Giants extend Gabe Kapler’s contract through 2024

The Giants announced Friday that they have added two years to manager Gabe Kapler’s deal, extending him through the 2024 season:

Kapler, 46, was relatively disappointing in his first major league managerial stint, leading a loaded Phillies team to a 161-163 record over two seasons while making a number of embarrassing bullpen management blunders. He’s certainly found his groove over two seasons in San Francisco, though.

Kapler took over a Giants team that was seemingly short on talent in 2020 and led them to a .483 winning percentage (29-31) that was their best since 2016 while keeping them in playoff contention until the final day of the season. He put together a bright, young coaching staff that helped revive the careers of veterans like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Kevin Gausman, and Darin Ruf, and in collaboration with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris, made the Giants one of the most respected, forward-thinking organizations in baseball.

Kapler’s Giants took their success to the next level in 2021. They got an amazing bounce-back performance from catcher Buster Posey as he returned after skipping the 2020 season due to COVID concerns, saw veteran third baseman Evan Longoria have his best season in half a decade, and unearthed a young everyday contributor in outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. 24-year-old Logan Webb turned into a legitimate ace, and the Giants put together a bullpen largely built around cheap free agent signings and waiver claims that became the best in baseball. After being projected by many outlets to finish under .500, the Giants won 107 games, the most in franchise history and in the majors this season.

Kapler was named a finalist for NL Manager of the Year this week along with Brewers skipper Craig Counsell and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt. He’s considered a heavy favorite to win the award, joining Zaidi, who won MLB Executive of the Year this week.