Fewer than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Fla., to begin a new season,there’s an unexpected new chapter in the unusual managerial tenure ofGabe Kapler.
On Friday, The Washington Post reportedthat in Feb. 2015, when Kapler was the Dodgers’ director of player development,a 17-year-old girl consumed alcohol in a hotel room with two Dodgers minor leaguers and two other womenin Glendale, Ariz., and later alleged she had been sexually assaulted by one of the players. According to the story, which was based on police reports and email records,the women beat up the girl and threw her out of the hotel room after she vomited from drinking vodka, and one of the players filmed and posted the incident to Snapchat. The girl and her grandmother later emailed Kapler about the alleged attack (though not about the sexual assault), and he suggested the girl meet with the two players and himself over dinner to discuss the situation. Kapler did not report the incident to police.
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One week later, the girl told police that prior to the alleged beating, she had been sexually assaulted by one of the Dodgers’ minor leaguers as she struggled to remain conscious on a bed.
With the Phillies’ permission, Kapler published a statement Saturday afternoon on his personal website,Kaplifestyle.com, explaining his actions and vehemently denying that he had been told a sexual assault took place.
“In this particular case, the notion that a sexual assault had taken place was never brought up during the time that I was involved in responding,” Kapler wrote in the statement. “There is a big difference between responding to a player who displayed an unacceptable lack of judgment and one thatassaulteda woman. I am well aware of that difference, and I assure you that I would haveacteddifferently ifat the time I was involvedI had reason to believe that a sexual assault had occurred.”
The Phillies have not released a statement of their own in response to the story and allegations. The organization says itwas not aware of the incident until a Washington Post reporter contacted them last week despite vetting Kapler before his hire.The decision to let Kapler’s statement, which the Phillies reviewed, stand on its own is an interesting public relations strategy. The Phillies find themselves ina difficult position given the nature of the incident: it involves a face of their franchise but took place during his time with another team. The lack of a response from the team, though, leaves open the possibility for morequestions in the future when general Matt Klentak or team president Andy MacPhail hold their next media availability — say, during a Manny Machado or Bryce Harper introductory press conference.
Major League Baseball did not respond to an email asking whether they are looking into the incident.
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In his statement, Kapler, whor*ferred to the 17-year-old as “the victim” throughout,addressed why he did not contact the police after learning of the underage drinking and alleged beating.
“The question of why I didn’t report this to the police is a fair one,” Kapler wrote. “Admittedly, there were many thoughts going through my mind at the time. But above all, the victim’s grandmother asked for my reassurance that I wouldn’t ‘turn (the victim) in’ before the victim would share what had happened. After the victim shared her description of the night, she sent me a follow up email and said she didn’t want to talk about it any further. My feeling at the time was that the victim should have the right to make the decision about whatshe wantedto do. Perhaps I should have taken it out of her hands, but my intention was to respect the victim and her wishes.”
Kapler attemptedto clarify his role in and knowledge of the incidentthrough his 1,333-word statement. However, it is impossible to ignore the ways his time with the Dodgers continues to generate headlinessince he joined the Phillies. In May 2017, Yahoo Sports first reported that MLB was investigating whether the Dodgers discriminated against Nick Francona,an Afghanistan war veteran and the son of Indians manager Terry Francona who worked as an assistant director of player development in the Los Angeles organization. In a letter to MLB, Francona wrote that he believed he was pushed out of his position after seeking an assessment at Home Base, an organization that helps veterans heal fromtraumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and related conditions. Kapler was Francona’s direct boss, and he was reportedly a main subject of Francona’s frustrationin his letter to MLB. The Dodgers have also reportedly been part of a U.S. Department of Justice probe into MLB’s involvement in Latin America and potential corruption,an investigation timeline which coincides with Kapler’s tenure with the club.
Kapler was an outside-the-box hire when Klentak introduced him as the Phillies’ 54th manager on Nov. 2, 2017. His previous managerial experience was limited to aone-year stint leading the Red Sox’s Class-A Greenville Drive in 2007. He worked in the Dodgers organization from 2015-17 in his role as director of player development.
Kapler has attracted national attention since arriving in Philadephia, though primarily for baseball issues that are, of course, vastly different in nature than this new alleged incident from his time with Los Angeles. Past writing on Kapler’s website was scrutinized after his hiring, including during his first press conference, and a bullpen fiasco in the season-opening series in Atlanta followed by boos on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park highlighted the strong emotions Kapler has evoked from fans. The Phillies exceeded expectations early in 2018, but their late-season struggles did not lessen concerns about his managerial style.
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Kapler was not a safe hire. That was known from the beginning. He is a departure from the managerial prototype and a compelling figure, one who will always attract attention. That spotlight is not going to diminish as Kapler prepares for his second season leading the Phillies.
(Top photo: Jake Roth / USA TODAY Sports)
