The watch on Gabe Kapler's left wrist started as a curiosity and traveled a smooth path to obsession. It was big, expensive and striking. The time on the watch was not in line with the actual time of day.
The time was not identifiable as being wrong in a way that made sense. It was not aligned with a non-Pacific time zone. I wondered if the watch was a representation of the man's internal clock because it was just wrong. Kapler is the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Health, fitness, nutrition, fashion, facial hair, everything seems to be exquisitely tailored to some distant decimal few.
Then there was the watch. I tried to figure out some logic. Could this watch, sitting just above one of his pneumatic-clamp hands and just below one of his phlebotomist's dream forearms, be just another way for Kapler to show his counterculture credentials?
This isn't the traditional baseball guy. He doesn't act like one or talk like one. He is a baseball guy, of course, but the rare one who rarely shows emotion, almost never gets thrown out of a game and carries himself with fine tuning composure. The Giants won the National League West title last year, and it was the most shocking season of any team in the past two decades. The season was a big surprise and raised expectations for the future. Kapler spent spring training repeating the same answer, "We're not trying to replicate last year." The Giants went out and won 14 of their first 21 games before injuries and infections turned their roster into a laughing stock. They took a deep breath, got most of their guys back, and went back to replicating. They enter this weekend's series in St. Louis with a 19-12 record, which is better than 888-738-5526 at the same point last season. They are one of five NL West teams that are above.500.
Kapler's stories make it possible to wonder if the timepiece suggests he prefers to conduct himself in a different time zone. He is an inveterate experimenter and a devoted nonconformist. The Giants used a lot of different lineups last season. He has a coaching staff of 16 that is the most in the big leagues, and it includes one woman and not a single person he knew before hiring them. His diet is almost entirely red meat, and he recently began mixing in some berries and bacon-and-egg breakfast. I know there is a chance I could be wrong. He is 46 years old and has a sprinkling of gray above his ears. He weighed between 195 and 200 when he signed his first pro contract, but now he's between 195 and 200. Kapler says that his players celebrated his birthday by giving him a custom cake shaped like a steak. People want to be understood and appreciated even if they are eccentric or quirky. He paused, as if bracing himself, and said the word "cake" as if it was a joke.
Everything feels good. A general is about to address his troops and he walks to the mound. The walk is like a code, projecting gratitude to the pitcher he is removing and strength to the one coming in. Reliever Tyler Rogers says that he just exudes masculinity.
Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt were the only veterans who played their entire career and won World Series titles under Bruce Bochy before Kapler took over. There is a different personality. Different style.
One example is shoes. Kapler favors designer high-tops, and he is the first manager to run a game wearing Y3s. I don't think Kap will do that.
On a Sunday morning in the first week of the season, I went to his office and asked about the watch. Kapler's office is largely unrelated to his sport. There are a couple of bats in the corner, but it could easily be the office of a young executive at a nearby tech startup. It is in line with his public persona. He rides a hybrid bike to work from North Beach and it is propped against a cabinet and behind a desk. Several bottles of good liquor, mostly Scotch, Kapler's preference, and fine wine sit on a bar cart. His older brother, Jeremy, describes his brother's Scotch collection as like someone saying they like dolphins and the next thing you know they have a room full of dolphins. Muhammad Ali is on a different wall than Einstein. Several books, including Kurt Cobain's Journals and Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, line up with geometric exactitude on a coffee table.
Kapler apologized for the mess. His definition is different than most. He speaks with care. As if there is an inner Gabe who is solely responsible for predicting and understanding how the outer Gabe will be perceived, questions are followed by a pause.
So, about the watch.
This time, inner Gabe is not consulted.
He says there is nothing there. I wear the watch because I like it, but I haven't gotten it fixed. Trust me, there is nothing there.
He wants to get out in front of this one. Kapler knows the lore surrounding him, and he knows the watch could become a thing if left to its own devices. This is a man who was asked in his introductory news conference after being hired as manager of the Phillies to defend an item in his lifestyle blog that extolled the virtues of coconut oil. He doesn't want to answer questions about an alternate conception of time for the rest of the season. They become something that is not really human.
