Giants Manager

In November 2019, Gabe Kapler was hired as the 39th manager of the San Francisco Giants, succeeding Bruce Bochy. He took over a team with a 77–85 record from the previous season.

2019: Final Season as Phillies Manager

In 2019, Gabe Kapler completed his tenure as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

2019: Manages Phillies to .500 Record

In 2019, Gabe Kapler managed the Philadelphia Phillies to an 81–81 (.500) record, which was the team's best record since 2012. However, a late-season slump led to him being fired after the season.

2020: Manager of San Francisco Giants

In 2020, Gabe Kapler became the manager of the San Francisco Giants.

2020: Turnaround with Giants Hitters

In 2020, Gabe Kapler oversaw a significant turnaround with the San Francisco Giants hitters, leading the team to finish 8th in runs after they ranked 28th, 29th, and 29th in the prior three seasons. He also used more pinch hitters per game than any other manager in major league baseball.

April 2021: Wins 200th Game as Manager

In April 2021, Gabe Kapler won his 200th game as a manager, becoming the first manager in MLB history with a 200–200 win–loss record over the first 400 games of his career.

2021: Named Sporting News NL Manager of the Year

In 2021, Gabe Kapler was also named the Sporting News NL Manager of the Year, voted by 86% of his fellow National League managers.

2021: Named National League Manager of the Year

In 2021, Gabe Kapler was named the National League Manager of the Year after leading the San Francisco Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins and the NL West title.

2021: Named NL Manager of the Year

In 2021, Gabe Kapler was named the National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America after managing the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins and into the postseason for the first time in five years.

2021: Giants Win Most Games in MLB

In the 2021 regular season, Gabe Kapler's Giants won more games than any other major league team with 107 wins, improving their winning percentage from .483 to .660.

2022: Most Pinch Hitters Per Game

In 2022, Gabe Kapler continued his strategy of utilizing pinch hitters, using more pinch hitters per game, 1.63, than any other major league manager for the third season in a row.

December 2023: Named Marlins Assistant General Manager

In December 2023, Gabe Kapler became an assistant general manager of the Miami Marlins, focusing on player development and baseball operations.

December 2023: Assistant General Manager for Miami Marlins

In December 2023, Gabe Kapler became an assistant general manager of the Miami Marlins.

2023: Fired by Giants

In 2023, the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention, leading to Gabe Kapler's firing three days later. Kai Correa took over as the interim manager for the remainder of the season.

2024: Contract Extension with Giants

In November, the Giants rewarded Gabe Kapler with a two-year contract extension through the 2024 season, demonstrating their confidence in his leadership.