SAN DIEGO — Of the eight coaches who officially joined new manager Gabe Kapler’s first staff on Wednesday, only two reached the majors as players.
The staff Kapler is assembling for the Giants is a departure from the norm in San Francisco, but it aligns with an industry-wide trend of hiring non-traditional candidates that teams believe are better-suited to facilitate player development.
“The most important thing to hire for in a coach and leader is can they connect with players?” Kapler said. “Are they able to develop players and are the players aware immediately that the coach can help them get better?