Phillies: Quirky winning habit

Scheme or plan?

While analytics plays a role, Kapler does more than positioning fielders, filling out lineup cards and changing pitchers based on matchups. He teaches each player the meaning of their stats to accelerate their progress, while this frequent communication earns their trust.

For now, they’re buying into the manager’s thinking, working counts, and making defensive plays even if they’re having difficulty at the plate. To illustrate, Aaron Altherr made a game-saving catch on April 15 against Tampa Bay. But keep in mind, Kapler also knows his youngsters will experience growing pains.

Yes, veterans –like Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez— would balk at sitting even if they are slumping, while the rookies and sophomores still must earn their spurs. However, they can lean on each other because they were together on the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils and the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

If you didn’t see this early success coming, you aren’t alone. Even the Phillies broadcasters and television analysts are having some trouble at times explaining it.

But what do the faithful make of Kapler and the job he’s doing? Well, one poster stated he is sick of the hate Kapler receives, but he also admitted his dislike for the “CEO and motivational speaker” persona. However, he felt the guy must be doing something right.

On the other hand, another fan replied with the scapegoat-to-be answer toward managers and GMs. He said all the credit goes only to the players, the hitting coach and Kapler’s staff. Of course, he raved about that coaching and disagreed with many of the skipper’s lineup choices. Yeah, winning is irrelevant.

One knowledgeable local remarked that the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers have had success with similar approaches. Therefore, Scott Kingery, Maikel Franco, J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams and Altherr will continue to split playing time.