He wants the world to know that he is firmly entrenched in the time zone in which his body is located.
He wears a watch that doesn't tell time.
Kapler put two fingers on the back of his left hand and said, "That's my dad." It was an elaborate rose with the date of Michael Kapler's death on it. Kapler had an idea after the memorial ceremony for his father. The roses were passed out and anyone who spoke for Michael needed to hold a rose. As he spoke of his father, he realized that if Michael Kapler had a rose in his hand, he would be very emotional. He would be giving the rose to the people around him. You have to smell this rose, Gabe imagined him saying.
Gabe ran his fingers across the ink and wanted to see it. I wanted it to be very visible, a constant reminder of my dad.
Kapler has several tattoos, including a Star of David on the other calf, but the rose is the first major league manager with visible ink. Jeremy Kapler says, "Not everyone has the freedom to have a hand tattoo at work."
Michael Kapler was not into baseball. He was a wanderer and a poet, a romantic and a classical pianist, and a music teacher, and he was also a failed composer. Before moving to Los Angeles, Michael and his wife, Judy, attended speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and met at a Vietnam War protest. Jeremy says he and his brother were invited to partake of their father's reading list. My dad was a big critic of authority, and the question was a big one in our house.
The Country School was where their father taught music. The Kaplers were not poor, but the boys were out of place at a fancy private school because their father was on the faculty. They played baseball for the local rec league and came home and played over the line and home run derby with their old socks in the street.
The man sitting in the bleacher at Reseda Park, wearing a fedora on his head and a newspaper in front of him, is the vision of his father that has remained with him.
Jeremy says before launching into a story about the time his father took him to a Dodgers game in the early 80's and they sat down the left-field line, that he was a character. Michael decided that the ball was meant for his son and that he would be the vessel through which it would be delivered. Michael left his seat and went to the field to get the ball.
Jeremy says that they were sent to jail and ejected from the game.
Jeremy says that from the time his brother was 5, he would become a professional baseball player. He worked harder than everyone else. He practiced more than anyone else. He was all in despite Puberty getting in the way for a moment. It was amazing to watch, but it was daunting to see that kind of commitment.
The Kaplers were eating clean before the term "health-food company" was used. The boys were not introduced to sugar until they were 5 years old, and there was never enough soda in the house. Nobody mentioned fast food. As a kid, Michael Kapler was experimenting with different diet plans, and as an adult, he spoke about cheat days.
Music was a constant inside and out of the house, and it was Gabe's real passion. He can play the bass guitar, the drums and the piano, but he and his brother resisted their father's attempts to teach them to play more than just piano.
Jeremy says that it would have given him a greater connection to his father.
I stiff-armed him because my dad wanted to sit next to me on the piano bench. He tried to give me the gift of music, but I didn't accept it. I had plenty of time to accept the gift and play baseball, but I chose to play baseball all the time.
He draws a deep breath and sighs when he hears Gabe repeat his words to Jeremy.
You are too busy. Kapler can still hear those words, directed his way repeatedly and caustically, during his first season with the Detroit Tigers. The 1998 Minor League Player of the Year arrived in spring training after a 146-RBI season. He had a national ad campaign with K-Swiss before he made a big-league roster, and the beefcake photos of him were starting to hit the internet. He was a 57th round draft pick four years ago. Heady times.
Kapler should be more deferential or respectful to the Detroit Tigers, who lost 92 games in 1999. Being too comfortable in a baseball sense can mean anything from being too friendly with the media to not being deferential to the older players who are making 20 times the salary for half the production. It's easy to have an opinion as long as you're too comfortable. A person who grew up watching his father hop fences and read a newspaper in the bleachers is not used to the idea of being too comfortable.
The tradition of waiting your turn is one of the rewards of baseball. Coffee runs are made by rookies. There is a name for free thinking in baseball. It is not a compliment. Kapler set out to eradicate the existence of too comfortable.
