The Gabe Kapler Era in Philadelphia is off to a rough start, at least for Kapler himself. He's already had some high-profile issues, notably his decision-making questioned on Opening Day, a bullpen gaffe in the second game of the season -- after which he guaranteed the Phillies would make the playoffs -- and ended his first road trip at 1-4.
Thursday, for the Phillies' home opener in Citizens Bank Park, Kapler heard some boos when he was introduced:
Gabe Kapler greeted by boos at the home opener pic.twitter.com/Q56sdPdepd
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) April 5, 2018
That wasn't a few scattered boos. Especially on Opening Day (even if just the home opener!), usually the home fans pretty much cheer everyone on their side. Instead, Kapler was greeted to a very negative reaction.
In the grand scheme of things, that's probably not too big a deal. This might be, though.
"We'll be OK … We just need the manager to get out of the way," an anonymous Phillies player told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Five games into a manager's tenure, that's not what the front office needs to be hearing or reading about.
Then again, it's only five games and surely Kapler is smart enough to make adjustments to his managerial style on the fly. Even the most stubborn people grow into new jobs and learn from mistakes. What the Phillies have to hope is Kapler has self-awareness on areas of dealing with the players and either adjusts or finds ways to massage any concerns within the clubhouse.
It's a long season. A bad start doesn't necessarily mean disaster. As my esteemed colleague Dayn Perry would say, consider this story to be "developing."