Fans aim jibe at Gabe Kepler's appointment as Marlins's assistant GM: "Gotta be tough to be a Miami fan"
After the San Francisco Giants went 5-22 to end the season, Gabe Kepler must have known his time as manager was coming to an end. The Giants were eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight year with six games left in the season.
A former MLB player himself, Kepler had been managing the Giants since 2020. In 2021, Kepler managed the Giants to a 107-win season, earning Manager of the Year honors. However, that fact did little to save him after the Giants sacked Kepler three days after the end of the season.
On December 1, the Miami Marlins announced their intent to bring on Gabe Kepler as their assistant GM. Interestingly, following the resignation of Kim Ng, the first female GM in North American pro sports, the role of head General Manager remains vacant.
"Source confirms: Marlins hiring Gabe Kapler as assistant GM. Team was intrigued by his success in player development during his time as Dodgers farm director. First: @CraigMish" - Ken Rosenthal
Although Kepler will bring decades of MLB experience to the Marlins' front office. The trainwreck of the 2023 San Francisco Giants season is still fresh in the minds of many. Several fans took to the comments section to remind each other of Kepler's failures in 2023.
In Miami, Kepler will find himself thrust into the operations of one of the most exciting teams in baseball. Fresh off of their first full season postseason qualification since 2003, the Miami Marlins also saw their coach, Skip Schumaker, win Manager of the Year honors this season.
Still, the Giants struggled by nearly every metric in 2023, and Gabe Kepler often bore the brunt of the blame. In addition to ranking 28th in team batting average, San Francisco also recorded the fewest hits in the entire National League.
Gabe Kepler has a chance to start anew in Miami
Although Kepler's time in San Francisco yielded both positive and negative results for the team, his tenure was ultimately soured by the circumstances that led to his demise. Kepler's new team will need to contend in a division that features both the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, meaning that success is far from guaranteed.
At least as assistant GM, Kepler will be able to escape the media spotlight that was often shone in his face. Whether or not it will be enough for fans to forgive him for 2023 remains to be seen.