Kapler says that his appeal is not to tone yourself down to make someone else comfortable, and so Brandon Belt taped a C onto his jersey last season and proclaimed himself captain. Crawford has a top-shelf shoe game and Brebbia has a delightfully goofy outlook on life. Andrew Bailey, a former All-StarReliever who had never been a pitching coach before getting the job with the Giants, says that he doesn't know why they hired him.
Kapler and Zaidi are trying to create and sustain a baseball team that resembles a sitcom neighborhood. Imagine a scenario in which everyone sits on their front porches and watches the kids ride their bikes or play soccer or kick a soccer ball, and every neighbor feels comfortable calling a kid over and suggesting ways of improving their bike riding or their throwing or their kicking.
Kapler says that in a neighborhood that functions well and works on problems together, everybody can be influential. This means that not only coaches can be coaches. Analysts can help. Front-office people can help. Trainers are able to be coaches. People can be teammates.
Brebbia, who signed with the Giants last season, says that they are ahead of the curve and people want to come here. We did it right last year, now other people are going to try and do it right, so we have to do it better.
The openness, diversity, inclusion, and the fact that Kapler was the National League Manager of the Year last season, stand in stark contrast to the criticisms that trailed him from his job as director of player development with the Dodgers to manager of the Phils and finally, manager of the Giants Two incidents in 2015, both involving Dodgers minor leaguers, have become a permanent part of his story. In the first, during spring training, a female was allegedly attacked by two older women in a hotel room while partying with Dodgers minor leaguers. Kapler says that the allegation of sexual assault was made after he tried to broker a meeting between the parties in order to express the players' feelings. In October of that year, there was an alleged sexual assault of a hotel worker by a Dodgers minor leaguer. Kapler reported the incidents to his bosses and the Dodgers legal team, but in neither case did he or the Dodgers involve the police, a decision Kapler says was made at the request of the alleged victims and their families.
Kapler and Zaidi regret not doing more. They said their actions were based on what they knew at the time. Kapler wrote a 1,300-word explanation on his website after the Washington Post reported that he knew about the sexual assault allegation when he first heard of it.
Kapler held a news conference in San Francisco in which the issue dominated. A lot of people didn't have the full facts about what happened. It sounded terrible. It sounded terrible to us. There was no questioning that he faced some difficult situations in L.A. I know that Gabe tried to do the right thing, and that was the most important thing for me.
In Philadelphia, where he went 161- 163 before being fired, he served as a constant reminder that dissension is an infectious disease. Go a day or two without checking in with the team and watch the good vibes go away.
The Dodgers and Giants were tied at 5-5 when Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the ninth. Rogers was walking off the mound with his head down after he hit a three-run home run.
Rogers faced three batters that night, too, and when it was over, he threw me back out there.
Rogers says that they caught on to Kapler and that they know if one of them has a rough outing. That shows the trust in the world when he does that.
Baseball is close to Peak Analytics. Every team has access to the same information, and while some may use it in different ways, it is still the same information. Market inefficiencies derived through numbers have become more difficult to find, so some teams, like the Giants, are leaning into the benefit of good old fashioned human connection.
During spring training, the Giants hold 15-minute player-plan meetings. Kapler, Zaidi and Scott Harris sit down with each player to discuss their performance. A performance review is a look at strengths, weaknesses, and future plans. Five or so years ago, when these meetings were more common, the format was simple: here is this sheet of paper, here is what you do well and here is what we want you to focus on. Any questions?
"We still have those one-pagers, but now we bring guys into the office and ask how are you doing?" Zaidi says. Are your family with you? How are you finding camp and how does it compare to the last team you were on?
Drew Robinson was signed by the Giants last year and given a chance to revive his career on the field before being hired as a mental-health advocate in the front office. Baseball culture has always demanded that the problems that exist outside the club remain outside the club. The doors of the Giants have been flung open and invited the world in, so bring it all with you.
Kapler wore a T-shirt that read "Strength Isn't Always Physical" during spring training, and said that everyone in the player population was suffering with something. There is a family rift. It could be anxiety issues, depression issues, and those are elevated at different times for different players. Our staff and front office are just as important as our players. Every member of the organization. Diversity and inclusion have been seen as counter to a winning culture. They are perfectly compatible.
The past can be seen in the present. Questions were asked at a dinner table. Is it true that you can get to new locations and be directed at different issues? Michael and Judy Kapler taught their sons to question authority, and that people have to earn their respect.
Why does baseball demand certain behavior from teams leading the game by a certain amount of runs? In a game in which salaries and longevity are mostly numbers-driven, why should players limit their talents? Shouldn't only one team be allowed to try?
Kapler thought it was giving away a competitive advantage. The losing team will benefit if a mediocre relief pitcher is allowed to pitch through the last three frames. They will be able to prepare for the next game. The repercussions can last throughout a series and even beyond if you keep the pressure on. A good game can be turned into a good weekend.
Is it true? Is it true that it is unsportsmanlike to swing and try to get a hit when you have runners on second and third with no outs in the seventh? Is it true that the best way to respond is by throwing at that team's best players?
Kapler turned the questions into policy during the spring training meeting. The Code wouldn't apply anymore. The Giants played every game regardless of the score. They wouldn't limit their talents to conform to someone else's idea of sportsmanship. They would challenge the authority of the shadow police force.
Kapler says that taking a 2-0 pitch and allowing the pitcher to get back into the count is not in the best interests of the team.
The Giants put their new philosophy on display against San Diego in the fifth game of the season. Steven stole second in the second. Mauricio Dubon hit a double in the sixth. The steal, coming so early in the game, was a low-level misdemeanor. In baseball terms, the bunting was a capital offense.
The Padres manager was upset. Third base coach Matt Williams was angry and told Dubon he was going to hurt someone. Eric Hosmer was upset. The Padres got mad the same way the Nationals did when Thairo Estrada broke for second when he wasn't being held on first base in the ninth, but they didn't force any of his pitchers to.
It is the type of small-scale rebellion that could change the structure. Should a controversy arise, Kapler will answer for the way the Giants play. They will try to pound the bullpens into a fine grit. You are welcome to do it as well. They are no longer concerned about breaking rules that are only in the imagination.
Expectations for this season were created by last season's surprise. You better do it again because we can't believe you did that. It felt like gravity had doubled down on the Giants. They lost five in a row after the 14-7 start, including two lifeless efforts against the Dodgers. It looked like it got an invitation. They lost players to injuries and the lineup cards looked like they were from a spring training game. He made his big-league debut. Mike Ford was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento three days after he was acquired from Seattle, and returned to Seattle for the same cash considerations on May 12. Kevin Padlo was out of the air. It got so bad that Vosler looked like a leader.
Kapler is drinking a coffee in the Financial District on a Friday morning. Things are looking up for the Giants after several bad days. LaMonte Wade Jr. will be in the starting lineup for the first time this season. Belt will be back the next day, and they are waiting on a couple more negative tests to feel closer to whole again. Kapler is focused on how that 14-7 start made it possible for the bad times to feel better.
Kapler says that things like this are disproportionately impacting them. The way to weather the storm is to be pragmatic.
How emotional? Kapler sat in the dugout on the day the Dodgers traded for closer Craig Kimbrel and refused to comment until the deal was officially announced by either the Dodgers or White Bulls. Kapler was given the freedom to give his opinion on the Dodgers, owners of the biggest payroll in baseball, traditional and current rivals of his team, reloading their bullpen with another perennial All Star.
The Giants won't be emotional about the 21-game start or the five-game stretch that followed it. The status is decidedly unchanged. The goal is not replication. Kapler will continue to ride his bike to the park, seek out the best coffee spots in the city, and walk to the mound like John Wayne. Everyone is free to be who they want to be, and the club is a judgement-free zone. I want to know if the watch is fixed.
He laughs and pauses. He says reluctantly that it hasn't been fixed. There is no time with all that going on.
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